The American Brokerage will not rebuild in Marion, owner Emanuel Fuhrer, St. Louis, said Wednesday. The American Brokerage, the Sally Shoppe and six apartments were destroyed by fire Monday. Fuhrer said the American Brokerage stock was fully covered by insurance. Refunds will be given on all deposits on items that were sold and being held in the store. A large quantity of “Will call” merchandise had been stored in the Brokerage warehouse, located west of the burned building. Those items may be claimed by calling at the warehouse, Fuhrer said. The American Brokerage company has other southern Illinois stores at Coulterville and Marissa. Fuhrer said the company suffered extensive loss last Friday when a flash flood ruined merchandise in the basement of a Valley Park, Mo. store. Fuhrer estimated the damage to the local American Brokerage building and contents at $80,000. The $225,000 blaze started in apartments above the Sally Shoppe but firemen said Wednesday that they could not determine the actual cause of the fire since it was so far along by the time they were notified.

(Extracted  from local newspapers and compiled by Harry Boyd, posted at http://www.marionfire.us )