Woodley, Mark 1873-1958

Mark Woodley 1873-1958Mark Woodley Jr. was born December 24, 1873 at Dipton, Durham County, England, and was the son of Mark Woodley Sr. and Maria (Williams) Woodley and was partially educated in England

In early January 1886, Mark aged 12, his parents, then in their mid-40’s, and his 3 year old sister Florence boarded the steamship “Indiana” in Liverpool and arrived in the port of Philadelphia on January 29th. The family made their way to the coal fields of northern Illinois and located at Coal City southwest of Cook County. Mark completed his education in this area while his father worked the coal mines. Continue reading

F.W. Woolworth Company

Anyone growing up in Marion from the 1930’s into the 1970’s has to have fond memories of the old five and dime store on the west side of the Marion square called the F.W. Woolworth Company store. From its opening in March of 1927 to its last day on December 31, 1973, the mere mention of the store conjures up very specific smells for this author. I vividly remember those warm summer days when just a stroll past the big wooden, open double doors allowed the fragrance of their candies, chocolates and nuts to stream out onto the sidewalk inviting one in to sample their goods, like a mermaid calling sailors to the reef. Continue reading

1952 Bainbridge Square Photo

Bainbridge Square May 1952 Carl Sorgen photo small 2To the best of my knowledge, the Bainbridge addition was incorporated into the city of Marion in the post-World War II era of the 1940’s by Lawrence Bainbridge, grandson of J.B. Bainbridge, at roughly the same time period as the Midway Court area and after Elmwood Place which consists of First, Second, Third and Fourth Streets. The area is comprised of Bainbridge Road, Charlotte Road and Sherry Road.The streets of Charlotte and Sherry Road were named after his grandchildren Charlotte (Bainbridge) Cash, the daughter of Bill Bainbridge, his son and Sherry (Hudgens) Austin, the daughter of Winifred (Bainbridge) Hudgens, his daughter. Continue reading

Todd, Harvey Allan 1916-1993, Distinguished Service Cross Recipient

Allan Todd, a retired Prudential insurance division manager and former Marion High School teacher, was one of World War II’s most decorated soldiers. He was, so to speak, a hero’s hero whose exploits and feats were written about in Carey Ford’s and Alastair MacBain’s book, “Cloak and Dagger” published in 1946 by Random House and even more recently in the book “Abundance of Valor, by Will Irwin. Continue reading

Wilson, Richard G. 1931-1950, Medal of Honor Recipient

Richard G Wilson Medal of Honor RecipientRichard Gene Wilson (August 19, 1931 – October 21, 1950) was a United States Army soldier and a posthumous recipient of the U.S. military’s highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions in the Korean War. A combat medic, Wilson was awarded the medal for attempting to rescue a wounded soldier at the Battle of Yongju. Continue reading