Williamson County and the town of Marion were both created on February 28, 1839, when the Illinois Legislature formed Williamson County from Franklin County to the north. In October of that year, William Benson gave 20 acres for a new county seat to be called Marion, probably named for Gen. Francis Marion of Revolutionary War fame, whose work from swampy country earned him the name “Swamp Fox,” a term long used locally. The 20 acres were platted into lots and sold at auction to raise funds for the town, covering what is now Tower Square and nearby lots. Marion stands almost at the exact center of Williamson County and grew as major transportation routes converged there, including Route 37 north and south, Route 13 east and west, and two railroad lines that supported commerce and shipped coal, known as “black diamonds,” to distant markets. Later, Interstate 57 passed through Williamson County and Marion, drawing commercial development. As the county seat, Marion prospered through government growth, including a new Williamson County Detention Center being built northwest of the town square and a recently opened administrative building. Coal mining was important to the city’s early growth, along with its role as a transportation center. Further growth came with the opening of the Veteran’s Hospital on the west side in 1942 and the Federal Prison south of the city in 1963, as well as developments such as Interstate 57, the Illinois Centre Mall, a planned destination commercial and entertainment complex on the north side by the interstate, and a Frontier League baseball park that helped develop that area. Known locally as “The Hub of the Universe,” Marion has long been seen as a community with a colorful past and an expanding future.