Cub Scout Pack 21 Visits Musuem

Posted on by October 26, 2018

Pack Leader, Brad Andrews, arranged a private tour of the Williamson County Museum on the evening of October 23rd, 2018 from 6-8 P.M. Several Cub Scouts from Pack 21, sponsored by the Zion United Church of Christ in Marion along with their parents toured the museum guided by Williamson County Historical Society president, Sam Lattuca.

The scouts and their parents were informed of local history and shown historical artifacts throughout the museum that are indicative of daily life in earlier county history. The scouts found that many tasks that we perform today were considerably more labor intensive than they are today and many of the benefits of today’s living were non-existent in earlier times.

Membership Meeting Held

Posted on by October 24, 2018

The Williamson County Historical Society held their October membership meeting on Sunday, October 21st, 2018. Society projects completed and planned were discussed and new additional artifacts recently donated to the museum were presented to the membership. Carterville resident, business owner and author, Steve Schlager was the guest speaker describing his recently published book entitled, “The Train that Vanished.” Schlager likes to create fictional stories woven around local historical events.

Member Violet Grisham presented the museum library with her newly printed books related to the history of the Third Baptist Church in Marion.

The membership approved new board members for the year 2019 that include Sam Lattuca, Peggy Coriasco, Helen Sutt Lind, Ursula Richey, Michael Spinks, George Mavigiano, Bob Jackson and Andrew McRoy.

The Williamson County Historical Society Honor Roll plaque was inscribed with a new name and presented to President Sam Lattuca by Helen Sutt Lind. Lattuca was cited for his dedication to improvements at the county museum building and his efforts to improve genealogical records available at the museum’s library and online over the last several years.

Newly Remodeled Native American Room at Museum

Posted on by October 14, 2018

After a lot of hard work earlier in the year, the Williamson County Historical Society has completed the remodeling of our Native American room at the museum.  All of the artifact display cases were reworked with lighting added and a number of informational displays were added to showcase the presence of natives in our county for the past several thousand years.

The museum has been gifted a couple of large artifact collections over the years and the new displays highlight the significance of these historic items and the Native American connection to the natural world. A multimedia display has been added to illustrate local native history and their daily lifestyles, tools, food, weapons and shelter.

The museum will remain open six days a week from Monday through Saturday from 9:30 till 3 PM until Thanksgiving after which the museum will reduce its hours over the winter to Saturdays only. The public is always welcome to drop by the museum at 105 S. Van Buren Street in Marion and take a walk through local history.

Membership Meeting to be Held on 10/21/2018

Posted on by October 14, 2018

We will be holding a membership meeting at the museum on Sunday, October 21st, 2018, at 2:00 P.M.  We will be discussing society business as well as completed, ongoing and future projects. If you have a show & tell item, feel free to bring it. Elections for 2019 board members will be held. Nominations for new board members may be made up to and including the day of the meeting.

The program will be presented by Steve Schlager, a Carterville business owner and author who enjoys weaving fiction around local history to create tales that could have been true. His program will be based on a fictional train robbery that occurred in the 1920’s.

We look forward to seeing you at the meeting.

Seeking Photos of Past Sheriffs

Posted on by September 10, 2018

For decades, the Williamson County Historical Society has been trying to locate photographs of past Williamson County sheriffs and over the years the list has been narrowed down to the following names. If you are related to one of the counties past sheriffs listed below, look through your family photo albums and see if you can help us find photos of these individuals. Photos can be emailed to wchsmail@yahoo.com

Sheriff Year Born Years Served
Caplinger, Wilson J. 1825 1876-78
Goodall, Hardin 1833 1868-70
Goodall, John 1824 1850-52
Gray, Joab 1864 1889-1902
Hendrickson, Richmond R. 1827 1860-62
Huffstutler, Joel 1812 1846-50 & 1854-56
McHaney, Richard T. 1815 1858-60
Norris, Noah E. 1832 1874-76
Parks, Hugh Milo 1846 1894-98
Sanders, Jacob W. 1829 1856-58
Sisney, George W. 1831 1866-68
Spencer, Lewis H. 1830? 1862-64