Ohio River Museum, Ohio, United States
4.5 (93 reviews) Spent Ranking #5 in Marietta Speciality Museums
A Learning Experience.
Entry is free for military and retired military with ID card, otherwise, it is $7.00 to visit the museum and the historic W.P. Snyder Jr. paddle-wheel tow boat. There are three smaller rooms with a number of artifacts and a large number of excellent models of boats that plied the Ohio River and its tributaries in years gone by. The most interesting exhibit, though, is the W.P Snyder Jr. A guide will come scoop you up after a while if you wish the tour. He was very knowledgeable and able to answer any and all questions about the boat which was delivered, under its own steam, to the museum in 1955. It is a listed National Historic Landmark. He refused a tip and suggested I put it into the jar for preservation of the boat. Of all the things we learned during our visit, the most interesting was that the bottom of the Ohio River is lined with the ashes of the coal burned by the old steamers. And yes, that "lining" is not good for the river's health.
Address
601 Front St, Marietta, OH 45750-2131
Mobile
Website
http://www.mariettamuseums.org
Current local date and time now
Monday, May 13, 2024, 5:26
User Ratings
4.5 based on (93 reviews)
Reviews
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5klbarth39 5:00 PM Jun 25, 2020
Worth your time.
The Ohio river museum has a good history of the area and several models of old steam powered paddle boats that used to be on the Ohio River. They also have several small water crafts like old long boats, canoes, etc. Outside the museum they have several telephone poles set high up the bank of the river. They are at several different heights at the top. Each of the poles have a sign at the bottom telling the year of a flood and how high the water was that year the highest level was in 1913 when the river crested at 58.7 feet. Their have been many times that the city had several feet of water in the downtown area. One of the must see at the museum is the W.R Snyder an old steam powered towboat. The tour guide is very knowledgeable about the boat and he also has a Captains license from the U.S.Coast Guard. Your see the boilers, pistons, crew living quarters, kitchen, laundry, cooks quarters, bathrooms, Captains pilot house, and many other areas. The tour of the museum and the Snyder tow boat is well worth the cost of a ticket. In June 2020 a ticket to see both of these are 7 dollars. That will enable you to seem everything. For an extra 3 dollars you can also see Camps Martin Museum which is about 1 block away. If you are active duty military or a Veteran with PROPER ID the 2 museums and boat are all free.
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5Troy E 5:00 PM Oct 3, 2021
Fascinating aspects of Ohio River history
Highly recommended for anyone who is interested in history, especially the history of the settlement and western expansion of the United States in general, and the Ohio River area in particular. The highlight was a tour of the last remaining sternwheel steam-powered river towboat, the W.P. Snyder Jr. Note that the museum is free to Ohio History Connection members, but there is a small charge for non-members. Also, the museum is open only from spring through October. A sister museum, Campus Martius, is only a block away. And jus a short drive across the Muskingum River is Lookout Point, where you can see the city of Marietta and the confluence of the Muskingum and Ohio Rivers, below you. I intend to go back when the leaves are (nearly) off the trees, so I can see more.
