The following article was printed in the Marion Daily Republican on September 15, 1941, and recounts the history of the home located at 306 E. College Street on the occasion of its demolition.

Historic House Being Razed

Two Story Landmark On East College Street Yields To Wrecking Crew

One of Marion’s oldest residences began yielding to a wrecking crew Monday morning when workmen began tearing down the Mrs. Kate Sutherland home at 306 East College Street. The house, built almost ninety years ago, is one of the oldest and most interesting in Marion’s history. Mrs. Nannie Gray Parks, Marion librarian, has collected many facts about the house and the people who have lived there.

The site on which the home stands was part of 20 acres originally owned by William Benson and given to the town in August, 1839 on condition that the county commissioners would locate the county seat there.

An abstract of the title shows, however, that the site was deeded in 1842 to John Davis who, in turn, deeded it to William A. Dacker in 1847. In 1854, James M. Campbell purchased the land, selling out a year later to Oliver H. Wiley.

Wiley, better known as “Uncle Harp,” was a whiskey dealer and trader who owned considerable land. He and his brother, James, came to Williamson County from North Carolina in 1829, when the former was 22 years old. Both “Uncle Harp” and his wife, “Aunt Tilda,” are buried in Rose Hill Cemetery.

Marion was incorporated in 1865 and Wiley became one of the trustees. In 1868, he was elected alderman. During the Black Hawk War in 1832, when a call was issued for 230 men from Williamson County, Wiley volunteered. When the first grand jury was selected in 1840, he was one of the members.

On October 1, 1852, Mary Ann Wiley, daughter of “Uncle Harp” and “Aunt Tilda,” was married To John McIntosh and at some time preceding the wedding, Wiley built the front part of what is now known as the old Sutherland home for the bride and groom. John Davenport, John Reynolds and Samuel Ireland all worked as carpenters on the original house. Heavy timbers were used in the construction and the foundation was bolted together.

Following the death of Mr. McIntosh, Mary Ann built on to the back of the house and kept roomers. Several years later, she married Marion Askew and for years the home was known as “the old Askew place.” When Mr. Wiley died in 1877, Mrs. Wiley moved in with her daughter.

In 1879, Mary Ann Askew and her son Ollie visited in Nashville, Tennessee and pulled up a tulip tree, then four or five inches high, at the foot of a Cumberland Mt., near Chattanooga. Bringing it home in her apron, she planted it in the yard where it still grows today.

In 1889, the home became the property of the Marion Building and Loan association. Charles Gent took it over in 1901, making improvements and putting in a brick foundation. New windows were added by Mr. and Mrs. Sutherland, who bought the home in 1907.

Besides the number of pioneer families who have occupied the home at one time or another, many other persons well known in county history have lived there as roomers. One of these was Judge James M. Washburn, who lived there when he first moved to town in the fall of 1862 – a period when Union soldiers were camped on the old fairgrounds west of Marion.

A romantic story which has persisted thru the years is that when O.H. Wiley died he left his daughter Mary Ann between $75,000 and $100,000 in gold hidden somewhere on the property. Some say the gold was collected in a bushel basket and presented to her. Even Monday, as workmen began to tear down the residence, there was mild speculation as to whether or not their tools would uncover a lot of gleaming gold.

(Marion Daily Republican, September 15, 1941)

Footnote to story:

On September 16, 1941,the day after the running of the previous article, Claude Hudgens and Ben Bundy told Nannie Gray Parks about an interesting occurrence in Marion. They said Oliver Harper Wiley died February 24, 1877. Zach Hudgens and William H. Bundy were the executors of his estate. they found gold in his home and after lowering all the shades at the windows and covering all the openings, they placed a table and counted $80,000. His widow, “Aunt Tilda” and his daughter Mary Ann inherited the gold. (In 2013 money, the gold would be worth $5,760,000.00)

These men would most likely have known what they were talking about because Claude Hudgens was the grandson of Zach Hudgens and Ben Bundy was the son of William H. Bundy.

See also, Oliver H. Wiley

Additional notes:

As early as 1839, court records mentioned “the old mill near Oliver H. Wiley’s on Grassy.”

O.H. Wiley’s wife was Matilda Krantz, born 1808 died 1891. She was a teenaged orphan when she and her sister, Sarah, came from Cheatham County, Tennessee with a family named Sanders. Her sister, Sarah married Wiley Berry Chamness (1811-1882), founder of the Chamness settlement, now in the Wildlife Refuge.

O.H. and Matilda Wiley had three sons that died young. They are buried in Ogden-Wiley Cemetery, Section 2, Grassy Precinct, now the Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge:

William A. Wiley son of O.H. and M. born 11 Nov 1843 died 4 Aug 1848.

James M. Wiley son of O.H. and M. born 6 Sep 1837 died 22 Sep 1838.

Infant son of O.H. and M. Wiley died 1832.

Both the Marion Monitor and Egyptian Press reported the death of Oliver Harper Wiley. He suffered a severe attack of smothering on February 9th and died February 24, 1877 at the age of 69 years 2 months 4 days. He was survived by his aged wife and daughter, Mrs. A. Marion Askew.

The Leader reported on Thursday, 31 Dec 1891 that Mrs. Matilda Wiley, 83, died last Thursday at her residence here.

Both are buried in Rose Hill Cemetery.

$80,000 would have been a lot of money in 1877, especially to a woman who came to Illinois as a teenaged orphan in an oxcart.

Sources:

(Events in Egypt, Volume I by Helen Sutt Lind; Events in Egypt, Volume IV by Helen Sutt Lind; Pioneer Folks and Places by Barbara Burr Hubbs; Nannie Gray Parks Notes at Williamson County Historical Society)

(Research and Notes by Helen Sutt Lind)