Some Marion News in 1936 as seen by The Evansville Courier Journal

Evansville Courier and Journal, April 27, 1930

  Three Great Men Given to U. S. By Marion, Kentucky.

Two United States Senators, one Governor of Oklahoma, born in city.

  What peculiar properties of greatness does the city of Marion hold? This little city of 2,100 inhabitants has brought fourth three men who have written their names on the pages of United Sates history.

Ollie M. James one of the most brilliant orators and certainly one of the greatest figures in Kentucky history, became United States senator. W. J. Deboe, also a United States senator from Kentucky, claimed Marion as his home. Oklahoma’s second governor, Lee Cruce, was Marion born and reared.

The homes of both Senator James and Deboe still stand in this city directly opposite each other at the same street intersection. The bodies of both lay in the Marion cemetery, a towering shaft marking the resting place of Senator James.

CENTER OF MINING

Marion, the county seat of Crittenden county, lies in a section of the most scenic beauty in western Kentucky. All about are sweeping hills that break the monotony of the broad plain common to this section of the state. The city was named for Gen. Francis Marion, Revolutionary war hero.

Marion is the center of a rich mining industry, lying in the midst of one of the only two fluorspar districts in the United States of any consequence. Consequently Marion is the headquarters for several companies engaged in this industry.

In four counties in the country is most of the fluorspar produced, Crittenden and Livingston counties in Kentucky and Pope and Hardin counties in Illinois. Among the companies operating in the Crittenden county field are the Franklin, a subsidiary of the Aluminum Corporation of America; the Lafayette, a subsidiary of the United States Steel corporation; the Holly, controlled by Cincinnati capitalists; the Eagle, under control of Wheeling, W. Va., capitalists; the Independent, Gugenheim, and Kentucky Flourspar companies, privately owned and developed. The mines normally employ about 1,000 men.

 

 

The first mining in this county was done under General Andrew Jackson, later president of the United States, who operated lead mines where the fluorspar now in being mined. Lead now is a by-product.

USED IN STEEL MAKING

Fluorspar, which is used as a flux in the making of steel, and also is used by aluminum, glass, porcelain and enamel manufactures, is found below the surface of the earth for a depth of 200 to 700 feet. Most is found at 200 feet, although some of the Kentucky mines go to a depth of 500 feet and one shaft in Illinois has been sunk to a depth of 700 feet. Most of the product is used in steel making and is shipped to the larger steel centers, such as Pittsburgh and Birmingham. The mineral brings from $16 to $20 a ton, depending on the grade.

Marion recently completed the paving of two and a quarter miles of streets, at a cost of $141,000, and also installed a sanitary sewage system, at a cost of $105,000. The water system was installed within the past two years.

The city lies on U. S. highway 61, state highway 91, and is a point on the Illinois Central railroad. It has daily bus service between Paducah and Evansville and between Marion and Madisonville.

HAS EXCELLENT SCHOOL

 Boasting an excellent school Marion recently acquired, through the benevolence of a former resident who has amassed great wealth, an addition to the high school equipment. It is known as Fohs Hall, named for F. Julius Fohs, the donor. It was constructed at a cost of $150,000 and contains a lounge room, library, gymnasium and auditorium, and home economics and agriculture department. There are two graded schools, one for colored pupils. The parent-Teacher club is unusually active and each year spends about $1,000 toward the school's improvement, by adding books to the library, playground equipment, etc.

An active Woman's club has a building of its own and is a member of the Kentucky Federation of Women's clubs. The Kiwanis club is a force for community betterment. The Boy Scout organization is Particularly strong and a move is on foot to acquire a Scout building.

Dairying has become one of the leading industries in the county and much cream is shipped to Evansville daily. Corn is widely planted. Under O. M. Shelby, agriculture instructor at the Marion High School classes for farmers have been conducted trice weekly recently, with an average attendance of 70. The city has two milling companies, the Marion and the Midget mills.

The Crittenden Press, Marion's only newspaper, has been a factor in community development for 51 years. This newspaper in 1928 was awarded first prize by the Kentucky Press Association as the outstanding weekly newspaper in the state. It is edited by an able young woman, Mrs. W. P. Hogard, and has wide circulation the county.

Train Ride Through Crittenden County

 I love the old trains, and I love Arlo Guthrie's "City of New Orleans" , so I came up with a wonderful train ride through Crittenden County.  This was one of my article I used in The Crittenden Press.

A Magic Carpet Ride Made Of Steel

Taken from a line of a favorite song on mine, let's take a ride on a magic carpet made of steel. This will be a fun and historical train ride through our beautiful Crittenden County and along the way we'll go through towns and fields and stop at the depots along the way. The time period of our trip will be during the early and late 1900s. Our Illinois Central train ride will begin as it crosses the old draw bridge between Webster and Crittenden County.

***

This historical bridge has it's own unique history. The Tradewater River railroad bridge at Blackford was a vital link for the Ohio Valley Railroad that ran from Henderson, to Princeton, Kentucky. The first bridge to be constructed was a Draw Bridge. It was shortly after 1886 when the Draw Bridge was constructed. In 1914 a new 528 ft. long bridge was build by the Illinois Central Railroad with help from the U.S. Government that included a pedestrian walk bridge. The Illinois Central Railroad design was an upgrade in structure. The IC wanted to run a larger and heavier class of locomotives to pull coal trains from Union and Webster counties to the Illinois Central Kentucky division's main line at Princeton, Kentucky and to be able to handle the car loads of fluorspar from Crittenden County to travel up north.

***

As we exit to the Crittenden County side of the bridge, we'll roll by the Blackford Church Camp ground where they have a wonderful summer time camp meeting. These meetings were started as early as 1917. People from several states throughout the country came to the week-long meetings of worshiping the Lord. The camp grounds, and dinning hall would be full of folks.

The singing of my wheels will hum them to sleep each night and my whistle call will awakening them each morning as I announcement my return arrival at the bridge.

***

We'll roll a short distance through the beautiful country to the community of Nunn Switch. We'll make a stop here to drop off the load of empty milk containers I brought back from Evansville, a stop here later in the day from a sister train from the south, will pick up milk filled containers for their trip back to the Evansville creamery. I'll also pick up a few passengers that are going to Marion to spend the day in town. There are several passenger trains that run back and forth during the day.

This little hamlet is known through the county as having three names, Nunn Switch, Hoods, and Gladstone, the Hood Creek school sits upon the hill not far from the depot, named for the tumbling creek that rolls through the center of the village, The children watch for me as I chug by each day, the depot was named for the Samuel Nunn family, as it sits on Nunn family land, and Gladstone for the post office located in the general store. Nunn's switch has a blacksmith, grocery store, post office and stock pins located near the depot. It's a central location for the area.

***

We pick up our speed and the rhythm of my wheels rumble through fields and along bluffs as we go through the edge of the community of Mattoon. Its a busy location as roads from different parts of the county run through the town. Mattoon adopted it's present name in 1894. The business center, which had led the county in the sale of farming implements during the early 1890's, lost its tobacco stemmery and flour mill to fire in the early 1900s. The town dwindled to only one general store. The construction of U. S. Highway 60 through Mattoon was vital for the village and for a time set it back on the growing path.

***

A short distance farther down the rails is the little hamlet of Repton. It's a beautiful little town situated on the I. C. railroad . It consists of two general merchandise stores, one church, school house, blacksmith shop and a number of dwelling houses and a post office is located here. There is a small ticket and freight depot located here with a stock yard near by for farmers to load their stock on train cars and send them to the stockyard at Evansville. A few more passengers board my train and get seated in the passenger cars as we head on towards Marion.

***

We pass through more scenic country side and over the railroad bridge known as Harrison Trestle that is built over Brushy creek. Winslow park is located here. Not so many years ago, it was a rather bare, uninviting tract of land with a few trees, a small house in the center of it, but I see today, as I cross over the bridge, there are benches, tables, and electric lights to make it possible for a picnic to be given there with as much ease and convenience as a meal is served in the dining room of one’s home.

Mr. Virgil L. Stone, who is responsible for the many changes and improvements which have taken place at Winlow, has spared neither time nor money to make the park an attractive and inviting place for picnickers and tourists. He has also constructed some cottages for people to stay awhile if they would like.

***

From Winlow Park the rhythm of my wheels hum along the rails until we get to the town of Marion. The Depot here is a center of activity. I let off my passengers from Nunn Switch and Repton, plus several business men that loaded on in Evansville. For the visitors from Evansville and beyond, there will be a horse and buggy waiting to take them to the Crittenden Hotel for their stay in Marion and Crittenden County. These are business men looking to invest in the county's rich deposits of fluorspar and other minerals such as lead and zinc. And there will be some salesmen included with the passengers also wanting to peddle their goods.

I'll unhitch a couple of my empty loading cars at the depot and they will be filled with this wonderful mineral called fluorspar. On a return trip the cars will be reattached and taken to points up north for the steel mills in some northern cities.

***

On the move again we travel past country houses, farms and fields heading toward our next stop of Crayne. I'll roll over the railroad trestle that crosses the A. H. Clement road. This trestle is now gone, taken down during the last of the golden days of the train and railroads through the county. (1999).

Gone with it are the days when it was a place to explore and climb on the wooden structure, a wonderful place for young boys to spend a day.

We roll into Crayne, or in my earlier days, Crayneville. The Crayne depot sits by a large lot, known as the loading yard. Piles of fluorspar and timber will be kept here until it can be loaded in my cars. Crayne folks that rode into Marion on an earlier train, will ride back with me and depart at the little Crayne depot.

The Crayne school is located a short distance from the Depot and as I go by the children out playing will be watching and waving at me as I chug by, blowing black smoke from my smoke stack. I'm a special sight and sound and my friendly conductor will be riding on my red caboose at the end to wave back at the children as we pass by. A special time in those days gone by.

***

From Crayne we travel through more beautiful rural country sides and farm lands until we reach the next community known as Mexico and a just a short distance is the community of Frances.

Children that live close to the railroad tracks watch and listen for me, my conductor looks for the children and will perhaps have some candy or gum to throw to them. Mexico also has it's own depot, and located near by is a train yard filled with piles of fluorspar waiting to be loaded. This is the heart of the great mineral-fluorspar country.

The large mining company known as Lafeyatte is located at Frances My tracks run close by the great mill and here my cars are filled with fluorspar. It's faster and easier to use train transportation than it was in the horse and wagon days, or even later with dump trucks.

I continue my journey over the hills and through woods to exit Crittenden County into the town of Fredonia in Caldwell County.

***

Enjoy my ride while you can, for in a few short years I will be disappearing with many memories for all that grew up with me, the sights and sounds of my rumbling wheels on the steel tracks, my lonesome echoing whistle, my bellowing black smoke and cinders as I neared the towns and cross roads. I have run over and flattened many hundred of pennies and nails to the delight of many children through my years. Perhaps you are lucky enough to have a souvenir of these days gone by when the locomotive was king of transportation in our county.

Olive Branch Band

 I love this old story.

This wonderful old memory of long ago was written into a story by Mr. Thomas Marion Dean. Though times were hard and it had to be awful living without the gas or electric heat and electric lights that we have in our homes today, there were still fun times and many good memories. This happy time happened back in December of 1880. 

Deanwood in the snow, as it might have looked all those years ago when the Olive Branch String Band visited and played for the Dean family.
 

The mantel clock struck ten; the last candle in the old farmhouse was out. The family had retired and all a sleep, except two boys who slept up stairs, they were almost asleep.

"Listen", said one to the other, did you hear that? Yes, What do you think it was? It sounded like somebody thumping on the old bass fiddle. Through the dim starlit night we could see the 'Band' tuning up their instruments out at the gate to give us a surprise serenade.

At last all was ready, the 'Band' marched quietly to the front porch and formed a half circle. Frank raised his bow as a signal to play. As it came down across the strings the sweet notes of Life On the Ocean Waves floated over the still night air. Joe followed with his second. Elvah took up the chord on the banjo and Gus lined up with the bass fiddle. They had no lights, no charts, no director, they did not need them any more than the mockingbird does. The music was on their minds and in their souls and somehow got out through their fingertips.

I said the music, yes, and the highest class of it, with all the harmonies, melodies, rhythm that natural talent skill and practice can add to it.

We were so captivated by it we forgot everything else. But down stairs, father, mother and other members of the family dressed hastily, stirred up the log fire, lit the candle, brought the dining room chairs into the living room. We put on our pants and got down stairs just in time to hear our father's voice from the hall, telling the band to come right on in.

In a short time all were seated in a circle around a roaring wood fire. Get out the fiddles boys, that was good and we want more like it.

The band took up their instruments and sounded them; they had to be tuned again. To us boys this delay seemed awfully long. We wanted to hear them cut loose and at last they did, for nearly an hour they played such old timers as Arkansas Traveler, Sewanee River, Evalena, Finny Johnson's Waltz, Pop Goes the Weasel, Old McCormick, Lost Boy in the Wilderness, Soldiers Joy, Old Ned, Golden Slippers, Buffalo Gal, Sallie Goodin, Old Liza Jane, Billie in the Low Ground, Fire in the Mountain, Mouth of the Cumberland and others.

Then Frank said, guess we better go. Wait a minute said Father Dean, he went out but soon returned with a feed basket of old fashioned Geniton apples. A treat for the music he said passing them around. Another half hour was spent telling funny stories and eating apples, then they left, promising to come again.

To people who lived in Crittenden County, in the 1870's- and 1880's, Frank, Gus, Elvah and Joe needed no introduction, but for the benefit of this generation I'll say Frank Lamb, Gus Stewart, Elvah Stewart, and Joe Stewart composed the Olive Branch String Band. They were natural musicians to start with and they did a lot of practice playing for gatherings of all kinds. They often went serenading in the community at night, gathering a crowd as they went from farmhouse to farmhouse.

There were no Gramophones then to record this music, no moving cameras to snap and reproduce these old time farm house serenades on the scene. We didn't have the talkies to tell again the funny jokes and stories told that night, we can't see again this big old farm house, see the big family around the log fire, see the happy faces as they munched the apples and laughed so loud at the latest and best stories of the times, nor can we ever hear the band again or it's equal. But we can look back through the busy years in our memory and think over it all, and enjoy the picture in our minds, if we can't see it on the screen.

Mr. Thomas Marion Dean that wrote this story says that is was based on a visit to the Uncle Matt Dean home, partly from memory, with a little sprinkle of imagination thrown in. He and his brother W. A. 'Sandy' Dean were the two boys in the upstairs bedroom. The story was written in Jan. 1940. Mr. Marion Dean died Nov. 29, 1944 and is buried at Sugar Grove Cemetery.

For some that haven't heard the name Olive Branch before. Olive Branch was a school located about nine miles east of Marion in a wooded area 200 yards or so off the old Shady Grove Road. About 2 miles farther east would be the Deanwood community. The school in turn took it's name from the Olive Branch Church that stood near by. In the 1880's, the members of the Olive Branch Band, would have lived in this area and attended this school.

Today all this is left is the Olive Branch Cemetery. The old school and church building's have long been torn down. Today's directions to this area is from Hwy. 120 turn left onto the Earl Hurst Rd. and then turn right on the Olive Branch Rd.

Thanks to Carlos Travis for sharing this old photo of the Dean home in the winter time of long ago.

News of 100 years ago in January 1924

 January 1924 -

Greetings from the Mayor, Bebe Boswell. Marion and Crittenden County have taken many advanced steps during the past year, among which a few of the most outstanding are the completion of the grading and draining of the two important highways leading out from Marion, letting of contracts for surfacing the Princeton road, the purchase of large fluorspar holdings by the steel industry and especially in Marion, the inauguration of 24-hour electric service, voting a $50,000 water works bond issue and the organization of the Kiwanis Club whose sole mission is the upbuilding of Marion and Crittenden County. I want to thank every citizen for the progress and prosperity of 1923 and pledge you my fullest co-operation during 1924 to even great and better ends.

 

The firms of W.O. Tucker, Furniture and Undertaking, and W. H. Franklin, Furniture and Undertaking have consolidated, reorganized and moved their business locations. Mr. Creed A. Taylor has purchased an interest in the business and the new firm of the Marion Furniture and Undertaking Co, composed of W. O. Tucker, W. H. Franklin and C. A. Taylor, will continue business occupying the A. S. Cannan building on West Bellville Street. Their display room will be on the first floor of this building and the undertaking parlor the second floor. The W. O. Tucker Co., was established twenty years ago and under Mr. Tucker's honest dealings with the public and up to date management the business has grown over the years. 

 

Squire Peek Captures Still

Squire S. F. Peek and Constable Vernon Patton, of Dycusburg brought to Marion Wednesday morning a moonshine still which they turned over to the authorities here. The still consisted of a large copper tank, and other machinery necessary to the manufacture of moonshine liquor, including a fourteen burner oil heater. The still was estimated to be of capacity sufficient to turn out from 50 to 60 gallons of moonshine a day.

The still was unloaded Monday from the Steamer Grace Devers on the streets of Dycusburg, the river being too high for the boat to land at the Dycusburg landing. The shipping tag indicated that the outfit was from the National Metal Works of Paducah and was addressed to Jim Ferguson, Bulls Pasture, Tenn. The Dycusburg officials report that no reason is known why it should have been put off at that place.

 

Klan Speaker In Address Here

A large crowd attends public meeting. Much interest aroused, strong appeal made in behalf of organization. Rev. J. E. Stout, of Detroit Mich., a speaker for the Ku Klux Klan of national reputation, addressed a crowded courthouse Monday night in behalf of his organization.

The announcement that a K.K.K. Speaker was coming to Marion to give an address creaded much comment among the officials and citizens of the city, adversely and favorable, and when the hour for the speaking came a large crowd was on had to great the speaker.

Dr. Stout was introduced by Mr. Archie S. Ridgeway, of Elkhart, Ind., who has been for some time engaged in organizing Klans at Princeton and elsewhere in this part of the state.

Dr. Stout spoke for two hours and made a strong appeal in behalf of his organization. He spoke for true Americanism, white supremacy, selective immigration, the Bible in the public schools, cleaner politics and for law and order.

He denied that the Ku Klux Klan was an organization of law violators, as had been represented by its enemies, but believed in upholding the law and the administration of justice and was in accord with the American flag. He said it was also in accord with the Bible and that the Ku Klux Klan was a permanent organization.

 

Pool Deliveries now Being Made

Since the opening of the doors of the Tobacco Association's ware-house here on January 2, members of the Dark Tobacco Growers Cooperative Association, despite the unfavorable weather and the muddy roads, have been delivering their 1923 crops of the weed at the rate of fifteen wagon loads a day and the efficient crew of unloaders have been kept busy.

Local Manager S. T. Dupuy reports that more than 200,000 pounds of pooled tobacco have been delivered and that delivers have been hindered on account of continued rains and bad roads. When a reporter visited the warehouse near the I. C. station, he found everybody busy unloading and grading tobacco and storing it away. There were five or six wagon loads waiting their turn to be unloaded and a number of other loaded wagons were coming up.

Manager Dupuy estimates that about one fifth of the associations tobacco in the county has been delivered. The advances paid to growers have been from one to fifteen dollars a hundred pounds according the quality and grade of tobacco.

 

McConnell & Wiggins Barber Shop

 

 

Home of experienced barbers, modern improvements and equipment, also other barber shops in Marion, beginning January 1 will close on Saturday night at 10:00 sharp.