Preservation Record
February 2025 -
Settlers Bank contributed $6,500 seed money to develop a preservation in place plan for the Start Westward Memorial consisting of the 25 ft. x 25 ft. Monument, four Front Street Pylons, Esplanade, and River Landing being led by Schnabel Conservation LLC.
January 2025 - With the assistance of Historic Preservation Group LLC, a nomination is submitted to the Ohio State Historic Preservation Office for consideration of the Memorial to the “Start Westward of the United States” to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
September 2023 - After Consultation with the National Parks Service Historical Preservation Center, the Start Westward Memorial Society directors voted to pursue conservation for the memorial.
September 2022 - Borglum’s Grand Children visit Marietta.
September 16, 2022: Robin Borglum Kennedy speaking at Public Meeting
June 2022- Start Westward Memorial Society: New Plaque Installed.
June 2022: A new plaque, after the prior one went missing, was created by Brad Smith at Sewah Studios and installed on the river landing.
June 2021 - McKay Lodge Conservation Laboratory: Conservation Proposal
The Start Westward Memorial Monument…$770,508
The Start Westward Memorial Pylons….$306,420
$1,076,928
March 2021- City of Marietta: Replaced lighting.
March 2021: Lighting installed by the City of Marietta.
October 2020 - City of Marietta: Schnabel Conservation LLC, Trenton, HJ, performed an on-site assessment June 15-17 and offered three sandstone conservation options:
Option 1 - No Action
Option 2 - Conservation In-Place
Option 3 - Relocate Indoors
Read the full report.
June 2020 - City of Marietta: Installed temporary protective cover
June 2020: Temporary cover installed by the City of Marietta using $50,000 Block Grant Funding.
May 2003 - Marietta Kiwanis Club: Proposed permanent protective cover
May 2003: Nancy Hoy (far left) and Allan Norris explaining to an unknown Marietta resident the Kiwanis Club’s proposed covering.
June 1998 - City of Marietta: Robert Lodge and two additional McKay Lodge Laboratory employees preformed cosmetic work and strongly urged the only way to assure the preservation of the sandstone was by protecting it from water under a cover (ideally a pavilion).
June 1998: Robert Lodge applying cosmetic sandstone repairs on the base of the Memorial
June 1988 - Marietta Kiwanis Club: Steven Wisenbaugh, Conservator, Harrison, OH removed graffiti, filled cracks with color matched mortar and sealed the entire sculpture.
May 1987 - Marietta Kiwanis Club: Installed flags and lighting
May 1987: Kiwanis Club’s final adjustment of the lighting system they installed for the bicentennial along with flags of the six northwest Territory States.
August 1975 - Leo Wagner: Reattached the head on the figure nearest the river
September 1973 - Tom Vadakin: Cleaned an asphalt material from the sculpture
March 1964 - 45.2 ft. Flood Level
March 1964 - David Baker’s photo from his canoe
April 1962 - Fred Mitchem: Replaced center standing pioneer’s head while S. Durward Hoag: Supervised cleaning entire sculpture and applying silicone coating
April 1962: Fred Mitchem (far right) supervising attachment of the center standing pioneer’s replacement head he carved from matching sandstone.
September 1938 - Gutzon Borglum returns to Marietta to complete his project.
