Early Memories of Marion
By Clarence T. Wood
In the spring of 1889 my family moved into Marion village from the farm, about three miles north of the village on the Marion-Williamson Road, ill health forced my father to quit farming and so we bought the Frank Longley house, just across the road from the D. Henry Crane farm just as you go towards the Upper Corners.
My memory of the firms doing business in those days follows: In the Clark Block at the time (pictured in this vintage postcard) were the following firms: Lookup & Engert, composed of Fred Engert and William Lookup, Jr., produce dealers, they bought wheat, corn, dried apples and dried berries, and for a time were successful but got to drinking and the firm went up. Elmer Taylor, ran a meat market, in the south store next to him were Malcolm & Cole; drug store, James Malcolm and Myron Cole; George Sherman ran a barber shop upstairs, as also did William Colvin; then Dr. Guy Payne had an office upstairs, at one time the Post Office was located in the north end of the block, as I remember the Post Masters were John Richmond, Wallace Moon, Thomas Geer and Warren Curtis was the clerk most of the time; at one time a Jew, M. Lesser kept a toy shop in the block and I can remeber a set of lead soldiers that my parents bought me from him, business reverses however drove him to his death as he drowned himself in Mud Creek near Palmyra Railroad Station.
Where the First National Bank now stands in the early days once stood two old wooden buildings, in one of these, a man by the name of Turk, as he was called "Old Turk" kept a grocery store as a blind, for in that place you could buy whiskey, hard cider and other good things to drink, Marion at that time had no license to sell, but Turk made many a dollar selling on the sly, you ordered groceries and he put the drink in with the order.
He was arrested times without number and taken to Lyons, the County seat, fined and let go, home he would come and in two or three days sell enough liquor to more than double his fine.
Later these buildings were torn down and for years the place was a great place for medicine shows in tents, among several that I remember being; Throne & Bestley, The Pelhams, Bigelo & Bown these shows always drew large crowds, the admission usually was ten cents and you got your moneys worth at that.
South of the present home of Dr. Besmer, stood the big rambling building that housed the Lewis Smith combined saw mill, foundry and machine shop, where we boys spent many happy days watching the hot metal flow into the molds that made plow points, land roller ends and many other iron things used for work in the machine shop, then too, we saw huge logs made into lumber and watched the other machinery.
A short distance up from Main Street to the east of the street on one corner of which stood the Methodist Church was the office of the old time Doctor, Dr. Richards, a man who done more good for the people of Marion than any other doctor they ever had.
A little building just south of the Presbyterian Church for many years housed the firm of James Goossen, who in later years purchased the George Holmes Block and remodeled it into the two-store department store that once bore the name of Goossen & Steyaart, for many years in this store George Holmes had a watch repairing and jewelry business here next to this was the Lyman Rice tobacco and candy store, next was his mother's milinery store, conducted by Mrs. Matilda Rice, next to this was the Warner grocery, conducted by Horace A. Warner.
The Atlantic Hotel (pictured here circa 1910 - note the bandstand and the car with right-hand drive) was for many years conducted by George M. Sweezey, later hy his son-in-law, Edgar Luce, then the old Manley block, where Emmons Manley had a small tin shop, Potter & Potter, Harrison and Harmon had a shoe store, later Perry Davis had a jewelry store and Charles Snitzel a shoe store in the same place, somewhere along here at one time Aldin Williams & Charles Potter had also a shoe store.
A.B. Short also had a private bank along on this side of the street, as did Kirk White, later it was a hardware store, oh yes! A.A. West was also in business along here.
Down Buffalo Street to the west near what is now the railroad station on the north side of the road was the blacksmith shop of Sanford & Moon, Riley Sanford and Wallace Moon.
Down Palmyra Street near the creek was the blacksmith of Will Henion, who with his son, George, shod horses for many ears, near him at the south was the cooper shop of Henry Gillette, a ramshackle place with worn out machinery, where one took his life in his hands if he went to work, for you never knew what minute a pulley or wheel would fly off its shaft, and the old boiler was condemned every time an inspector came along, still Mr. Gillette managed to keep going for many years.
Then came the wagon shop of William Eisentradger, an old German who made wagons for many years, on the spot where this shop stood now stands the Marion Canning Factory and the rail road bed is part of the building foundation.
Down on Buffalo Street, on the west side of the street stood the wagon repair and building where John Wolff for many years made and repaired wagons. John was a character, his favorite saying was "Tis an ill wind, that blows nobody good."
Alonzo Heslor kept a little grocery store on the west side of Main Street for many years, he was so honest that he would cut a raisin in two to make correct weight.
Down at the end of the west side of Main Street stores stood an old building where the village paper, "The Marion Enterprise" was published, and where the writer of this article worked for some years, overhead upstairs, was the photographic gallery of R.A. Hammond, later that of Carl S. Gurnee.
Down Palmyra Street, was the ladder shops of Howell Topping, where anything in the line of ladders from six to forty feet was made.
Down Mill Street was the blacksmith of the Curtis Brothers, Brainard and James, here also was a wagon repair shop, further on was the Marion Roller Mills where flour was manufactured from wheat and grits were ground for the farmers around the town. Pictured here is the Marion Roller Mills, C.H. Scutt & Co. (Could that be Caleb Scutt standing just outside the door?)
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