From the Waupaca Republican – May 9, 1884 issue
Transcribed and submitted to the Waupaca County Website
by Paula Vaughan January 2002

Marion

What was known as "Perry’s (Saw) Mill" in the north east corner of Dupont on the Pigeon river, is now known as Marion and marvelous changes have taken place there since the advent of the M. L. S. and W. R’y. The old saw mill has vanished from its position and on its site is the large and substantial grist mill of M.C. Golthwait. The mill has a set of rollers for making the fine patent flour, also two or three run of stone for feed and other work. Mr. G. has already a good trade up the line, also his brands of four can be found in the surrounding villages.

McDonald, Ramsdell & Co., general tradesmen own a very large store and carry an immense stock of general merchandise. As this firm also own a big saw mill and deal in lumber, they can make their general merchandise serve a good purpose in trade with workmen as well as the large number of farmers that are settling in and around Marion.

L. D. Goldberg & Co., also deal in general merchandise, carry a large stock and enjoy a good trade.

Mrs. John Senn also has a stock of general merchandise.

W. R. Binkelman has a large stock of general hardware, tinware etc., and runs a tin-shop in connection,. Mr. Binkelman owns a building which is fully 25X50 feet. In the second story is a substantial hall for society purposes. The Odd Fellows and Temple of Honor each have large and flourishing lodges here. Mr. B. is the Clerk of the Court, and is always on hand in Waupaca during the sessions. The business of his office is ably looked after by his deputy Mr. Chas. Churchill.

M. J. Perry & Co., own and conduct quite a respectable drug store. The same firm run a saw mill about two miles above the village on the Pigeon river. Steve Perry is general manager of the mill. The fire-fiend has visited them several times but they go on the principle that "Pluck will win" so with a new mill are ready for business again.

John Mierswa is the village shoemaker.

Fox Bros. Have a brick hotel and billiard hall, and do a good business in their line.

The Marion house, owned by McD. R. & Co. is under the management of Mrs. A. Ramsdell.

The Wisconsin Coal Company keep up their fires the year round and turn out an immense amount of charcoal for the Chicago rolling mills. They make business in the wood line.

The Marion house, owned by McD. R. & Co. is under the management of Mrs. A. Ramsdell

The Wisconsin Coal Company keep up their fires the year round and turn out an immense amount of charcoal for the Chicago rolling mills. They make business in the wood line and furnish a good many car loads of charcoal for transportation over the railroad. Marion has a number of very tastily built residences and bids fair to become quite a nice village.

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From Wisconsin County Histories, Waupaca County Edited by John Ware 1917
Transcribed and submitted to the Waupaca County Website
by Paula Vaughan January 2002

The Village of Marion, with its nine hundred or more inhabitants, lies on the north branch of the Pigeon River and on the Chicago & Northwestern Railway  just south of the northern county line. For its size the village is becoming quite an industrial center. Furniture, excelsior and cheese boxes are among its local lines; a sawmill is in operation; it has a rather large garage and .machine shop, and, being the center of a rich dairy country, has tributary to it half a dozen cheese factories and creameries.

Marion has two good banks, prime necessities in the conduct of its extensive trade; a large lumber and fuel-supply yard, and two grain and produce warehouses, and keeps in close touch with the surrounding territory through a widely extended telephone service. It has a substantial local paper, a well-conducted school, a handsome village hall and several churches and lodges as further evidences of intelligence, sociability and morality.

FOUNDED AS PERRY S MILLS
The Village of Marion was built around the water power, as was the common experience with the other settlements which developed into anything worth while. The first sawmill was built in 1856 by J. W. Perry and his son, Stephen L. Perry, afterward of the Advertiser. A grist mill was afterward started on its site. This was transformed into a regular flour mill, which continued to operate under different managements until 1916, when it was burned.

The settlement was long known as Perry's Mills, and George W. Quimby opened the first store there in 1865. The place was of very slow growth until the Milwaukee, Lake Shore & Western Railroad reached it in the early '70s, and soon afterward it abandoned its modest title of Perry's Mills for the more pretentious name of Marion. The change is said to have been made at the suggestion of Frank Door, who was elected county surveyor in 1874, and, in that capacity, platted an addition to the original site laid out on the Perry homestead.

One account of the founding of the village is thus given in the Marion Advertiser, published some time in 1898: "The S. E. 1/4 of N. E. /4 and the S. W. 1/ of the N. E. 14 was government land until 1868, when S. L. Perry took it as a homestead. A sawmill was built by J. W. Perrv and sons where now stands Marion's grist mill. A block or two was measured out into lots and a village started, called at the time Perry's Mills. Later on Frank Door, then county surveyor,
was employed, and he platted into lots about thirty acres more. It was agreed by all interested parties to change the name of the growing village and leave the naming to Door, now of Antigo, and he christened the child Marion, which has grown to quite a well-proportioned adult. S. L. Perry still continues to own fifteen acres of the old homestead, and Ben Painter, of Milwaukee, the remaining part that is now platted.

INCREASE IN POPULATION
In 1890 the population of Marion was 470, in 1900, 602, and in 1910, 798. Its average increase, therefore, has been about two hundred every decade, and its population has probably advanced at a greater rate since the last Federal census was taken.

THE VILLAGE NEWSPAPER
The Marion Advertiser is the connecting link between Perry's Mills and the village of the present. It was founded in April, 1884, by S. L. Perry, son of the Dr. J. W. Perry, who built the mills. Father and son conducted the business together for many years. The younger man bought the doctor's interest; was a resident of Kansas for some years, but returned to Marion and, as stated, founded the Advertiser. Mr. Perry died November 5, 1912, since which his widow, Mrs. M. J. Perry,
has conducted the business, being most of that period associated with Elmer Byers as partner, active editor and manager.

THE SCHOOL
The people of Perry's Mills and Marion have enjoyed school privileges since 1859, when a log house was built, 12 by 14 feet, and R. Quimby started a small class of hopefuls. The school population is now 214, and the Union high and grammar school is now conducted by the following principals: High school, F. F. Fenner; grades, Miss Rena Horn.

TELEPHONE SERVICE
The telephone company, which has done so much for Marion, is now in its fifteenth year. It was organized in 1902 as the Marion Telephone Company, and a few years after was reorganized as the Marion & Northern Telephone Company, with W. R. Binkleman as president. Mr. Binkleman was succeeded by Conrad Hangartner, a well-known merchant of the village. When the company was organized the exchange had ten subscribers at Marion. Since that time the company has acquired the Clintonville exchange, and built others at Tigerton and Gresham, Shawano County. The system now owned by the Marion & Northern Telephone Company renders service to 727 telephones operated through the four exchanges named.

THE MARION BANKS
The Bank of Marion, owned by Henry Shoenke, was established in January, 1894, with Frank Leake as cashier. On December 29, 1902, was incorporated the First State Bank of Marion, which took over the business of the Bank of Marion and elected the following officers: Henry Shoenke, president; N. M. Engler, vice president; Frank Leake, cashier.

The capital stock was $25,000. In June, 1907, N. M. Engler was elected president; P. C. Rogers, vice president, and J. H. Driessen, cashier. Mr. Driessen was formerly connected with the Bank of Kaukauna, Wisconsin. At the time of the change of management noted, the deposits of the First State Bank of Marion were down to $93,000. During the winter of 1908-09 a handsome bank building was erected at a cost of $10,000, and in April, 1912, the capital was increased to' $30,000. The capital has remained at that figure; surplus and undivided profits amount to $20,000, and deposits now average $340,000. The present officers are as follows: R. Schroeckenstein, president; N. M. Engler, vice president; J. H. Driessen, cashier.

The Farmers and Merchants Bank was incorporated in April, 1911, and John H. Spengler and H. T. Buck have successively served as presidents. Its cashiers have been W. E. Brown, H. A. Diestler, A. C. Ewald, J. M. Roehl and T. J. Haufe. The financial status of the bank is indicated by the following items: Capital, $10,000; surplus and undivided profits, $1,200; average deposits, $67,000.

ELECTRIC LIGHT AND POWER
The Marion Light and Power Company was incorporated in October, 1915, with J. H. Driessen as president; Oswald F. Reiche, vice president, and Paul F. Reiche, secretary and treasurer. The management is unchanged. The capital of the company is $5,000. It is operated under a twenty-year franchise from the village, with which it has a contract for lighting the streets. Nearly all the homes and business places in Marion are now using its electric current. Crude oil engines are used for power purposes.

THE OLD WATER POWER
Marion still retains its old water power on the north branch of the Pigeon River. It is owned by B. Goldthwaite, who conducted a flour mill, which was destroyed by fire in May, 1916. On account of the ill health of the proprietor the mill will not be rebuilt, and it is somewhat problematic what will become of the water-power privileges.

CHURCHES AND SOCIETIES
The Lutherans are strong at Marion, their churches being in charge of Revs. E. R. Kraft and G. Kunz, the latter being pastor of what is known as Salem's Church of the Evangelical Association. It was organized and its church edifice built in 1882. Its present membership is about fifty. The Methodists, Catholics and Christian Scientists have small organizations.

The Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Modern Woodmen of America have lodges, as well as the Rebekahs, the Odd Fellows' auxiliary. For a number of years there was a post of the Grand Army of the Republic, but it has at last dwindled down to one member-a Union veteran for whom the village has a touching affection, especially on Decoration Day, when his bent figure creeping to the graves of his old comrades is well on the pathetic side of life.

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