Marion Illinois History Preservation

Sanborn Maps of Marion

Posted on July 18, 2021 by Sam LattucaJuly 18, 2021

Sanborn maps are detailed maps of U.S. cities and towns in the 19th and 20th centuries. Originally published by The Sanborn Map Company, the maps were created to allow fire insurance companies to assess their total liability in urbanized areas of the United States. Since they contain detailed information about properties and individual buildings the maps are valuable for documenting changes in American cities over many decades.

Sanborn held a monopoly over fire insurance maps for the majority of the 20th century, but the business declined as US insurance companies stopped using maps for underwriting in the 1960s. The last Sanborn fire maps were published on microfilm in 1977, but old Sanborn maps remain useful for historical research into urban geography.

The following are links to Marion Sanborn maps available in various resolutions:

Marion, Jun 1886 Marion, May 1894

Marion, July 1900 Marion, Nov 1906

Marion, Aug 1913 Marion, Jul 1922

Marion, Mar 1937 Marion, July 1946 (updated from 1937)

Alcohol in Marion

Posted on December 31, 2018 by Sam LattucaDecember 31, 2018

In 1839, when 20 acres of land was donated to the newly formed Williamson County in order to establish Marion as the county seat, a survey was organized that platted off the public square and about one block surrounding it as the beginnings of Marion. Before, the survey could even be completed, an individual by the name of Bone Davis had already built a makeshift tavern in the form of a small log cabin on what would later become the near center of the square. Needless to say, it had to be moved but it gives you the idea of where some folk’s priorities were at. Continue reading →

2017 South Market Street Renovation Project

Posted on September 24, 2018 by Sam LattucaSeptember 24, 2018

After over 100 years of use, the bricks making up the S. Market historic district were getting rough and starting to generate complaints from citizens. In July of 2016, City Commissioner John Goss requested permission from the City Council to advertise bids for restoration of the bricked street. Efforts were made from the beginnings to make sure that the original bricks were removed, sub-grade redone and that brick would be put back to restore the street to its original grandeur. Initial estimates ranged from about $450,000 to $500,000. Continue reading →

1899, Catholic Church Hit by Lightning

Posted on September 14, 2018 by Sam LattucaSeptember 14, 2018

The following article appeared in the Carbondale Free Press on August 5, 1899 and creates more questions than answers since the church was only thought to be a mission until a church was built in 1927.

“During the electric storm last Saturday evening, the Catholic Church at Marion was struck and set on fire by lightning. The fire was extinguished before it gained much headway, but the interior of the church was badly damaged by the lightning”

(Source: Carbondale Free Press, Aug. 5, 1899; posted by Sam Lattuca 9/14/2018)

Gold Fever in Marion

Posted on September 13, 2018 by Sam LattucaSeptember 13, 2018

G.W. Chesley McCoy, gold prospector

The story of the California gold rush is one that most all of us are familiar with. In 1849, John Sutter, who operated a big ranch and saw mill about 50 miles upriver from Sacramento, California had workmen dig a new trench to carry water to his mill and ended up discovering gold that initiated the California gold rush, the largest gold rush in history. The discovery drew men afflicted with get rich quick fever from all over the continent who came to be called the “forty-niners.” So, how did this historic American event effect local Marion citizens, if at all?

According to historian, Milo Erwin, no less than 200 residents of the county left in search of the elusive riches and whereas most returned broke and sometimes broken there were a few success stories. The story of Marion’s gold seekers begins in 1849 when a man returned from California and brought a nugget to Marion weighing about 1 1/4 ounces which he sold to a merchant here for about $18. Today, that chunk of gold would be worth $1,665. People began at once to make their way to California, mostly across the plains, because it was cheaper, but very dangerous. Continue reading →