After the cooling down of
the hostile passions brought on by the unnatural war between
brothers, like most of its Kentucky neighbors, Marion suffered a term
of reconstruction as harsh as most Southern States. It was difficult
to get the town re-organized and everyone working together again so
their town could grow and prosper once again as it was beginning to
do before the war.
Although the State
remained in the Union during the war, Western Kentucky was considered
as rebellious territory by the U. S. Government. Even though this
period of control was closely followed by the lean economic times of
the 1870's, Marion “beat the odds” by laying the basic foundation
of her presently very healthy industrial and mercantile situation.
The Civil War left only
a burned court house and a military grave marker to remind Marion
that hostilities had occurred, yet the young town actually suffered
much more from the war than did the battleground areas. For Western
Kentucky was a sort of “No man's land” - distrusted by the North
as rebellious territory, and yet considered “Yankee” by the
ex-Confederates.
Together with the
bitterness that prevailed, local affairs among the yet divided
citizenry of Marion for several years after the end of the shooting,
and the economic recession which followed the wartime inflation in
the 1870's, made the necessary industrial development of Marion
difficult.
When the regular city
government assumed control of Marion in 1867, Aaron S. Threlkeld and
John W. Blue were elected to fill the vacancies on the Board of
Trustees and E. H. Perkins was appointed City Marshall.
In the April 1870
election, Jorden G. Hoover was elected police judge; T. L. K.
Dickerson, marshal; James E. Black, assessor; David Woods, Clerk and
John W. Blue, John Cameron, John N. Woods, Aaron S. Threlkeld and
Berry S. Young as Trustees.
On July 28, 1870, a
preamble and resolution was adopted setting forth that the peace and
good order of the town on Monday, the day of the election, depended
on the sobriety of the citizens, and therefore the saloon and hotel
keepers and druggists are requested to suspend the sale of liquor on
that day.
In 1868 the Marion
School Association was formed and the City trustees leveled an
advalorem 1% tax and allowed David Woods $85.00 for what is now East
Carlisle Street, in preparation to build a new school.
Always interested in the
education of her children and young people the citizens of Marion
soon started work on getting an Academy. On February 19, 1869, the
Marion Association was granted a State charter and built a $1,700
brick and frame, two story building on what is now the old Marion Jr.
High School campus, and officially began the Marion Male and Female
Academy.
In January 1869, James
W. Bigham, a noted Methodist preacher, was appointed town attorney.
W. S. Carnahan was appointed town marshal. At the same meeting Wm.
Hughes was allowed the price of his tavern license for filling a
large mud hole in the center of town. This license carried with it
the privilege of selling ardent spirits by the drink.
Because of the fear of
the Confederate raids during the war and of outlaw robbery after it,
stagecoach connections were not established with Marion until 1870.
Nathaniel B. Douglas ran the first stage coach tavern, called White
Tavern, until it was destroyed by fire in 1876. (It was located
where the Marion Fire Station is today). Nathaniel Douglas died in
1877 and is buried in the Old Marion Cemetery.
The first real
industrial concern in town was the Marion Tannery, a white oak
bark-cold water manufacturer of leather and leather products. It was
commenced by Wm. D. Haynes and Company in1869 on a ten acre tract
which now includes the site of Conrad's parking lot and store
building. There was a large spring located near by that was needed
to run the tannery.
Also there were no banks
established in Marion at this time, but there were several merchants
doing business. Alonzo C. Gilbert had a saddlery and harness
establishment, D. N. Stinson ran a mercantile store in the Masonic
building, A. S. Hodge has a grocery store, Meyer and Ullman ran a
grocery in the old long brick building that stood on the present site
of the people bank. Mr. Perkins, ran a book store. These merchants
carried general stocks, groceries and a few handled liquors. There
was also the Marion Hotel called the Brick Tavern and the White
Tavern. J. W. Adams conducted the only blacksmith shop in town, it
was located on W. Bellville Street.
In 1897 Marion adopted
its present form of city government. Dr. Robert Love Moore was the
first Mayor.
***
Many of these pioneer
citizens and business men spoken of in this article, are buried in
the old Marion Cemetery.
No comments:
Post a Comment