Marion (Images of America)

By: Stuart J. Koblentz

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Synopsis: Best known as the home of President Warren G. Harding and his Front Porch Campaign of 1920, Marion was also home to many other national leaders. As early as 1839, Judge Ozias Bowen made the landmark decision to free an escaped slave, almost sparking a civil war. Marion was also home to these prominent and influential women: First Lady Florence Kling Harding; Miss America of 1938, Marilyn Meseke Rogers; and 40th Treasurer of the United States, Mary Ellen Withrow. Marion has contributed to the progress of the United States in industry, nation building, and politics unlike any other community its size. Named in honor of General Francis Marion, the town of Marion was established in 1822 and soon after became the county seat. Located at the center of the agriculture-based county, it became a main stopover for supplies and social events, encouraging bustling commerce and industry. Edward Huber designed revolutionary harvesting equipment and supplied capital for the Marion Power Shovel company, whose power shovels dug the Panama Canal and whose creepers move NASA's rockets. Today, Marion's contributions are appreciated in many facets of American life.