New home for Marion Museum
By Carolyn Adriaansen

The Marion Town Board held a special meeting to approve the purchase of the house at 3794 South Main Street.

The house is next to the municipal parking lot, across the street from the Marion stores. (Photo on loan from the Marion Museum)

This lovely home will house the Marion Museum which is presently above the former Library building. This historic home was given in 1905 to the Presbyterian Church for a parsonage. It was given by Mrs. Jennie Seeley with the stipulation that the church would pay $600 to Home and Foreign Missions. The church did this and acquired a nice home.

In 1910 a man in Rochester purchased the stone building next to the manse and started to remodel it for a furniture store. While digging the cellar, the building toppled over, nearly crushing the manse. This resulted in the Church Trustees holding a meeting in the street. They met, bought the adjacent building, and had it torn down.

In 1908, eight teen-age boys and their Sunday School teacher, Mrs. Kingsley Norris, were the founders of the Marion Library. The Chevalier Class of the Presbyterian Church, inspired by Mrs. Norris, started the library in the hall of her home, the Presbyterian manse.

These boys were Stanley Allaart, Herman Cole, Burbank and Edward Engert, John Fraser, John Moon, Elmer Morrison and John Rich. To raise money they made ice cream in the old hand-cranked freezers and sold it in front of the manse. Friends must have given them books as well.

Marion Town Supervisor disclosed the building will cost the Town $47,500 with money coming from unappropriated funds in the town budget and that negotiations have taken place over the past six months.

There is a back yard which may allow the possibility of more downtown parking in the future. With the acquisition of this home and property, access to the Marion Museum will be easier for guests of all ages.

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