Cross Salve

Cross Salve, created in the early 1930's by James Henry, Jr., could cure - Sores-Burns-Piles.  His ad in 1933 stated that for over a quarter of a century down in the hills of Western Kentucky a locally made salve has been creating a truly amazing record in the treatment of sores, burns, and skin diseases.  Many cases of years standing and extremely aggravated cases have defied all other remedies, have been cured.

Some testimonies from users include Mr. E. L. Guess, of Marion, who had an x-ray burn.  Two thirds of the back of one hand was an open sore; bones and leaders exposed.  He went to two hospital, several doctors, suffered untold agony for over a year.  

One application of this salve gave him his first sleep in several weeks without being under the influence of an opiate.  Within one month his hand was cured and he returned to work.

W. H. Holloman, of Crayne, had piles for 16 years.  In bed a week at a time unable to move.  Less than one jar of this salve permanently cured him, and he was able to work again.

Daniel W. Stone Medicine Co.

Stone's Specific, created D. W. Stone Medicine, Co. His ads appeared in the Press as early as 1915. He produced Stone's Healing Oil, a blood purifier and system builder. It was good for rheumatism, chills, malaria, torpid liver, indigestion, eczema, and bad stomach, to name a few. 

 The D. W. Stone Company also sold a chocolate tablet for constipation, stomach, liver and kidney troubles, chills, malaria, lagrippe, colds and run down systems, is was made from herbs like your great grandfather used and lived to be 90 to 100 years old, why? Because this is nature's way of cleansing the system, purifying the blood, without any ill effects upon the nerves, so his ad's told us.

Some of the businesses that sold Stone's Medicine supplies were: in Marion they were available by Haynes & Taylor Drug Store; at Tolu by R. H. Lowry & Co.; in Salem the Farris Drug Co.; at Deanwood by J. N. Dean; and at Sheridan by A. J. Bebout & Son.

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Local resident, Miss Helen Moore, who is now in her late 90's, shares with us that Daniel Webster Stone, was the head of the Stone's business operation.

Mr. Stone ordered the wonder tablets through the mail, and they would arrive in a large can. The tablets were orange and made of a herb type mixture. The tablets would be re-packed in little packages that had Stone's Special Tablets printed on the label. 

After the tablets were repackaged and ready to sell, Mr. Stone would travel to the communities in the county and sell his product to the Drug Stores. He also had a mail order business for his miracle tablets. 

Miss Moore remembers when her mother, Mrs. Elizabeth "Bessie" Moore, would help with the packaging of the tablets when the Stone's got behind in their orders. The Stone residence, although getting in bad condition, is still standing today, located East Bellville St. 

Marion Bargain Days- 1931

With the promoting of small business days coming soon, let's look back at a few of Marion's Bargain Days that was created in 1931 to promote some of the town's businesses.  Marion's main street from East Bellville for two blocks were once filled with many different kinds of stores.

They were looking for large crowds of shoppers to invade the stores during the three day community sale.  Shoppers were advised to come early tht they might partake of the many values. 

Taylor and Cannon located in the Masonic build on the corner of Main and Bellville Streets, was one of the county's best known dry good stores.  (Later this store would become Hunt's Department Store.)

All three member of the firm, Gus Taylor, C. W. Lamb and J. Doyle Vaughn are Masons. Mr. Taylor, the senior member of the firm has been in the dry goods business in Marion for the past thirty years and was in business my himself at the beginning. His store has always been located in the same block and since the construction of the present Masonic temple after the destructive fire of 1905, the Taylor store has occupied the same building.

For seventeen years Mr. Taylor had for his partner, W. D. Cannan. In 1918, after Mr. Cannan disposed of is interest, C. A. Taylor became a member of the firm and the business was operated as Taylor and Taylor.

In 1924 the present firm was organized. All three devote their full time to the business. Miss Louise Love is employed as clerk. The store prides itself on the high quality of material sold, which includes dry goods, shoes, ladies, ready-to-wear and men's furnishings.

                                                  *** 

                                   Yandell and Gugenheim is Oldest Store

Yandell-Gugenheim Company, local dry goods dealers, has the oldest merchantile establishment in Marion, this business being well over forty years old. Years ago Samuel Gugenheim was the owner of a dry goods store here and Pierce and Yandell another. Several years before the beginning of the twentieth century these two stores were consolidated and became known as Pierce, Yandell and Gugenheim. The Pierce referred to is the late J. P. Pierce, who later retired from the business, which since that time has gone under the firm name of Yandell-Gugenheim Company.

Partners in the business are W. B. Yandell, Samuel Gugenheim and R. B. Cook who are assisted in the business by Samuel A. Gugenheim and Ernest Butler. Mr. Cook first became connected with the business about thirty-five years ago. Mr. Butler has been with the store twenty-four years.

Every individual connected with the store has for years been connected actively with community affairs and by their business policies they have won the warm friendship of their fellow citizens. Their store stands on one of the business corners in Marion.

Yandell-Gughenheim and Company has long been one of Marion's most successful stores and it is prophesied that continued good patronage will follow them. (This store was located where Frazer and Massey's Law Office is today.)

                                                     ***

                                                             City Drug Store

It is owned and managed by two of Marion's youngest business men, Ted Frazer and G. N. Rankin, both of them born and reared in Marion. In addition to the proprietors two clerks are employed, Bernal Hill and Chastain Frazer.

At least two reasons may be assigned as to why the City Drug Store has so quickly taken its place in the foremost ranks of local business establishments. First, the store itself, attractive and well lighted, is modern in every respect, from its up-to-date soda fountain, its line of drug sundries and novelties to a complete prescription department with a graduate, registered pharmacist in charge; second the modern business method and progressive ideas of the owners, who identify themselves with every movement for civic betterment and community progress.

The City Drug Company occupies two floors of the Flanary building on Main Street. On the first is located the soda fountain, the prescription department, and well stocked cases of cosmetics, toiletries and novelties.

The wall paper, paint and glass department is located on the second floor. Here they have two complete lines of wall paper on display at a price range of five cents per roll up.

(The City Drug Store, as the articles speaks of, closed on May 14, 1992)

Forgotten Korean War Veteran To Get Tribute

A forgotten man in a long ago war, Junior Raymond "J. R." McDowell is finally being recognized for making the ultimate sacrifice for his county during the Koren War.

McDowell, a Crittenden County native, was killed early in the war that started when communist forces from North Korea invaded South Korea in the summer of 1950.

Until just recently his name had not been among those engraved on granite crosses at the Mapleview Cemetery war memorial in Marion.  It is still a mystery how this Crittenden County war hero somehow was accidentally left off the KIA list.

After finding a notice in the Sept. 8, 1950 Crittenden Press, that read Sargent McDowell, Jr., son of Lou Vena McDowell has been reported missing in action in Korea since July 25, 1950 and then in Dec. 1955, an obituary was published.  "The body of Sergeant First Class Junior Raymond McDowell, who died in Korea, Nov. 6, 1950, will arrive at the Hunt Funeral Home in Marion Sat. morning, Dec. 10, 1955. Funeral services will be conducted at Sugar Grove Church, with full military rites.  

Survivors include his mother, Mrs. Lou Vena McDowell, Marion, two sisters, Mrs. Geneva James, Marion and Mrs. Ruth Rogalski, Detroit; one brother, James Dalton, Dalton, Ky.; two half-brothers, Herbert McDowell, Dalton, and Hobart McDowell, Princeton.

On Sunday, November 13, 2016, a public ceremony is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. at Mapleview Cemetery where McDowell's cross will be dedicated.  Joining the ranks of those for fellow Korean War casualties and dozens of other men killed during World War II and the Vietnam War. 

We salute you Sgt. Junior R. McDowell, 

may your sacrifice never be forgotten.

Dairy Farms

Several years ago Crittenden County had several farms.  There are none in the county today.  

One of these dairy farmers once said "it's the only kind of farming with a regular income, but is is confining, you milk twice a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.  If it's Thanksgiving or Christmas, it doesn't matter, you go milk, if you got pneumonia, you go milk, if someone in the family dies, you bury them and go milk."

One of these farmers that operated a dairy farm in the 1920's was Paul I. Paris.  It was located about 2 miles East of Marion on Hwy. 120.  Mr. Paris sold and delivered bottled milk to Marion each day.

He also sold milk to the Evansville branch of Trice State Milk and Butter Company.  He would take his buckboard wagon full of his milk in the metal cans to the depot in Marion each morning.  There he would send a load of milk to Evansille, and pick up the empty cans from the shipment the day before.  This would be a regular two mile trip each day.

Another creamery that many of our local farmers used to sell their milk was the Sugar Creek Creamery in Evansville, Ind. 

 The 5-gallon cans of milk would be left at the local depots, Marion, Crayne, Mexico, Repton, and Nunn Switch. 

The passenger trains that ran through the county, twice a day, on their return trip to Evansville, would stop at the depots and pick up the full cans of milk and deliver them to the creamery in Evansville.

The next day on the return trip through Crittenden County the empty cans would again be left at the depots. 

This old cream can of yesteryear belonged to Mrs. Addie Vaughn of the Hebron community.  The little metal plate has her name and location where to leave the empty can.

These milk cans that were such a necessity for farmers, that had to have them to transport their milk to the creamery, over the years have become a treasured piece of family heritage.  

They are also used a decorative pieces for homes and a novelty item to display on porches.  They are also sold in antique stores as a piece of our past history.