Williamson County Illinois Historical Society

Williamson County Historical Society Museum and Library is used to having a variety of visitors from all over the United States and abroad.  They come for many reasons, to research ancestors from the area, gather information to write books on the coal mines and unions, the railroads, Charlie Birger and other notorious people, unsolved murders, etc.. Others come to see the old jail built in 1913, coal mine exhibit, country store and many other items exhibited in the museum.

We also, are used to SI Visit coming to take photographs of items to use in travel and informational brochures. However, on Tuesday, October 7^th, 2019 we had a special visitor. Her name is Carol M. Highsmith a Visual Documentarian of America for the Library of Congress and she came to photograph the museum to be part of her permanent collection at the Library of Congress. Continue reading →

The Williamson County Historical Society held its quarterly meeting on Sunday, July 28^th, 2019 at the society’s museum and library at 105 S. Van Buren St. Thirty four people attended to hear of the societies latest projects both completed and ongoing. The society recently dedicated an historical marker in Creal Springs to mark the location of the old Creal Springs College, co-sponsored Memorial Day services at Rose Hill Cemtery and held an open house at Goddard Chapel in Rose Hill to mark the 100^th anniversary its dedication.

The guest speaker was Michal Jones, director of the General John A. Logan Museum in Murphysboro who spoke to the society about the life of John A. Logan and his role in Southern Illinois, Williamson County and Marion history.

Society president, Sam Lattuca, conducted the meeting and displayed the latest additions to the museum over the last quarter. Among them were numerous tintype photos and items that came from the family of Alonzo N. Owen, sheriff of Williamson County from 1870-1872 and his connections to the historic Ed M. Spiller home at 1304 W. Main in Marion, currently owned by the DeMattei family.

Longtime society member and former board member, Colleen Norman, was selected to be placed on the societies’ Honor Roll Plaque in commemoration of her dedicated service to the organization.

The National Odum Association held their Odum family reunion in Marion on July 18th. Following a group meal, thirty of the family members were given a tour of the Williamson County Museum. Members of the Odum family came from Texas, California, S. Carolina and Florida.

On the following day, July 19th, the Ellis family began their reunion in Marion. Members of the family are all descendants of John Ellis, a Revolutionary War soldier and free black man who settled his family in what is now New Denison on Rt. 166. The family held a picnic at Ray Fosse park on Friday and held a memorial gathering at the Ellis Cemetery in New Denison on Saturday morning followed by a dinner and entertainment on Saturday evening. Members of the family came from Missouri, Chicago, Texas, Virginia, New Jersey and Tennessee. Most members of the family came into the museum for tours and to delve into genealogical information that had been gathered by WCHS members Sharon Vansaghi and Leeann Johnson.