Samuel Aikman and his wife were early arrivals in this county. In 1837, they brought with them nine children. Aikman was smart enough to invest himself in real estate, so he rode horse-back to the federal land office in Shawneetown, Illinois in 1840 and bought 640 acres at $1.25 per acre. The land he purchased started at the north-south bound railroad tracks that parallel Court Street and ran west to about where the Interstate is located. Because of his foresight and the ingenuity of several of his sons, the family did very well. Continue reading
Category Archives: Businesses
Crab Orchard Lake was formed by bottling up Crab Orchard Creek and 22,000 acres were purchased by the U.S. Government starting in 1936 as part of a W.P.A. project. As the new lake was filling up with water in 1940, it had already been decided to establish a military reservation in the form of the Illinois Ordnance Plant or Ordill. Many of the properties were purchased in 1940 and 1941.
The following list indicates the properties that were purchased in conjunction with Ordill. Continue reading
Lemoine Henry “Lee” Crouse was born September 7, 1912 in Council Bluff, Iowa, the son on Don B. Crouse (1884-1970) and Sarah Nancy Ansberry (1884-1935). Sarah’s mother was born in Ireland.
In the 1920 census when Lee was only 7, his father was a self-employed farmer and the family lived on a farm at Notch, Wyoming. Lee had two brothers sharing the home, Don B. Jr., 10, and John B., 5. Continue reading
No Buildings Empty on the Square as City, Businesses Invest Millions in Downtown Redevelopment
No vacancies.
That’s the way it is for business buildings on the public square in Marion.
And that’s the way it is despite the opening of a new shopping center in Marion.
Merchants have spent more than $1 million for improvements in the downtown area, according to Milt Witt, Executive Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce. Continue reading
I-57 is Biggest of Marion’s Assets
“Interstate Rt. 57 is the biggest asset ever to come to Marion.”
Banker Oscar Schafale’s opinion is shared by others.
Franklyn Moreno, Greater Egypt Regional Planning and Development Commission, said I-57 with its connections to Interstate Rts. 24 and 64 and a proposed Southern Illinois freeway to St. Louis make “everything coming at Marion. It enhances it as being a central location.” Continue reading