What’s New

On June 20th, 2025, members of the Mazzara family came into the museum to donate a plaque dedicated to the memory of Bennie Mazzara, original owner of Bennie’s Italian food restaurant in Marion. Members of the family presenting the plaque to the museum were Bennie Mazzara’s 99 year old daughter in law, Faye (White) Mazzara, her daughter, Julitta Mazzara Zolghadr, and Bennie’s grandson, Bennie Harlan along with his wife, Sheila Harlan.

The WCHS participated in another Third Thursday event held in downtown Marion and sponsored by the Marion Connect’s organization on June 19, 2025. Our organization took part by offering photos taken in the old county Jail by professional photographer, Autumn Vinyard. In addition, the local Masonic Lodge participated by offering a free Family ID package to children and their families.

On June 20th, 2025, Sharon Vansaghi, WCHS Curator/Coordinator donates historic photos to Autumn Vinyard of the Saline County Historical Society. Occasionally we are gifted items that relate to other counties, and we try to repatriate these items to their corresponding county historical societies.

WCHS is helping to locate possible family members of the Oscar Stephen Cole family that lived previously in Goreville, Johnson Co. then in Marion from before 1920-1955. They had 2 columns mounted in front of the home at 1305 W. Main in Marion with COLE inserted, and they have recently been taken down, the owners wondered if family would be interested in them. The family lineage we have found is Oscar Stephen Cole b 1872- d 1943 & Clara Belle Foster d 1904, (sister to Clara, his second wife Celia Ann Foster died in 1955.  The two sons by Clara, Dausa Webster Cole b 1896 Goreville- d 1939, wife Mary, and Cline Merwin Cole b 1902 Goreville–died 1973. Cline M married Claudia Thomas, they had 2 children; Kay Cole Hopkins of Madison, Wisconsin and Charles M. “Tommy” Cole of Knoxville, Tennessee. Cline and Claudia were living in his mother in 1950, after which they were in Madison, Wisconsin. They had 3 children; Craig Cole Hopkins, Kelly Kay Hopkins, Edie Roceen Hopkins. Any contact information would be appreciated. We can be contacted at 618-997-5863 or emailed at wchsmail@yahoo.com

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WCHS participated in the first Marionopoly, presented by Marion Carnegie Library on June 12, 2025 from 5 o’clock to 7 o’clock on the tower square. We naturally were in the Go to Jail spot on the board. We handed out candy, brochures to the museum, Williamson Co. Jr. Deputy stickers and set up for attendees to have their photograph made with possibly the only married couple from the 1920’s Tiger Girl and Candy Kid who robbed banks and jewelry stores (not from so Illinois), aka our very own Michael and Gloria Spinks who did a great job.

Along with WCHS were 24 other local business participating at locations around the square/game board. At the end players also received a commemorative bookmark from the Carnegie Library.

The WCHS museum and library hasn’t had a paranormal group come look around since before covid struck. That all changed on June 7^th, 2025 when a group called Phantastic Ghost Hunters from Paducah, Kentucky came to see what they could find. The group is comprised of husband-and-wife team, Paula and Gavin Kelly with assists from their friend Sami Collins. They also occasionally work with the assistance of Gavin’s father and Vietnam vet, Joe Stimas.

On June 4^th, 2025, our museum hosted a tour for S.I.U. ‘s  Center for English as a Second Language group (C.E.S.L.). Dr. Colin Robinson of SIU brought 18 foreign students in for the tour after having toured the AISIN factory in Marion. The students were from a diverse range of locations around the globe including Japan, S. Korea, Laos, Indonesia, Timor Leste, Ivory Coast, Panama, Nicaragua, Chile and the island of Comoros.

This is the second year Dr. Robinson has brought the students here for a tour and it turns out to be a pleasurable experience for all involved.

Periodically we receive items that are not related to Williamson County. Recently within a collection we received a postcard of a Spandrel Bridge built in 1926 that crosses Hills Branch by the Chocolate Factory in Pope Co. Illinois. When we contacted them they had never seen this example of the bridge and they also had some papers for us, so it was a perfect opportunity for a Sunday road trip.

Pictured on left, Sharon Vansaghi, Curator at WCHS, on right, Cheryl Cossey, Secretary, Pope Co. Historical Society. If you ever have the chance or just need a Sunday drive, check out Pope Co. Historical Society Museum, in Golconda, Illinois located at 112 Columbus Ave. They are open April-Nov Saturday 9-3:30 and Sunday noon to 3:30. They have wonderful exhibits pertaining to their area and volunteers that will help inform you of history.

Approximately 80 fifth grade students from the local Marion Washington school toured our museum on May 5, 6, 9 and 19th, Accompanying the students were teachers Mrs. Holderfield, Mrs. Kadela, Mrs. Rowland and Mr. Vickery. The students were divided into two groups each day and guided through the museum under Curator Sharon Vansaghi and society president Sam Lattuca. The students were introduced throughout the museum with what labor was involved in just doing ordinary everyday tasks in the past that we take advantage of today.

The Williamson County Historical Society held its quarterly membership meeting on Sunday, April 27, 2025 here at the museum/library at 2:00 P.M.

During the meeting, President Sam Lattuca, caught the membership up on projects undertaken at the museum & library since the last meeting, accessions taken in, upcoming projects and tours and the state of the museum in general.

The program was given by Sharon Vansaghi, who reported on work that had been done at Bradley-Jenkins Cemetery located on Remington Road near Marion. She also discussed some of the processes involved in locating, cleaning and restoring monuments and grave markers. Eighteen members were in attendance.