140 years ago

august 13, 1880

Yesterday, a year ago, the first passenger train entered Marion Centre, freighted with a thousand souls and welcomed by the populace with the greatest enthusiasm. Few towns in the State have grown so solidly, so substantially, so gratifyingly as Marion Centre has since the spring of ’79. And the boom continues.

Watermelons have made their appearance, but those we have seen were small, stunted specimens.

Look out for rain tomorrow. Twice in the last few years this scribe has been engaged to talk to Sunday school picnickers west of town and each time rain has poured down in torrents, preventing the meeting. In the interest of a big corn crop we have again consented to talk out there to-morrow. Look out for a flood.

We understand that there is almost a certainty of an iron foundry in Marion Centre at an early day.

Hillsboro Items. A Russian gentleman has lumber delivered and work commenced on quite a large building, intending, we understand, of going into the tailor business; and another enterprise is attracting considerable attention the week, that is a steam mill project, which shows fair prospect of adding another large building to our town.

The old pioneer stone cutter and contractor, Stephen Jex, still holds the fort. He is kept busy all the time, and his work always gives satisfaction. Jex is a fine workman.