Marion Illinois History Preservation

1934 Aerial Photo of Marion

Posted on November 29, 2023 by Sam LattucaNovember 29, 2023

Aerial photo taken 11/30/1934 by the Air Force out of Scott Field, North is on the left side. To view full size, right click and select “Open image in new tab” or download to your computer. … Continue reading →

2005, A Stroll Around the Square

Posted on April 1, 2014 by wcihsSeptember 18, 2023

The following post was extracted from a Marion Living magazine article published in December 2005 in which Mayor Robert Butler was strolling around the public square with Bernard Paul and reminiscing about how the square used to be and what businesses were located where. Continue reading →

Early New Route 13 West Aerial Photos

Posted on January 15, 2014 by wcihsJanuary 15, 2014

It’s always interesting to look back at how much things have changed over time, particularly the highly developed area west of I-57 in Marion which exploded with the completion of interstate 57 and the development of the new Route 13 corridor. It is hard to believe that not that many years prior to these photos being taken; much of this area was either strip mine or cornfields. Continue reading →

1952 Bainbridge Square Photo

Posted on November 2, 2013 by wcihsNovember 2, 2013

To the best of my knowledge, the Bainbridge addition was incorporated into the city of Marion in the post-World War II era of the 1940’s by Lawrence Bainbridge, grandson of J.B. Bainbridge, at roughly the same time period as the Midway Court area and after Elmwood Place which consists of First, Second, Third and Fourth Streets. The area is comprised of Bainbridge Road, Charlotte Road and Sherry Road.The streets of Charlotte and Sherry Road were named after his grandchildren Charlotte (Bainbridge) Cash, the daughter of Bill Bainbridge, his son and Sherry (Hudgens) Austin, the daughter of Winifred (Bainbridge) Hudgens, his daughter. Continue reading →

1950 Marion High School Aerial View

Posted on August 12, 2013 by wcihsJanuary 20, 2014

This photo was taken by the late Carl Sorgen around 1950. The view is looking toward the south of the old Marion High School as it was then on West Main Street. Note the sparsity of homes in the background.

(Photo by Carl Sorgen)