Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Some Businesses in Marion in 1900.


All sorts of merchandise was for sale in the many different business stores in and around Marion in 1900.


  • The Marion Milling Company was run by Clark and D. B. Kevil.  It was located east of Marion near the railroad tracks.
  • Clark and Paris were in the lumber business.  
  • Tobacco was one of the farmers' principal money crops and there were two large tobacco factories, one run by Mr. Dupuy and the other by Cardin Bros.  During the tobacco season it as not uncommon to see 100 wagons loads of tobacco around these factories and in the various streets. 

  • There were two livery stables.  One (above) was run by Dudley Wallingford and the other by Pierce & Son.  There were around 80 horses in the two stables and a number of buggies and hacks.  Drummers and other traveling men would rent the vehicles for as long as a week at a time, taking along a driver from the stable, as they made their rounds throughout the county.  They would take their wares to all the country stores to sale.
  • James G. Gilbert had a first class blacksmith shop, as did Sandy Adams.  A number of blacksmiths worked here for both Adams and Gilbert.  The most prominent of these was Joe Hopson, who was strong enough to put his shoulder between the legs of an average horse and lift it off the ground.
  • There were two barber shops in Marion, one operated by William Morgan and William Woolridge and the other by Samp Bigham.  
  • General merchandise stores were run by Pierce-Yandell and Gugenheim and J. H. Clifton and Sons.
  • Grocers were M. Schwab, Herman Koltinsky, M. Copher, A. M. Hearin, J. M. McChesney, James Paris, Ed Haynes, McAfee and Hill.
  • The Crittenden Press was the only paper published in the county, its editor and publisher being R. C. Walker
  • Joe Stewart and Mr. Kingston were the photographers, and there are many examples of their work in the county today.
  • The Kentucky Fluorspar Company, operating the Memphis and Hodge Mines, was the largest shipper of fluorspar.  The pure white spar was very much in demand for the glass industry.  Harry A. Haynes was secretary and treasurer of this business.  The Company had it's loading facilities next the the railroad track at the Marion Depot.
  • These are only a few of the many places of business in Marion at this time.  Marion was indeed a growing and busy town.

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