The following post was extracted from a Marion Living magazine article published in December 2005 in which Mayor Robert Butler was strolling around the public square with Bernard Paul and reminiscing about how the square used to be and what businesses were located where. Continue reading
Category Archives: A to C
George Benton Calhoun, Mayor of Marion in 1913 & 1914 and Williamson County Circuit Clerk, was born May 19, 1875 in Johnson County, the son of Thomas Hayes (1831-1894) and Mary Jane Elizabeth (Robinson) Calhoun (1837-1877. His siblings were: Martha Alice Calhoun, William M. Calhoun, James A. Calhoun, Sarah Francis Calhoun, Susan Calhoun, Charles R. Calhoun, Jacob Jefferson Calhoun and Thomas J. Calhoun. Continue reading
Years ago, if you drove out of town on South Market road, you would have crossed a steel framework bridge where Crab Orchard Creek crosses the road just on the south outskirts of town. Early on Sunday morning , June 3rd, 1979, two Chicago area fishermen were looking for a place to fish so they stopped to peruse the creek as a possible fishing hole.
The men discovered the body of 19 year old Regina (Oliver) Costellia of Herrin. Her belongings were found to have been dumped just north of the bridge and the body had attempted to be dumped in the creek but appeared to have gotten lodged in the steel framework of the bridge which left the body dangling by one arm. Continue reading
Danny Cox, jet fighter pilot and motivational speaker, was born in 1934 to Virgil Cox and Zella (Smothers) Cox on S. Madison Street. Danny’s father, Virgil, at one time owned Madison Street Market at 601 S. Madison, which is now long gone and also worked in the coal mines. His mother, Zella, was the sister of Ralph “Speed” Smothers, owner of Speed’s Confectionary on the square in Marion for years and J. Paul Smothers, postmaster at Marion for years. The father of all three was John H. Smothers who served on the Marion Police force in the 1920’s and the mother was Edna (Tippy) Smothers. Continue reading
Robert Lee Cooksey was born in Marion on June 5, 1919 to the late Erva Cooksey (1882-1968) and Harriet Jackson. Bob attended Marion schools, but like many youths of his day and time, only achieved an eighth grade education and focused more on job experience and survival. Continue reading
