Brochure
Marine Histroical Society Brochure
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Marine Historial Society Brochure PDF File
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Marine Businesses Brochure PDF File
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MARINE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Established 08 November 2010
Meeting Place:
- Marine Township Senior Citizen Center
- 101 West Magnolia Street
- Marine, IL 62061
Meeting Dates/Time
- Second Monday of every second month at 7:00 p.m.
- Months: March, May, July, September & November
- Website: www.marinehistoricalsociety.org
The town of Marine, Illinois was laid out in 1834,
by George W. Welsh, James Semple, Jordan W. Jeffress
and Abram (aka Abraham) Breath. It included a centralized
park with wide streets that crossed each other at right
angles and were named. Business houses
were erected
along the main street which was named Duncan Street
running from north to south through the town. The town
was given the name in remembrance of the early settlers
being sea-faring pioneers. In the early days, many
referred to Marine as Marinetown.
The town was platted on 10 May 1836, and recorded in the Madison County Courthouse on 14 July 1836 by Abram Breath, George W. Welsh and Mary Welsh.
As one stands along the parade route awaiting the parade, let's reflect on some of the historical buildings surrounding the park as designated on the map.
1. Village of Marine Park
- As Marine was laid out and platted, Abram Breath wanted to ensure that the town had a beautiful park. Therefore, he donated approximately 4 acres of land and designated it to be the Marine park.
2. Bandstand
- Henry Pahlmann (an early day artist) designed the architecture of the bandstand. On 08 September 1912, the band stand was dedicated. Through the years, it has been maintained and essentially looks the same.
3. Wentz Hardware
- Friedrich Wentz built the hardware store in 1858. It was owned by three generations - himself; his son, George; and, his grandson, Cleo Wentz. The original building was torn town in 1924 and replaced with a brick building. After Cleo's death in 1984, the store was sold. Today, it houses a printing shop, Kelly Tracy, Advertising & Design; and, a motor sport equipment shop, Goodall Sport Service.
4. Vogelbacher's Bakery
- History of this property dates back to 14 June
1836 when Abram Breath & George W. Welsh and Mary,
his wife, deeded the property to John L. Ferguson.
It was sold to Joseph Vogelbacher, Sr. on 11 October
1898. He opened his bakery. After his death,
Edwin
Ed
(his son) continued to operate the business until 1980. Today, it is a residence.
5. Parkview Cafe'
- Early history shows that on the north end of the Parkview Hotel was a small building. After the hotel was torn down, this building remained and was used as a restaurant and remains open today.
6. L.A. Richardson's Drug Store
- L. A. Richardson built this drug store in 1878. Today, it is an apartment building.
7. Schaefer's Store
- This is probably the oldest building still
standing in Marine. It is thought to have been
built before 1840. Since 1878, it was a
mercantile/grocery store. It was owned and
operated by Henry Gehrs and sons Otto and
Oscar Gehrs; Louis Kolb and son Leo Kolb;
and, finally by Raymond
Ray
Schaefer and his daughter, Grace Schaefer. The store closed in January 1988. Today, the building is vacant.
8. School Grounds
- Directly south of the park is an empty block where the homecoming rides are. This was once the location of the Marine Public School which educated grades 1 through 8 and three years of high school. It was built in 1874 of brick produced by the Marine brick yards - F. Tiemann & Co. The building was razed in August 1966.
9. Charles Gravius Memorial Library
- In 1910, the building was built for the
American Woman's League and dedicated in 1911.
In 1938, it became the Marine Library. Charles
Gravius willed $4,000.00 to the library in 1940
with the stipulation that it be called the
Gravius Public Library
. Today, the name of the library is Gravius Memorial Library. The library was closed for a period in later years but is now open on a limited schedule. The look of the exterior of the building has not changed over the years. It is on the National Register of Historical Places.
By Shirley Daiber