Marion County, located near the center of the southern half of Illinois, was organized in 1823 and named after Francis Marion, a soldier of the Revolution who distinguished himself as a partisan commander in the Carolinas. The largest town is Centralia, which was founded in 1853 by the Illinois Central Railroad’s passage through the area. Centralia is no longer a railroad community, although more than 60 trains still pass through it daily.

The county seat is Salem, which has a rich and varied history itself. The city is home to William Jennings Bryan, who was known as “The Great Commoner” and “The Silver-Tongued Orator.” He became famous at 1896 Chicago Democratic Party convention when he exclaimed, “You shall not crucify the working man upon a cross of gold!”

Bryan was born in Salem on March 19, 1860. His boyhood home is now a museum. He left Salem to study law at age 15 and never lived there again, but visited often. Bryan later was a prosecutor in the famous 1925 Scopes “Monkey Trial,” in which a young biology teacher, John Thomas Scopes (also from Salem), was indicted for teaching evolution in the Dayton, Tennessee, High School. A bronze likeness of Bryan stands in Salem’s Bryan Memorial Park.

Salem is also home of the G.I. Bill of Rights, born in an American Legion Post in the city, and signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1943. And it wouldn’t be fair not to mention this bit of Salem lore: Max Crossett’s Café was known for a tasty condiment called Max’s “X-tra Fine Salad Dressing.” In 1931, Kraft Foods bought the recipe for $300, and renamed it Miracle Whip.
Some of Marion County’s assets: Kaskaskia College in Centralia; the Kaskaskia River and Stephen A. Forbes State Park near Omega.