This large, stately Victorian style home at the corner of East Thorn and South Market was built in 1896 for William H. Bundy and his second wife Alice (Bevard) Bundy. William’s first wife (“Belle” Warder) had passed away in 1883 and left him with two children, he remarried to Alice in 1885. William was primarily in the drug business but was an active citizen of Marion who belonged to numerous organizations and even served as Mayor of Marion from 1901-1903.

Around 1915, William was nearly 70, so he and his wife left the home on S. Market and moved to a home on West Main Street. When the home became available it was purchased by Lorenzo Dow Hartwell, a local attorney who had a law office at 201 Public Square. Lorenzo was already living in Ward 3 (Southeast Marion) with his wife Cora and their three children, DeWitte, Fannie and Morrill.

Their son DeWitt T. Hartwell was Williamson County’s States Attorney in 1910 and Fannie in 1913 married a young man named Ralph Burkhart who had just graduated from dental college at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois in 1912.

By 1920, Lorenzo had reached his seventies and his wife Cora (Simmons) was 60. In 1925 Lorenzo passed away and was buried at Rose Hill cemetery. His daughter and son in law Ralph who had been living at 810 N. Monroe moved into the home with Lorenzo’s widowed wife Cora.  Cora passed away in 1933 and ownership passed to Fannie and Ralph Burkhart.

Dr. Ralph maintained a dental office on the square for years in the Marion State and Savings Bank building (Hotel State). Ralph Burkhart was born in 1889 and had grown up at 906 North Market with his parents who owned a dry goods and shoe store at 600 Public Square (corner of West Main, South side).

Fannie and Ralph grew old in the home on South Market and Fannie passed away first in September 1962 followed by Ralph on February 19, 1966.

(Original photo and some data from 1905 Souvenir Book; Federal census records; death records; city directories; compiled by Sam Lattuca on 01/25/2013)