Old Theater Cafe, Marion, AL
Marion, AL (Perry County)
Founded on March 4, 1822, the city of Marion was originally known as Muckle's Ridge. By 1817, Michael Muckle had cleared an acre of land from a dense forest and constructed a cabin on the present site of the Perry County Jail (structure #79). Muckle later sold his improvements to Anderson West, then sheriff of Perry County. At the suggestion of Joseph Evans, a South Carolinian, the county commissioners, charged with finding a suitable location for the county seat of Perry County, changed the name of the town from Muckle's Ridge to Marion, honoring General Francis Marion, the "Swamp Fox" of Revolutionary War fame. After laying off the courthouse square and the surveying of streets, on May 22,1822, lots were sold at public auction but due to heavy rains, prices for prime lots remained quite low. The early sale of lots included those adjacent to the courthouse square. (1)
References (1) NRHP Nomination Form npgallery.nps.gov/pdfhost/docs/NRHP/Text/96000111.pdf
Old Theater Cafe, Marion, AL
Marion, AL (Perry County)
Founded on March 4, 1822, the city of Marion was originally known as Muckle's Ridge. By 1817, Michael Muckle had cleared an acre of land from a dense forest and constructed a cabin on the present site of the Perry County Jail (structure #79). Muckle later sold his improvements to Anderson West, then sheriff of Perry County. At the suggestion of Joseph Evans, a South Carolinian, the county commissioners, charged with finding a suitable location for the county seat of Perry County, changed the name of the town from Muckle's Ridge to Marion, honoring General Francis Marion, the "Swamp Fox" of Revolutionary War fame. After laying off the courthouse square and the surveying of streets, on May 22,1822, lots were sold at public auction but due to heavy rains, prices for prime lots remained quite low. The early sale of lots included those adjacent to the courthouse square. (1)
References (1) NRHP Nomination Form npgallery.nps.gov/pdfhost/docs/NRHP/Text/96000111.pdf