Category: WCHS

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WCHS participated in the first Marionopoly, presented by Marion Carnegie Library on June 12, 2025 from 5 o’clock to 7 o’clock on the tower square. We naturally were in the Go to Jail spot on the board. We handed out candy, brochures to the museum, Williamson Co. Jr. Deputy stickers and set up for attendees to have their photograph made with possibly the only married couple from the 1920’s Tiger Girl and Candy Kid who robbed banks and jewelry stores (not from so Illinois), aka our very own Michael and Gloria Spinks who did a great job.

Along with WCHS were 24 other local business participating at locations around the square/game board. At the end players also received a commemorative bookmark from the Carnegie Library.

The WCHS museum and library hasn’t had a paranormal group come look around since before covid struck. That all changed on June 7^th, 2025 when a group called Phantastic Ghost Hunters from Paducah, Kentucky came to see what they could find. The group is comprised of husband-and-wife team, Paula and Gavin Kelly with assists from their friend Sami Collins. They also occasionally work with the assistance of Gavin’s father and Vietnam vet, Joe Stimas.

On June 4^th, 2025, our museum hosted a tour for S.I.U. ‘s  Center for English as a Second Language group (C.E.S.L.). Dr. Colin Robinson of SIU brought 18 foreign students in for the tour after having toured the AISIN factory in Marion. The students were from a diverse range of locations around the globe including Japan, S. Korea, Laos, Indonesia, Timor Leste, Ivory Coast, Panama, Nicaragua, Chile and the island of Comoros.

This is the second year Dr. Robinson has brought the students here for a tour and it turns out to be a pleasurable experience for all involved.

Periodically we receive items that are not related to Williamson County. Recently within a collection we received a postcard of a Spandrel Bridge built in 1926 that crosses Hills Branch by the Chocolate Factory in Pope Co. Illinois. When we contacted them they had never seen this example of the bridge and they also had some papers for us, so it was a perfect opportunity for a Sunday road trip.

Pictured on left, Sharon Vansaghi, Curator at WCHS, on right, Cheryl Cossey, Secretary, Pope Co. Historical Society. If you ever have the chance or just need a Sunday drive, check out Pope Co. Historical Society Museum, in Golconda, Illinois located at 112 Columbus Ave. They are open April-Nov Saturday 9-3:30 and Sunday noon to 3:30. They have wonderful exhibits pertaining to their area and volunteers that will help inform you of history.

Approximately 80 fifth grade students from the local Marion Washington school toured our museum on May 5, 6, 9 and 19th, Accompanying the students were teachers Mrs. Holderfield, Mrs. Kadela, Mrs. Rowland and Mr. Vickery. The students were divided into two groups each day and guided through the museum under Curator Sharon Vansaghi and society president Sam Lattuca. The students were introduced throughout the museum with what labor was involved in just doing ordinary everyday tasks in the past that we take advantage of today.

The Williamson County Historical Society held its quarterly membership meeting on Sunday, April 27, 2025 here at the museum/library at 2:00 P.M.

During the meeting, President Sam Lattuca, caught the membership up on projects undertaken at the museum & library since the last meeting, accessions taken in, upcoming projects and tours and the state of the museum in general.

The program was given by Sharon Vansaghi, who reported on work that had been done at Bradley-Jenkins Cemetery located on Remington Road near Marion. She also discussed some of the processes involved in locating, cleaning and restoring monuments and grave markers. Eighteen members were in attendance.

The Williamson County Historical Society will be holding a membership meeting on Sunday, April 27, 2025 here at the museum/library at 2:00 P.M.

During the meeting we will be going over projects undertaken at the museum & library since the last meeting, accessions taken in, upcoming projects and the state of the museum. The program will be about Cemetery Restoration and will be given by Sharon Vansaghi.

As a reminder, our WCHS membership dues run from January thru December and are $25 per year. You can check the status of your dues by looking at the year date on the address label on this mailing. If you’re dues are current it will say 2025 or higher, if it says 2024 or earlier, your dues are due. We hope to see you at the meeting.

The Marion CLIO Club toured the museum on May 8th, 2025. Eleven members of the club received a tour from WCHS president, Sam Lattuca. The members were informed of the records that are available for genealogical research in the library and then toured through the many rooms of artifacts in the historical societies old jail building.

Fourteen students and mentors from Ambleside School in Marion visited the WCHS Museum on Friday, March 21, 2025. The students were given a complete tour of the museum and library by Curator/Coordinator Sharon Vansaghi and WCHS President Sam Lattuca. During the tour the group was presented with artifacts representing many ways of life gone by in Williamson County. The group was shown tools, housewares, medicines and clothing that would have been used from pioneer times through to the mid-20th century. In addition, the group was spoken to about early Native American life and artifacts and students, of course, always find the old jail cells interesting.

The historical society’s museum and library are now back to our four day a week schedule. We are now available at the museum from Wednesday through Saturday from 9:30 AM till 3:00 P.M. for research of tours.