Section 3 of Ordinance 30 reads, ”It shall be unlawful for any other person, except the duly authorized city scavenger or his agents, to haul night soil, dry garbage, cans, slops, offal or any other rubbish, or do any other scavenger work, within the city limits of Marion.” Continue reading
The original house that sat on the lot at 815 N. Market St. was built in 1903 by popular local contractors Robert Nall & Oscar Williams for Samuel H. Goodall.
Samuel H. Goodall was born in the city of Marion in 1866 to ex-sheriff and local businessman John Goodall and Sarah Scates Thorn. He attended Marion schools and then graduated from Southern Illinois Normal University in 1887 after which he taught school for two years. After developing a taste for the law he dropped the profession of teacher and attended the University of Michigan Law School graduating in 1891. He was at once admitted to the bar and began his legal and political life by being elected City Attorney of Marion. Continue reading
The plugin that I was using to view booklets and directories on this site went inactive on me so it has been replaced with a new viewer that seems to be more functional than the old one. You will find this when attempting to view booklets, business and street directories. The new viewer includes the ability to easily go full screen and zoom in and out. Let me know if there are any issues with it.
One of the most unusual escapes in the history of American prisons took place near Marion on July 21, 1971. At about 1:45 that afternoon, Warren George Briggs, bank robber turned scientist, leapt over two barbed wire-topped 15 foot high fences and ran unscathed through a hail of bullets into the woods surrounding the U.S. Penitentiary. Up until that time, the prison built in 1964, was thought to be escape proof.
Briggs claimed that he and four other fellow inmates risked what seemed to be certain death to prove that Briggs had invented and developed a water de-salting process that would enable mankind to purify sea water at a reasonable cost. And then, in what was the most amazing turn of events, Briggs turned himself in to the FBI four days later in Kansas City, Missouri.
Briggs, a slender 6’1” tall man originally from Baltimore, 34 years of age at that time, told his story to the press. “To escape from a maximum security unescapable prison and then surrender” would be a dramatic act to prove his sincerity, and gain public attention for his invention, he said. Four other inmates agreed to help him with his escape attempt, but were recaptured minutes after the event started. Their efforts were probably intended to be a diversion to help Briggs scale the fences. Continue reading