Book Description

The Joseph Barker, Jr. dwelling is a combination 2 1/2 story frame and brick structure located on property of the federal government adjacent to the Willow Island Locks and Dam in lower Newport Township, Washington County, Ohio. Previous research suggested that Joseph Barker, Sr., an early settler in the Northwest Territory and the father of Joseph Barker, Jr, may have served as the architect or builder of the home. The elder Barker came to the Marietta area in 1789, the year after the founding of this the first permanent, legal, civilian settlement to be established in the Northwest Territory. He operated a shipyard on the banks of the Muskingum River and is generally credited with the construction of the boats which Aron Burr is believed to have authorized in a putative attempt to detach the Louisiana Territory from the United States and to establish himself as its ruler. Barker is also generally acknowledged as one of the early house builders or architects in the Marietta area. (Author).