Category Archives: Jail

Williamson County Jail

1956, Sheriff Recalls, Boy Learns His Lesson

Posted on by September 10, 2014

Sheriff Recalls

Boy Learns His Lesson

The prisoner who sneaked in and out of the Williamson County jail is remembered by Sheriff Carl Miller.

He was a 13 year old Herrin boy who weighed only 115 pounds. That enabled him to slip through a six inch hole in the cell door used for passing food trays back and forth.

On February 16, 1956, deputy sheriff Ora Collard was on duty in the front office about 2 A.M. He stopped a 15 year old Johnston City youth who was being held in the same cell with the Herrin boy as the youth tried to slip out the office door.

The youth said the cell door had been unlocked by the Herrin boy after he slipped through the opening and got keys from the kitchen. Continue reading →

Marion Illinois Properties on the National Register of Historic Places

Posted on by May 15, 2014

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. Continue reading →

Williamson County Museum

Posted on by March 16, 2014

The old county jail at 105 S. Van Buren Street in Marion was built in 1913 and served 16 sheriff’s terms and housed most of their families. When a new county jail was built and occupied in the early 1970’s the old jail was handed over to the Williamson County Historical Society for safe keeping. It has since been converted into a county museum and genealogical/historical research library. The following link will bring up a description of the museum with some photos. If you haven’t been to the museum, you should make it a point to take your family, most of the possessions on display came from old Williamson County pioneer families.

The Williamson County Museum