Wmson Co, on account of its rural location and its former inadequate facilities for transportation, has no large towns. Marion, the county seat, is the largest. The orgin of this town has been fully given elsewhere in this work. At the first term of the county commissioners' court, held in Oct 1839, John Davis was granted a license "to retail spirituous liquors at his house in the town of Marion." The house referred to was a log cabin which Davis erected before the town was surveyed, and was the first business in the town. When the survey was made this house was found to stand on the public square, and consequently had to be moved. The first store in Marion was put up by Johua Mulkey in 1840, and the next by Robert Hopper. At the Mar term, 1841, of the county commissioners' court, James McFarland and Sterling Hill were both granted license to sell spirituous liquors at their houses in Marion; and thus two more such business houses were added to the place. Mr Hill was one of the county commissioners. DL Pulley put up a grocery on the Westbrook corner, and JD Pulley built "Our House" on the west side. John Sparks put up a hot hop on the northeast corner. In 1842 Allen Bainbridge built the Western Exchange, a brick building on the corner where Goodall & Campbell's store now stands. In early days ther term grocery was used to denote a place were liquors were sold, and by some persons it is still used in that sense; but in this work it is used to denote a place where groceries and provisions are sold, according to its proper definition. The rpice of a license to sell liquors in the early days was $25, but at present it is from $500 to $1000.
In 1845 Marion had increased until it had the following merchant, viz: Spiller & Campbell, Robert T Hopper, Bowyer & Allen Bainbridge. Sollon keepers, Sterling Hill and William Dillard. The same year Milton Mulkey built the first steam (frame) mill in the county, where the Edward's Mills now stand. He sold to Hooper & Phelps, who rebuilt it in 1847 and 1848. John M Edwards purchased it about the year 1857, and afterwards his son, Charles M Edwards, and AJ Mann rebuilt the mill, this time with brick, and later they built the woolen mills attached thereto as they now stand. The property is now owned by JD Edawards & Co., who recently put rollers in the flouring-mill. In the woolen-mill they manufacture jeans, linseys, tweeds, flannels, blankets, yarns, satinets, cassimeres, etc, of as good a quality as are produced anywhere in the United States. They consume about 150 pounds of wool per day. The flouring-mills are operated under a lease by Messrs. Prindle & Borton, who are doing a very successful business. In 1845 there were 2 or 3 blacksmith shops in Marion, and Allen Bainbridge manufactured tobacco in the house now used as a grocery, at the northwest corner of the public square. From 1845 tp to the begining of the late war, the following gentlemen and firms were engaged at different periods in the mercantile business of Marion, viz: Campbell & McCown, Goodall, Pulley & Thorn, John D Sanders & Son, Henry Sanders, Hundley & Lewis, Lewis & Erwin, Young & Kern, SW Dunaway & Son, and Goddard & Bainbridge.
The present merchants and business men of the town are as follows: (I put this in a table as it is a long list)
| Exchange Bank | LA Goddard, banker |
| dry goods | FM Westbrook & Co, Thomas Dunaway, JB Bainbridge, Goodall & Tippy, WH Eubanks, Pillow, Campbell & Bro, JM Burkhart |
| groceries | Goodall & Adams, AL Cline, Davis & Gent, NG Reid, Pillow, Campbell & Co, Barham & Duncan, JW Barham & Co, Noah Cash & Co, HM Parks |
| drugs | JA Benson, John CLine, WM Washburn |
| hardware | HM Parks, Fitzgerals & Bro |
| millinery | Mrs Shannon Holland, Mrs ML Moore |
| harness | Mr Little |
| livery stables | Holland & Carter, Flem Gent |
| farm implements | William Phillips, Samuel Chandler, HM Parks |
| hotels | Simmons House, Grand Central, Pulley House, Reynolds House, Cline House |
| tobacco warehouse | Goodall & Tippy, FM Westbrook & Sons, John Gullege |
| furniture & coffins | Duncan & Jackson |
| posmaster | RD Holland |
In addition to the foregoing there are several boarding houses. The town also contains several blacksmith and wood work shops, 3 brutcher shops, 2 barber shops and the new and well established photograph and picture gallery of WW Wilder. The town also contains the Marion Roller Mills, being a large three-story brick building, which was erected in 1883 by the present proprietors, William Aikman & Co. The building and the ground on which it stands cost about $5000, and the mill machinery $12,000. The capacity of this mill is 125 barrels of flour per day. Marion contains 4 churches, viz: Methodist Episcopal, Methodist Church South, Christian and Batist; also a new and large brick schoolhouse. The physicians are EL Denison, WH Bentley, George W Evans, AN Lodge and Dr Casey.