The Marion Engineer Depot

Early in 1942 during World War II, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers acquired 640 acres along two miles of U.S. Route 30 South, now State Route 309, from ten landowners, and by June 11 the farm families had been removed and construction of the Marion Engineer Depot began at a cost of $4 million. The first military encampment in Marion County, the 333rd Engineering Regiment, arrived in May and established its camp in a wheat field, living in tents while constructing streets and railroad tracks around the depot. Dedicated on December 7, 1942, the depot handled the wartime flow of food, munitions, equipment, and other military supplies, and heavy machinery was renovated there. Peak employment came in July 1944 with 1,487 civilian and 47 military personnel on site. The depot served the armed forces for 16 more years after World War II, and despite protests from state and community leaders, government operations were phased out by June 30, 1961. Over the years, its cement block buildings and open storage sheds were adapted for various civilian industries and organizations, including River Valley Junior and Senior High Schools, MARCA School and Industries, Marion Senior Center, and Kennedy Park athletic fields. Much of the area remained unused for more than 20 years and deteriorated, until the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers sold the site at auction to Ted Graham in 1989 for $1.1 million. By 2003, more than $26 million in renovations and improvements had transformed the property into a distribution, storage, and manufacturing complex employing about 1,000 people.

Ohio · United States