Did you know that there are five properties in Williamson County that are currently listed on the National Register of Historic places and all five of them are located in Marion, Illinois? The applications for all five are on file at the Williamson County Historical Society Museum located at 105 S. Van Buren Street, which is one of the five places listed.
According to the National Park Service, “The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.”
To be considered eligible, a property must meet the National Register Criteria for Evaluation. This involves examining the property’s age, integrity, and significance.
• Age and Integrity. Is the property old enough to be considered historic (generally at least 50 years old) and does it still look much the way it did in the past?
• Significance. Is the property associated with events, activities, or developments that were important in the past? With the lives of people who were important in the past? With significant architectural history, landscape history, or engineering achievements? Does it have the potential to yield information through archeological investigation about our past?
Properties on the Nation Registry are:
- The Willis Allen house, built in 1855 and currently occupied by Attorney Bernard Paul and his wife, is located at 514 S. Market Street. This site was approved on February 2, 1982.
- The Goddard Chapel, located at Rose Hill Cemetery, was dedicated in 1919 as a gift to Marion by Leroy A. Goddard. This site was approved on November 6, 1986.
- The Edward M. Stotlar house, built in 1914 and 1915, is located at 1304 W. Main Street and is currently occupied by Clarence and Mary Jane DeMattei. This site was approved on November 21, 2002.
- The old Williamson County Jail was built in 1913 and currently serves as the Williamson County Museum under the auspices of the Williamson County Historical Society. It is located at 105 S. Van Buren Street and was approved on June 30, 2007.
- The Marion Veteran’s Administration Hospital Historic District, dedicated in 1941, is located at 2401 W. Main Street and was the last site to be approved on January 9, 2013.