William Odum’s son, John Britain Odum, shipped milk and produce from surrounding farmers to St. Louis when a railroad was put through the area.
John Odum’s son, Thomas L. Odum, dug calumel, ginseng and other medicinal roots and herbs for shipment to St. Louis in order to earn money to buy watchmaking tools and opened Odum’s Jewelry Store in 1917.
The store was located in one of two rooms over the Creal Springs Bank Building in Creal Springs, Illinois. Realtor Robert M.Camden occupied the other office room.
When Mr. Odum left for service in World War I, he left the key to his business with Mr. Camden who took care of it for a while when people came in to pick up clocks that had been left for repair. Soon he moved the remaining items and watchmaking tools into his own quarters so Odum would not be liable for rent during his army service.
Upon Odum’s return from the war, he worked with jeweler Harry Armstrong in Harrisburg, until opening a business in 1926 in Mr. George Goodall’s office in the Goodall Hotel on the southeast corner of the Marion Square. When this building burned on March 4, 1941, the business was moved across the street into a building owned by Laura Belle Warder at 106 East Main Street.
In 1946, Mr. Odum’s son Lewis E. Odum joined him in a partnership after Lewis returned from service in World War II. The partnership continued until July 1962, when Thomas Odum retired.
In October 1970, the business moved to its present location on the east side of the Marion Square. This location was 1203 Tower Square between Topper’s and Household Finance Corp.
Mr. Thomas Odum died in 1986 at the age of 90. The store operated in the hands of Lewis Odum and his wife Dorothy, until their retirement in 1991 when they sold the business.
(Extracted from 1989 Sesquicentennial History, WCHS; supplemented by Sam Lattuca on 03/01/2013)