125 years ago
august 28, 1885
Mr. Hamshaw, Marion’s new brick maker, who recently finished burning a kiln of thirty or forty thousand brick, and satisfied himself that a good quality of brick could be made here, is now putting in a kiln to contain more than one hundred thousand.
The plans and specifications for the big new hotel have been completed by an eastern architect and the contract for erecting the building will be let next Friday. It is the design of those at the head of the enterprise to push the building to completion as rapidly as possible. It is to be a large three-story house, constructed of stone, and will be one of the finest hotels in central Kansas.
Major Bown’s remodeled and enlarged residence on the corner of Elm and Denver streets adds greatly to that pretty part of town as well as to the comfort of its worthy occupants.
One of the institutions of our town, which deserves more recognition than it has probably received, is the militia company. It may be that its services will never be required by the State, and it is to be hoped they never will be, but it adds not a little to the interest of any public occasion of a drilled and disciplined military organization to participate in the exercises and until swords are beaten into plow shares, it is well to have at hand the nucleus of a military organization available for emergencies.
Mrs. Sharp and child, who were accidentally wounded by a discharge from a shotgun, several weeks ago, are getting well.
The “Phoenix” man left Marion for greener pastures. A fellow must be awful thirsty who will invest his change in a drink that is as thin as the boys say this Phoenix is.
With a new paper setting up shop, a fine new hotel under way, and a new railroad ordered expressly for its use, who says Marion isn’t booming.