Williamson County Illinois Historical Society

02/03/2026

The first quarterly meeting for 2026 was held at the Willimson County Historical Society museum/library on Sunday, February 1st, 2026. WCHS president Sam Lattuca started the meeting out by reviewing the current state of the museum and by recalling recent projects worked on, changes to the museum and items taken into the museum since the last meeting.
The guest speaker was Marion businessman, Jeff Mayer, who recounted his early interest in the downtown Marion area and how it has influenced his decisions to buy and restore numerous buildings in the downtown area. Mayer has completed remodeled the old Goodall building on the square into combination businesses and residential apartments that most Marion residents are aware of, in addition to owning properties on E. Jefferson and the old Duty and Hyde buildings in the 200 block of N. Market.
The WCHS museum/library is currently in its winter hours of operation which is open to the public on Saturdays only from 9:30 till 3:00 PM. It will resume its normal hours of operation on Wednesday thru Saturday from 9:30 till 3:00 PM on Wednesday March 4th. The public is invited to come and tour the museum at no charge during normal working hours or pursue their family genealogy.

01/22/2026

Closed due to impending weather, Saturday Jan 24th. Be safe and we will see you soon.

01/22/2026

We have an overflow of books for sale. Please zoom in or contact the museum for prices and titles.

01/14/2026

01/12/2026

The Williamson County Historical Society will be holding a membership meeting on Sunday, February 1, 2026 here at the museum/library at 2:00 P.M. During the meeting we will be going over projects undertaken at the museum & library since the last meeting, accessions taken in, upcoming projects and the state of the museum. The program will be by Marion businessman Jeff Mayer who will be discussing his historic Marion business property restorations and projects.
2026 membership dues are now due for the year so members should check the address mailing label on their latest quarterly to make sure their dues are paid. If you’re dues are current it will say 2026 or higher, if it says 2025 or earlier, your dues are due. We appreciate your support.
We hope to see you at the meeting and feel free to bring a friend or family member, the meetings are open to the public.

11/07/2025

Check out our new ramp. Shiny😎. Thanks to Fisher Auto Parts for storing it for us while the prep work was done.

10/05/2025

Yesterday a hidden treasure was found!! If you have never been to the Pope County Museum, you are missing out. This place is filled to the brim with artifacts and items from Pope Countys rich history. Best of all, spend some time with their volunteer Emily, she is passionate about the people and places of many areas, especially Pope County. Charla, they had a buggy and three wagons😁.

09/11/2025

Seeking anyone with experience in installing a modular aluminum wheelchair ramp, please contact the Williamson County Historical Society at wchsmail@yahoo.com or call 618-997-5863."

09/06/2025

Spooky time in Herrin!!

08/19/2025

Thank you everyone for your patience!
(July and so far in August have brought a lot of unexpected medical appointments; don't worry, nothing serious happening to me!)
The link to the FREE old time jail photos from the old jail at Williamson County Illinois Historical Society during the Marion Connects June Third Thursday are FINALLY up!
*Please download by October 20th
https://onefinedayphotography.shootproof.com/gallery/OldTime2025/

08/08/2025

The Williamson County Historical Society has just published the book, ”Old Marion Cemetery, a.k.a . Aikman Cemetery.” The book was just released by author Helen Lind and contains the names of 590 people. The first burial in the cemetery was John A. Aikman, son of Samuel and Henrietta Aikman in 1845. As time moved on, more members of the Aikman family were buried there and eventually all sorts of burials occurred there, including cholera victims of Marion from 1866. The cemetery became a city Cemetery, but that all changed in 1883 when the new city cemetery we know today was created at Rosehill. Many of the burials in the old cemetery were moved to the new cemetery after its creation.
The book if fully indexed, spiral bound, sells for $10 and is available at the historical society.

06/29/2025

The Williamson County Historical Society will be holding a membership meeting on Sunday, July 27, 2025 here at the museum/library at 2:00 P.M.
During the meeting we will be going over projects undertaken at the museum & library since the last meeting, accessions taken in, upcoming projects and the state of the museum. The program will be by historian, Darrel Dexter, and the topic will be,” George L. Burroughs: Using the Illinois Central Railroad as an Underground Railroad.”