Marion A Civid Minded Town

 Marion A Civic Minded Town For The Betterment of The Town

In years past we find that the citizens of Marion were civic minded and were always looking for new ways and means to make Marion and Crittenden County a better place to live, whether it be through new business opportunities or the organization of social and intercultural clubs and societies. From the archives of The Crittenden Press come interesting articles about some of Marion’s past civic organizations.

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Nov. 25, 1904, Marion’s Opportunity – Our New Commerical Club

A few of the citizens of this city met Saturday night to organize a Commercial Club, the purpose of which should be to advance the welfare of this city and county by fostering enterprises and improvements. Marion’s own, Senator, William J. DeBoe was the speaker of the evening.

At the meeting Saturday night the president, two vice-presidents, the secretary and treasurer of the Club were chosen. At that meeting it was ordered that a committee, appointed for the purposes of arranging articles of incorporation and by-laws, should meet and be ready to report Tuesday night, which was another special meeting to further organize. The interest in the contemplated club grew rapidly and Tuesday night there was a splendid and enthusiastic gathering of some of the best businessmen of the city, ready to assist in the Club movement and its further organization. The motto for the new organization was to be “Marion is Symbol For All That is Good and True."

 

The city and county is now facing an opportunity which has come to but a very few among the multitudes of counties in the various States and territories comprising the United States, as we have with in our borders mineral deposits vast in nature and rich in possibilities – so it is claimed by all of the mining experts who have visited this district and those mineral deposits undoubtedly offer extraordinary inducement of profitable investment for the purpose of their development. 

 But few conditions are lacking to make this district an ideal one for mining operations on an extensive scale, but that these conditions hamper, if they do not all together block progress in the development of Crittenden County’s mineral resources, can not be denied by any one who is fully conversant with the facts. Our most urgent requirements are good roads, then railroads, for the development of the county, and waterworks, then fire protection, for the city. Other improvements and advantages will quickly follow.

To offset or minimize these handicaps to our progress, and then to produce a remedial effect, a Commercial Club has been organized by Marion’s progressive citizens; its officers and its precepts have been wisely and indiscriminately chosen; its purposes should now be set forth and so clearly defined to the people that all who desire to aid and participate in the progress of the community many readily see that it will be decidedly to their interest and mutual benefit to either identify themselves directly with the movement or to co-operate with the Club in their endeavor to accomplish the several important purposes for which they have organized.

Officers and directors chosen, as well as the committee and assignments are as follows:

Thomas H. Cochran, President; T. Atchison Frazer, First Vice-President; Robert I. Nunn, Second Vice-President; James F. Crittenden, Secretary; George M. Crider, Treasurer. Directors, C. E. Weldon, Foreman of Finance and Membership committee; H. H. Sayre, chairman Entertainment, Arrangement and Building committee; J. M. Freeman, chairman City Development committee; C. S. Nunn, chairman County Development committee, C. H. Whitehouse, chairman Press Publicity and Promotion committee; Charles Evans, chairman Public Policy committee.

It should be understood from the start that the Club has been organized as much for the benefit of Crittenden County as for Marion, and that it desires to secure among the membership as many as possible of the representative men located throughout the county. As soon as they can be interested sufficiently to work in harmony with the Club and endorse and strengthen its efforts, then one featured of its work – good roads will be easy of accomplishment. To secure good rock-ballasted roadbeds throughout the county would doubtless benefit a greater number of people both in the county and city, than any other one movement which the Club has endorsed and set about to accomplish.

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November 1905, The Musical Club -

The ladies of the town created a Music Club. The object of the club was to create a greater interest in music, to study the music and the lives of the old masters and the history of music. I think also to give the ladies a reason to meet, have delightful refreshments and just enjoy the fellowship of one's home.

They would meet once a month and have a program that would be centered on the music world. It even included music performances by some of the ladies. Mrs. S. M. Jenkins gave a piano solo, “The Palms”, while a vocal solo was given by Miss Kittie Gray. Their program was the life and music of Bach and a paper on the History of Music. Some of the women that were members of the club were, Mrs. Thomas Cochran, Mrs. S. M. Jenkins, Miss Kittie Moore, Miss Kittie Gray, Lilly Doss and Mrs. Fannie Walker to name a few.

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Another one of Marion’s Community Minded organizations was the Kiwanis Club. It received its charter in May of 1923.

May 4, 1923 – Marion Kiwanis Club

The Marion Kiwanis Club met on Friday evening of last week for their “Charter Party” and a splendid program had been arranged for the occasion. The meeting was also turned into ladies’ night. The district governor made the presentation at the banquet.

The Marion Orchestra furnished music for the occasion. The Kiwanis Club Quartet sang several selections and Misses Guess and Mrs. Newton Moore entertained with some musical numbers.

During the course of the dinner there was prize drawing for the ladies. Each Kiwanian gave some prize for the occasion. At the plates for souvenirs were memo books with the Kiwanis emblem for the ladies and match boxes with the emblem for the men.

Clem S. Nunn resided at the meeting and as soon as the banquet had been served, introduced Hon. Charles T. Gilbert of Nashville, District Governor of the Kiwanis International.

Mr. Gilbert gave a splendid address, explaining what Kiwanis was and its work and how the Club became organized and received its name, and at the conclusion of the address presented President L. E. Crider with the Charter.

This was followed by a speech by Mr. Crider accepting the Charter, and outlining the work that the local club will undertake and has undertaken to accomplish. Our motto is “We Build” and our principle endeavor is to build our community to its highest level.

The hall was decorated in the Kiwanis colors and Kiwanian hats and been passed around in the beginning of the party so everyone present could not help but have the Kiwanis spirit.

During the dinner Secretary Bourland read the several telegrams from the various clubs welcoming the local organization into their large family.

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These are just three of the local civic clubs, that had through the years, given unselfishly of their time and money to help make Marion and Crittenden County a better place to live.  All of the above were disbanded many years ago, but their efforts are noteworthy to remember today.