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.