Looking backward (1968)</b>

History - Marion

Looking backward (1968)
By Esther Deyo Emmelcamp

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For almost 23 years we have lived on Maple Avenue. On my daily and often more than daily walks downtown, I have enjoyed looking at the beautiful stone wall foundation of the old Clark Hall. It was a well made wall. The mortar between the stones outlined and framed their colors, red, rose, blue, gray and white. Each huge stone stood out like a giant's solitaire. During the winter the wall kept my eyes from seeing the drabness about me. During the summer it provided a subtle blending background for a riotously blooming, crimson rambler. Always the wall gave welcome inspiration. I never looked with seeing at the old building above it.

This morning, February 27, 1968, hearing a suddenly louder bang, I hastily threw on winter wraps and went out to say good-bye to 'my' wall. The huge 'Trojan' was ramming the wall. The rose trellis fell. The wall caved in at center. 'Trojan' backed away. Rammed again revealing more, I could not watch I glanced up into the second story of the Clark's Hall. Looking toward the end where the stage used to be, my mind went back to 1921 and I turned homeward to spend the rest of the day reminiscing. In 1920 and 1921 I was a senior in the Marion High School. That winter there was a dreadful fire in the school building in Lyons. Two girls were trapped and burned to death on the top floor. At that time our combination gym and auditorium was on the third floor of the old MCI building. The next morning when we went to school, the doors leading to the stairs and the third floor were locked. No such tragedy as had befallen Lyons should be allowed to happen in Marion, so decreed the Board of Education. We, the Seniors, were appalled. We were about to present our class play. But where? Arrangements were made for us to use the Clark Hall. For the first time in our memory, the Senior Class was putting on a play without the help of pupils from other classes, for we numbered 11, the largest class since 1892. The title of the play was, 'Professor Pepp'. Peter Naeye was the professor. I was Petunia Muggins, the Irish maid, John Van Ostrand a police man. I have forgotten the parts played by the others, but we were all in it, Gertrude Lookup, Dorothy Smith, Lois Taylor, Hattie Bush, Elmer DuBois, Joe DeRight, my brother, Morris Deyo, and Melvin Merton. Miss Florence Lookup, our teacher of English and French, directed the play and accompanied us on our trip to Washington. That trip was another first in many years. It had been some time since a class had had the pleasure of going to the nation's capitol, and so my mind wandered back over the years.

Suddenly, I was living in the years of 1910, 1911. The years when the present Presbyterian edifice was being constructed. I was in the primary department of our Sunday School. The Presbyterians met at that time in the Clark Hall. On 4th of July one of those years, 1910, Marion held a big celebration with a parade. The girls in my Sunday School class rode in one of the floats. We were daisies. We wore white dresses and had bonnets that were supposed to make us took like daisies. I believe that Mrs. John Van Doorn was our teacher. The other girls must have been Elsie and Grace Young, Delaphine Clark, Genevieve Van Doorn, Nevada and Arvilla Allen. Elmer Taylor furnished and drove his one horse wagon. I have a post card picture of this float as it stopped in front of the Atlantic Hotel (present Corner Hardware). This was a big day. There were games and contests in the Maple Grove where the 1st National Bank now stands. My memory, of the Hall, could not be trusted beyond this point. I consulted my collection of historical writings about Marion. The Clark Hall once stood on the site of the present 1st Reformed Church edifice. This was about 1872. Sometime just previous to that date my lovely was laid up and the old church building was moved to Maple Ave. and placed upon the wall.

In our Library are copies of 'Our Times' by Mark Sullivan, one time newspaper columnist. In one of these books is printed a copy of a dance program. The dance was held in 1870's the Clark Hall in Marion. I know many of our Marion Citizens' enjoyed countless evenings of dancing in the Clark Hall. One told me of attending a dancing school there conducted by Frank Cook who also a lay preacher. May Day was celebrated in the traditional winding of the May Pole.

Those who were in High School between 1921 and 1925 recall playing basketball in the old Hall. At one time motion pictures were shown there regularly on Saturday nights. They were silent movies. The pianist provided a remarkably realist accompaniment.

The ground floor was once occupied by Hector Gobeyn's repair shop. Twenty three years ago Mac Bremner had a feed and egg business there, a convenient place for one to stop in for eggs on the way home. A pleasant place to stop for a chat with that gentleman with a true Scotch burr in his voice. Later Lee Domser had a repair shop on this floor which was really a ground floor. No excavation was made for this building.

Who was the Clark for whom the Clark Hall and Clark Block were named? He was Thomas M. Clark. Prior to purchasing this property from C. C. Huggins in 1871. Mr. Clark lived on his farm on the East Williamson Road now owned by the Purdys. He and his family occupied the living apartments after extensive alterations had been made. Here he lived until his death except for the three years he served as Wayne County Sheriff residing in Lyons. In 1923 or 1924 the entire Clark property, the block and hall, were purchased by Harry Theodorides who sold it last year to the 1st National Bank of Marion. But let me stop here for I am getting back to today, the day 'my' wall fell.

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