A Souvenir Book of Williamson County was created in 1905 to promote the county and document the counties past accomplishments. Many pictures on this site will come from this book. These views are from atop the County court house on the Public Square in the center of Marion, Illinois. Continue reading
Category Archives: Street Scenes
A parade through the Public Square around 1890 to 1900 reflect a slice of Old Marion life. This was taken before the square was paved with brick which appears to have occured around 1915 to 1920. The bricks were then removed in 1936 when the state poured concrete on the square for Route 13 which ran through the center of town at the time.
(Photos courtesy of Helen Lind and the Williamson County Historical Society)
On October 7, 1839, the county court held its first meeting at the home of William and Bethany Benson, which served as a hotel as well as a courthouse. Continue reading
The Goodall Hotel stood as an imposing monument to the business efforts of George Henry Goodall (1860-1945) who started building the hotel in 1897 and completed it in 1899. Continue reading
The Bainbridge family has clearly been resident in the Marion area from before the turn of the century. They were early merchants and landowners. Continue reading