What’s New

Williamson Co. Historical Society attended a cemetery preservation workshop July 13, 2023, held at the Troy Cemetery in Troy Illinois. The workshop, sponsored by Atlas Preservation with Jonathan Appell teaching over 40 attendees from Illinois, Missouri and one from Iowa how to safely and correctly preserve cemeteries along with history of the type of stone used to make headstones. We cleaned markers using a biological solution and learned when NOT to rub/brush because of removing the surface of the marker, how to repair fractured tablet stones, reset tablets into Keyway bases, and secure headstones to flat base with proper training, equipment and products.

He suggested to always ask for permission before working on markers and document the work by creating a log and taking before and after photographs. Troy was selected from many submissions for the 48 State Tour Restoring Americas Cemeteries and was hosted by Troy Genealogical Society and VFW Auxiliary who furnished lunch for the group.

If a group or individuals are interested there are videos of Jonathan and others doing this type of work by clicking on links at Atlas Preservation.

Those representing WCHS are Brian Norman, Marion, Jeff Smith and granddaughter Maranda Smith, Carbondale and Sharon Vansaghi, Marion.

Two local history books covering Herrin from 1900-1974 by Lucille Vick Howell have been indexed and their indexes added to our Master Local History Index on this site. The two short books are entitled “Down Memory Lane” and Down Memory Lane, Another Stroll”.

WCHS is doing research on one of our early rural schools and would like assistance if you have any information about White Oak School. The school was known to be located on what is now Cobb Hill road about half way between Lake of Egypt Road and Sulphur Springs Road (see map).

We don’t have an exact start date but we are fairly certain it was started prior to the end of the Civil War in 1865. We do know it closed in the 1951-52 school year when it was absorbed by the Marion Community Unit School District #2. We also know the building was sold off to Carl Kimmel after its closure. Local family names would have been Kimmel, Dunn & Webb.

If you have any details as to the school and its starting date please contact us at wchsmail@yahoo.com or call 618-997-5863.

The indexing to two of our WCHS resources have been added to our Master Misc. County Records Index

One is an index to additional land grant copies held in the WCHS library and the other is a list of scanned original land grants that the museum stores. The originals can be in either parchment, paper of vellum.

The book Original Land Grants, 1824-1870, created by Charla Murphy, Mary Jo Moore and Jean Burke in 1997 and published by the Williamson County Historical Society has been indexed and added to our Master Misc. County Records Index.

A new historical marker was placed at 11060 Songbird Rd. (Khoury League Park) on Sunday, June 25th, 2023 at 2:00 P.M. Despite the heat, about 24 people showed up for the dedication service to mark the location of the old Cross Roads school. Below is the history behind the marker.

The local history book called “Nicknames & Other Things, A Memoric History of Pittsburg, Illinois” written by Marlene Richey and published in 1995 has now been indexed. The Index has been added to our Master Local History Index.

The Williamson County Historical Society will be holding a short historical marker dedication ceremony on Sunday, June 25^th at 2:00 P.M. The marker will be located at 11060 Song Bird Rd. in a location also known as Khoury League Ball Park NE of Marion.

The historical marker will be dedicated to Cross Roads School, a one room schoolhouse that operated from 1862 until 1952 located near the intersection of two early pioneer trails, thus its name. The rural schoolhouse educated local children from the first through the eighth grade and was eventually absorbed by the Community Unit School District system we have today. In 1972, a Khoury League baseball league was formed on this site. The public is invited to attend this event.

Local author Gradyon McWilliams donated a copy of his book “Either Peace or War” to the Williamson County Historical Society. Shown in photo are WCHS President Sam Lattuca, author Gradydon McWilliams and WCHS curator Sharon Vansaghi.