The celebration of the Northwest Ordinance will take place at the Start Westward Monument in Marietta on Wednesday. (Photo Provided)

MARIETTA — Gov. Mike DeWine is scheduled to attend the 238th Anniversary of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 program on Wednesday at the Start Westward Monument in East Muskingum Park in downtown Marietta.

The public is invited to the free commemorative event, which begins at 10:30 a.m. at 319 Front St., to mark the adoption of the ordinance that laid the foundation for public education and governance in the Northwest Territory.

The program will include a keynote address by Paul LaRue, President of the Ohio State Board of Education and retired educator. LaRue will discuss the educational legacy of Article III of the Northwest Ordinance, which emphasized the importance of “religion, morality, and knowledge” in public life and encouraged the establishment of schools in the new territories.

From 10 to 10:30 a.m., visitors are invited to join in at the monument with music and refreshments. At the First Congregational Church across the street, the “Church of the Pioneers” bell ringing of the carillon will be performed with various patriotic tunes. Guests are invited to climb the steps into the bell tower to watch as Sean Lofty operates the wooden levers to engage the chimes.

The Northwest Ordinance, passed on July 13, 1787, by the Congress of the Confederation, provided a framework for the governance of land north of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi. It also included provisions barring slavery in the territory and outlined a process for statehood. The earlier Land Ordinance of 1785 established a land survey system that set aside one section in each township for the support of public schools – an early federal commitment to education.

Marietta, founded in 1788, was the first permanent U.S. settlement in the Northwest Territory and served as its first capital. The Ohio Company of Associates played a major role in its development, and the Ordinance of 1787 helped guide its growth through its legal and civic structure. The ordinance is a foundational document in American history for its influence on public education, territorial expansion, and civil liberties

In the event of inclement weather, the program will move indoors to the First Congregational Church.

The anniversary program is supported by the City of Marietta, Museum of the Northwest Territory – Campus Martius, First Congregational Church, Marietta Chapter Sons of the American Revolution, Washington County Public Library, Washington County Veterans Service Office, Multicultural Genealogical Center, Marietta Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution, Civil War Roundtable of the Mid-Ohio Valley, and the America 250-Ohio Commission.

Two other history-related activities are planned this week in Marietta. Campus Martius Museum, at 601 Second St., will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday. Visitors can tour the Rufus Putnam House and view exhibits related to the founding of Marietta and the Northwest Territory. Regular admission rates apply.

On Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., “History in the Park” will feature historical reenactors and exhibits in Muskingum Park.