MARION, TEXAS

Guadalupe County, Central Texas South

29°34'19"N 98°8'21"W (29.571879, -98.139243)

FM 78
11 Miles W of Seguin
Population: 1,109 Est. (2016)
1,066 (2010) 1,099 (2000) 984 (1990)

Marion, Texas Area Hotels > Seguin Hotels

Present-day Marion after a rain.
Photo Courtesy Sarah Reveley, October 2006

History in a Pecan Shell

Originally a camp for railroad workers, a townsite was laid out with the arrival of the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway in 1877.

It was named after Marion Dove, whose grandfather, Joshua W. Young, owned a plantation that they passed through in 1877.

German settlers moved to Marion and the town was off to a running start by the mid 1880s, with 250 people and most essential businesses, including two cotton gins, church, school and four general stores.

Prior to WWII, Marion had a population of 373, rising to 835 by the late 1980s. The 1990 census was 984, growing to 1,099 for 2000.

Marion Cotton Platform & Depot
Courtesy William Beauchamp Collection
See Cotton | Cotton Gins

Marion Texas Vintage Photos

Sarah Reveley Family Collection:

"Marion, Texas is on FM 78, about 10 miles west of Seguin . Marion was founded in 1877 by Thomas W. Pierce, of Boston in honor of his daughter, Miss Marion Pierce. Pierce was president of the Galveston, Harrisburg, and San Antonio Railroad, and Marion was a major railway stop to get Texas ready for exports being brought in from ports in the Gulf of Mexico. In 1878 it was the largest and busiest depot in Texas." - Sarah Reveley, San Antonio

General Merchandise and Wagons in downtown Marion Texas old photo

Wagons in downtown Marion, early 1900s
Photo Courtesy Sarah Reveley

Marion's Depot

Marion Texas Boy in cowboy suit railroad tracks

Cowboy pondering the arrival of the "Iron Horse" and it's ecological effects on his lifestyle.

Marion State Bank, Marion Texas old photo

Citizens posing in front of the Marion State Bank

Men in front of Marion State Bank, Marion Texas old photo

"Mamma was able to name all of the people in the bank photo for me."

Interior of the Krueger Store
"The gentleman behind the counter with the long tie is my grandfather Reno Klein."

Edgewood Saloon and patrons, Marion Texas old photo

Early Entertainment Venue in Marion

Cotton Wagons

Brithday Party attendees on porch of the Millinery shop (see photo below) c. 1920. "Mamma lived in this house until about 1925 when her parents moved to their own house. Auntie then lived there until her death in 1975. Uncle Ralph is in the sailor suit and Mamma is on his right. Aunt Amy is behind him. Mamma was born in 1911 so I guess this was around 1920." - Sarah Reveley

"The pastel blue house is the millinery shop built for my great grandmother, Tina Kailer." - Sarah Reveley

Photo Courtesy Sarah Reveley, November 2010

"The feed store started out as the John Hicks & Co. (my grandfather was the & Co) on the main street and got moved to the other location. There's a book about Marion that tells all of that. I've done my Klein family history and the book was a big help." - Sarah Reveley

"The feedstore was originally a part of the grocery store my grandfather worked at. They moved it back when they remodeled. Here's a 1900s photo of the store before they moved it " - Sarah Reveley

More Vintage photos

Take a road trip

Marion, Texas Nearby Towns:
Seguin
See Guadalupe County | Central Texas South

Book Hotel Here:
Seguin Hotels | More Hotels

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