The federal government established a post office at Marion, Illinois on January 30, 1840. The earliest location of the post office found was in the court house that used to sit in the southeast corner of the square. When the building burned on June 4, 1875, it appears to have been relocated into the C.H. Denison building on the north side of the square where the Bank of Marion now sits. This building as well was destroyed by fire on September 28, 1899, while Lorenzo Hartwell was postmaster. The next location found was at 209 W. Main Street under Postmaster Henry C. Jones.

Many of Marion finest citizens have served as Postmasters. Marion’s first postmaster was Willis Allen who later became a state legislator. After Willis Allen’s term of two years, John M. Cunningham, father of Mrs. John A. Logan served. From 1880 to 1885 James P. Copeland, founder of the Leader newspaper and predecessor to the Daily Republican served. In 1932, Oldham Paisley, editor/publisher of the Marion Daily Republican took a turn.

 Rural Free Delivery was begun nationwide in 1896.

Early mail in Southern Illinois was delivered between towns by horseback then later by horse drawn coaches. With the advent of the railroad all mail scheduled in and out of the city was moved by rail.

In 1904, besides the six daily rural routes, the Marion office  received and discharged ten daily mails by rail. Of those, seven were moved by the Illinois Central, one by the C & EI and two by the Coal Belt Electric Line starting at 5:30 A.M. and the last at 7:50 P.M.

Also in 1904, the Marion Illinois office was rated 3^rd class, but after its annual income had reached $8,000 was advanced to 2^nd Class in June 1905.

The total amount of daily mail in 1904 was about 100 pounds, requiring the labor of three clerks besides Mr. Jones, the postmaster, to handle it. Mr. S. S. Miller his assistant postmaster, had charge of all money order business. B. T. Howell and T. F. Tones, son of the postmaster, were the general delivery clerks.

In that year, the Post Office Department allowed $580 in the expense of running the office, besides $60.00 for lights and fuel, and $25 a month for rent. The salary of Mr. Jones was $1900. He had to fit up the office himself at an expense of about $600. He paid $12.50 additional every month for rent and the salaries of his office force.   The office had 498 boxes, rented at from 20 to 40 cents per quarter each. There were six rural routes out of Marion. Each carrier getting a salary of $60 a month and providing his own teams and wagon.

The Marion Post Office in the year of 1904 operated had an end of surplus of  $1,140, not exactly the figures one would expect from the debt riddled Post Office of today.

In 1912 Congressional appropriation was made for a new post office. The post office at 205 East Main St. was built in 1917 and 18 and a dedication ceremony was held on November 30, 1918. The location was previously the home of Marshall Meredith.

The building was doubled in size with an addition to the south of the building by the 1940’s and even later was added onto again for shipping, receiving and parking for all the post office vehicles so that it now occupies the entire block with one way traffic on the East and West sides to control traffic flow.

The cornerstone on the building located in the northeast corner has eroded away and is unreadable but once contained the architects name and some details.

There are 23 Marion Post Offices listed with the U.S. Postal Service in the United States.

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(Data from 1905 Souvenir History, WCHS; U.S. Postal Service; Marion Street Directories; compiled by Sam Lattuca on 02/25/2013)