What You Didn’t Know About Marion by Sam Young (edited)

Marion, Ohio–a run-of-the-mill, small sized town in the center of the state, surrounded by cornfields. It may not seem like much, and as is all too common in smaller towns across America, Marion has been of late experiencing trouble with crime and drugs, especially heroine. This struggle with drugs leads people to say that Marion is just no good–that it is a town that needs to be escaped in order to live a successful life. But, this is simply not true. Marion is a growing city that has a lot to offer. This town has its own movie theater, a small waterpark, a skating rink, walking trails, and several public parks. A number of new businesses and restaurants have come here over the last few years, and our own OSUM campus is booming. Marion also has a rich and important history. Of course, Marion produced America’s twenty-ninth president, Warren G. Harding, and his home is a lovely historical site to this day. But, Marion took part in other events of American history as well.

Marion was established in 1822 by Eber Baker and Alexander Holmes, and was named after Revolutionary War general, Francis Marion. It started off small, with only 570 residents. In the mid-1880’s, Marion was a thriving little town; there were three different newspapers (including The Marion Star, which future-president, Warren G. Harding, edited), four banks, fifteen churches, and several manufacturing businesses. By 1890, the number of residents had increased to over 8,000 (today, the poplulation is over 38,000).

The little town was situated along two major railroads and this positioning played a huge part in Marion’s success. The railroads grew until Marion was a crossroads of four important tracks: the Chesapeake and Ohio, the Erie, the New York Central, and the Pennsylvania. Besides creating wonderful oppurtunity for Marion’s economy, the railroad access also allowed Marion to assist in war efforts. In WWII, scores of women volunteered to offer their services at a railroad reststop that was set up at Marion’s famous, Union Station. These women would offer refreshments, cigarettes, magazines, and other comforts to troops who stopped along the way. The troops became exceptionally fond of the popcorn that the ladies offered–the women stopped offering sandwiches all together, and had to pop nearly 300 pounds of corn to keep up with the demand. When there was a shortage of the oil used in making the fresh snack, the women would empty their own cupboards to keep the corn popping. Marion is actually one of the country’s largest producer of corn and corn-based foods today.

Marion Union Station circa 1945. The tracks in the lower foreground are those of the Erie Railroad and the New York Central Railroad. The tracks crossing them from the right are those of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway. It is on the platforms around the station that soldiers were served by volunteers.

Thanks to its position along the railroad, Marion has always had a prosperous factory economy. Perhaps one of the most famous manufactorers to come from this town was the Marion Power Shovel Company (formerly known as the Marion Steam Shovel Company–the name was changed to signify the company’s switch from steam power to diesel), founded in 1884. With the railroad business growing and growing, the Shovel Company grew right along with it and supplied heavy-industrial machinary to buyers all over the world. In 1903, the U.S. acquired the Panama Canal Zone and commisioned the company to build nearly all of the shovels used in the construction. This made Marion known as the “city that built the Panama Canal”. The Shovel Company also built for NASA. It constructed the transporters that would haul the Apollo rockets to the launch pad. This company, based in Marion, was a vital part of very important events that happened in American history.

So, while Marion is just a small town, that does not meant that it is not important. Marion has a rich past, and a rich future.