Marion Illinois History Preservation

1950, Roland Theater Sale Stirs Memories

Posted on January 3, 2014 by wcihsJanuary 3, 2014

Sale of Roland Building Stirs Memories of Theater’s Heyday

The news that the Roland Theater building had been sold recently stirred a lot of memories in the minds of the older Marion citizens, for that was the place the fellows took their girls and where pa took ma and ma took the kids.

C.F. Roland built the theater and named it for himself in 1906. Activities, however, really started one day when a man, his wife and small son came to town to play an engagement in the old Opera House. Continue reading →

Daniel’s Food Market, 514 N. Market St.

Posted on December 30, 2013 by wcihsJanuary 6, 2014

In November of 1950, the old Illinois Central train depot in the 500 block of N. Market Street got temporarily repurposed and was occupied as a grocery store for twenty years. Upon its original opening it was called Daniel’s Super Market, 514 N. Market St., and drew over 2,000 people who made purchases in the store. During the opening the store gave away 2,500 orchids to women who visited the store. Continue reading →

1953, Milk Delivered to Your Doorstep

Posted on December 29, 2013 by wcihsDecember 29, 2013

Remember the days when glass bottles of milk were delivered each morning outside your door by a horse-drawn milk wagon? This was pre-depression days. The glass bottle had a little cardboard cap that kept the milk from spilling out. The bottle was returnable to the Marion City Dairy when empty with a note left in the bottle informing the delivery man how many bottles of milk you wanted. Continue reading →

Hudspeth Barber Shop 1904-1951

Posted on December 27, 2013 by wcihsDecember 28, 2013

The following post originally titled “An Early Marion Barber Shop” was taken from a Glances at Life article written by Homer Butler in which he interviewed W.T. Hudspeth about his early barber shop business in Marion, Illinois. The date of the articles publication is May 4, 1951. It is an informative article about post turn-of-the-century business life on N. Market Street. W.T. Hudspeth passed away in January of 1981 and Homer Butler in May 1982. Continue reading →

Wimpey’s Cafe 1953-1966

Posted on December 24, 2013 by wcihsDecember 24, 2013

Wimpey’s Café was a converted trolley car diner that was located at 106 S. Court, squeezed into a small lot between the Marion Motel Courts and a corner gas station located at the intersection of W. Main and S. Court Streets. It was established by Bunice Tyner in 1953. Tyner also operated numerous taverns in Marion and the surrounding area since 1941. Continue reading →