Fire believed to have started from defective electric wiring, caused several thousand dollars damage to the Marion Presbyterian Church Friday evening. The fire had started between the ceiling of the basement and the floor of the church auditorium and was blazing brightly when discovered about 9 pm. The fire department made a quick run to the church and extinguished the blaze, before the fire had broken through the flooring, but not until after the entire building had been damaged by smoke and heat. Rev. Samuel Johnson, pastor of the church and some young people had been in the church earlier in the evening but left about 8 o’clock, an hour before the blaze was discovered by neighbors, all of whom reported the call simultaneously. It was believed Saturday morning that the damage would be probably less than $10,000 covered by insurance. In 1928 the church was using a tabernacle building in the rear of the present building for their church services and following Sunday night services on January 1st, 1928, the building caught on fire due to an overheated furnace. It was a complete wreck and services were held in the Family Theatre for many months. In May 1928, a remodeled church was rededicated which was used until December 9, 1934 when it was gutted by fire again. The Sunday morning services had just closed and Rev. A.E. Powell, the pastor was leaving his study when he discovered the furnace room was a mass of flames. On Sunday, October 27, 1935 the present church building was dedicated and has been in constant use since that time. Monday, November 10, 1947: Fire at 4:30 am Sunday did damage estimated at $1200 to the Feurer Equipment Company’s new building and its contents on Route 13 near the Marion Airport. Firemen said early discovery of the blaze prevented a much heavier loss. The fire was discovered by J.D. Bearden who was driving past the building, and reported it to firemen. Believed to have originated from an electric motor on an air compressor, the blaze damaged wooden framing of the concrete building, as well as a quantity of binder twine and other merchandise, and the heat broke out several window panes.

(Extracted  from local newspapers and compiled by Harry Boyd, posted at http://www.marionfire.us )