Marion, Kentucky Virtual Tour: City Drug, Ben Franklin and More скачать в хорошем качестве

Marion, Kentucky Virtual Tour: City Drug, Ben Franklin and More

Today's tour guides are former chamber director Susan Alexander and local historian Brenda Underdown. The old Masonic Lodge was Marion's first three-story building. It was named for Harvey W. Bigham, who in 1842 was the town’s first county clerk. This building was destroyed by the devastating 1905 fire, along with many other buildings downtown. Originally just two stories, the third level was added in 1926. The third floor was the Masonic Lodge Hall where the Masons held their meetings and ceremonies. The other two floors originally housed a department store. Hunt’s Department Store was the last to operate there. It closed in 2004. The building was briefly a restaurant after that. Next door is a companion building that in 1926 was renovated to include a third floor as well so it would match the one next to it. Ted Frazer and Gleaford Rankin, two young pharmacists, operated City Drug Store there. The drug store included a soda fountain and featured hand-dipped ice cream. It was a favorite hangout for teens and young adults after ballgames, on date nights or after the picture show. The pharmacists mixed their own medications and filled capsules for customers. They were on call 24 hours, seven days a week. The original City Drug Store closed May 13, 1992. It was reopened a few years later as an ice cream and sandwich shop, but is now vacant. Next door to the City Drug Store was the popular Ben Franklin Store, sometimes called the Five and Dime. It was a national chain like Walmart is today. It first opened in 1932. Among the most memorable features of the Ben Franklin Store were the bins of penny and nickel candy located near the entrance of the store where they were the first things children saw upon entering with their families. The store’s slogan was “A Penny saved is a penny earned” which was first uttered by Ben Franklin himself. This early Marion store closed in 1978 and is currently vacant. A collaborative project between The Crittenden Press, Marion Main Street, Inc., and the Crittenden County Historical Society is bringing history to life with virtual tours of some of Marion’s most unique and significant landmarks. See more of these short history vignettes on The Crittenden Press YouTube channel. This project is dedicated to the Loving Memory of Emily Shelby, former chairperson of Marion Main Street, Inc.