1941, Marion Has Ample Water

City Reservoir Google image 2012While Carbondale, West Frankfort and Other Towns Suffer Marion Has Ample Supply

Residents of Marion, who can reflect back twenty-three years ago can sympathize with Carbondale, West Frankfort and other Southern Illinois cities who are now suffering from a water shortage.

Twenty three years ago, during WW I, Marion was only able to have water for an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon. You had to fill your bathtubs and surplus pans with needed water for drinking and sanitation. Citizens were patrolling the streets to prevent the possibility of a fire breaking out, and the community was in constant fear that what water they had would evaporate before rains filled the deep wells from which our water was then obtained. Continue reading

Egyptian Powder Company

The Egyptian Powder Company was a post turn of the century business that was the first known to manufacture explosives in Southern Illinois. It cranked out kegs of blasting powder for local and national mines, employed as many as 70 people, became part of the Olin empire and was a downright dangerous place to work.

Though at this point in time, the original owners of the Egyptian Powder Company are unknown, it is known that the company started producing blasting powder for coal mine operation in 1904. An article found in the March 12th, 1904, Carbondale Free Press stated, “The first shipment of powder from the Egyptian Powder Company was made Thursday. This is probably the first powder ever shipped from Southern Illinois. It consisted of 200 kegs. The plant from which it was shipped is situated midway between Marion and Carterville.” Continue reading

Maynard, Clyde O. 1912-1999, Civic Leader

Clyde Owen Maynard, one of the original Marion Park District Commissioners in 1957 and an active civic leader, was born April 18, 1912, in Herrin to Otis A. Maynard (1882-1926) and Nellie Williams (1887-xxxx).

The 1920 federal census found 7 year old Clyde in his parents’ home at 1004 S. 13th Street in Herrin, Illinois, which they owned free of mortgage. His parents were aged 36 and 32 respectively and his father was working as a mine boss. Siblings of Clyde living in the home were Ruth 14, Leonard 13, Paul 11 and Marvin age 4. Continue reading

Kaeser Lumber Company

In 1930, at the beginning of the great depression, Fred Kaeser purchased the old Stotlar-Herrin Lumber Company business located at 602 N. Market Street and re-named it Kaeser Lumber Company. He accomplished this with the help of his sons, Walter and Albert, who helped run the business and his daughter, Katherine Barbara Kaeser who served as the bookkeeper for thirty years before returning to college and earning a degree in elementary education. Continue reading

Kaeser Family History

John Kaeser and his wife, Emelia Walther moved from St. Morgan, Illinois, to Williamson County in 1884 and settled on a farm east of Marion at the old Moeller Crossroad (Rt. 13 and 166). They brought with them their two sons Louis, ten years old, and Fred, eight years of age, along with daughter Emelia who was then six years of age. John Kaeser’s parents came from Switzerland in a sailboat during the late 1700’s or early 1800’s. Continue reading