Jul 29, 2026 · 1 hr 1 min · 13 segments
Built in 1859 above Harmar Village in Marietta, Ohio, The Anchorage began as a private mansion and love letter in stone before later becoming a nursing home—and eventually one of the region’s…
Before we get into the ghost stories, I think it's important to understand what the Anchorage actually was.
And honestly, that's true for almost every place we investigate.
Buildings like this rarely have just one story.
They change over time, and every chapter adds something new to their history.
The anchorage, originally called Putnam Villa, was built in 1859 by Douglas Putnam for his wife, Eliza.
Douglas was a well-known and influential businessman in Marietta, and the home itself, being designed by architect John Slocum, came in an Italianate style.
It actually came about because Eliza had been visiting the Mediterranean-type housing, and she fell in love with them, so she begged Douglas for a house just like that, and that's what she got.
Depending on where you look, you'll see it listed as having either 22 or 23 rooms.
Honestly, though, the exact number really isn't important.
What matters is that this wasn't some modest farmhouse sitting out in the countryside.
It was a large, elegant home that was built to stand out.
And even today, it still does.
It definitely does.
When you pull up, the house immediately has that, I have outlived everybody's bullshit energy.
It sits up there like it knows people are coming to talk about it.
I think the reason it was built is just as important as when it was built.
The Anchorage wasn't originally a hospital, an asylum, or any other kind of institution.
It started as exactly what it was intended to be, a family home.
The story here starts with a husband building a home for his wife.
It starts with family, with marriage, with everyday life.
And I think that that gives the house a very different feeling before you ever even start talking about ghosts.
And that matters because people hear haunted mansion and they immediately jump to gothic nonsense.
Storms, castle candles, a woman in white looking out a tower window, which to be fair is extremely on brand for this house.
Before we get into the ghost stories, I think it's important to understand what the Anchorage actually was.
And honestly, that's true for almost every place we investigate.
Buildings like this rarely have just one story.
They change over time, and every chapter adds something new to their history.
The anchorage, originally called Putnam Villa, was built in 1859 by Douglas Putnam for his wife, Eliza.
Douglas was a well-known and influential businessman in Marietta, and the home itself, being designed by architect John Slocum, came in an Italianate style.
It actually came about because Eliza had been visiting the Mediterranean-type housing, and she fell in love with them, so she begged Douglas for a house just like that, and that's what she got.
Depending on where you look, you'll see it listed as having either 22 or 23 rooms.
Honestly, though, the exact number really isn't important.
What matters is that this wasn't some modest farmhouse sitting out in the countryside.
It was a large, elegant home that was built to stand out.
And even today, it still does.
It definitely does.
When you pull up, the house immediately has that, I have outlived everybody's bullshit energy.
It sits up there like it knows people are coming to talk about it.
I think the reason it was built is just as important as when it was built.
The Anchorage wasn't originally a hospital, an asylum, or any other kind of institution.
It started as exactly what it was intended to be, a family home.
The story here starts with a husband building a home for his wife.
It starts with family, with marriage, with everyday life.
And I think that that gives the house a very different feeling before you ever even start talking about ghosts.
And that matters because people hear haunted mansion and they immediately jump to gothic nonsense.
Storms, castle candles, a woman in white looking out a tower window, which to be fair is extremely on brand for this house.
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