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The Dr. Increase Mathews House, Muskingum County’s oldest building, is located in the Putnam Historic District of Zanesville. Dr. Increase Mathews, an early medical doctor in Zanesville, purchased land across the Muskingum River from Zanesville in 1801. The land purchase was made possible by financial help from his uncle, General Rufus Putnam and his cousin, Levi Whipple. In 1805, Dr. Mathews built a single story sandstone house on his land. The kitchen, with its large double fireplace, was in the basement. Dr. Mathews lived in the Stone cottage for fifty-one years. The house was enlarged in 1884 by the addition of two stories to the sandstone cottage. The house stayed in the Mathews family for some years. In 1970, Mrs. F.F. (Dorothea Guthrie) Frazier gave it to the Pioneer and Historical Society. Visitors can see historic room settings, exhibits about military history, Archeology, Native American artifacts, and displays of quilts, local glass and pottery. The military exhibit has recently been updated and enlarged.