Yesterday we drove from Camp Creek, West Virginia, to Marietta, Ohio. We are in a nice little camp called Ashland RV Park. We are the only overnighter, although we had another rig in here last night. Perhaps we will get another neighbor tonight.
We were told that Marietta, Ohio, was the first permanent settlement in the Northwest Territory, founded in 1788. It was a riverboat town and there are still a couple here. One you can take rides on
and another is used as a floating museum. There are historical homes, many of which have been or are in the process of being restored or renovated. We visited one today called The Castle. It was built by a prominent attorney and changed owners several times over the decades. The last resident lived in the home until 1974. It is one of Ohio's finest Gothic Revival homes and is beautifully restored. We were the only ones there this morning so we got a personal tour by Kyle. He was very informative and knew his subject well. The house has been modernized but still retains its charm and beauty. The carriage house serves as the visitor center where you start the tour with a movie. I was not able to take pictures of the inside, so I only have a 
shot of the outside.
From there we walked a half block down to The Basilica of St. Mary of the Assumption. This beautiful church has just recently been designated
a minor basilica by Pope Francis. While the outside of the church shows some wear, the interior is absolutely breathtakingly beautiful. The pictures just don't do it justice. We went downstairs to the gift shop and I bought Butterscotch a St. Francis medal to wear on her collar. 
There also is a large cemetery near these two structures. In the middle of the cemetery is an ancient mound called Conus Mound. It was probably built by either the Hopewell or the Andean peoples between 100 BC to AD 400. It was used as a burial mound but they do not know how many were interred here. Also in this cemetery are buried the remains of more Revolutionary War officers than anywhere else in the country. I would have liked to take some time to walk around there, but we didn't have time.
Across the river in another
area is another majestic home. This one is known as The Anchorage and is said to be haunted.
This is a very nice area. The town in located at the confluence of the Muskingum and Ohio Riers. There are many things we think we would like to come back and see. We enjoyed our visit and look forward to returning some day.
Till next time. . .
Dale
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