Back to Marion, Tx

The person I interviewed was a gentleman by the name James Huebinger. He was born in 1926 and has lived in Marion, Texas for all of his life. He was a tall man standing about six feet tall. He had white hair and wore beige shirt and white pants. He was very interesting man with a lot of things to say.

Jesus Carrillo: When were you born?
James Huebinger: "I was born in 1926 in Marion, Texas. I have lived here in Marion all my life with the exception of two years in the Army for World War II."

Jesus: So what was it like in Marion back in the early years?
Mr. Huebinger: "Well, back then, before World War II, we had four cotton gins, two corn shellers, and a store called Krueger & Co. that sold everything from boots, saddles, shotguns, and other grocery items. The Krueger store didn’t sell lumber because there was a lumberyard nearby."

Jesus: So how many stores have been here in town?
Mr. Huebinger: "In the late 40’s, early 50’s, we used to have three grocery stores. Hild Brothers is the only store that remains open. The Hild Brothers store beat the competition because they sold feed and fertilizer. That is what made it survive."

Jesus: How were the people when you were growing up? Did you know everybody?
Mr. Huebinger: "In the 50’s, everybody knew everybody. After the 50’s, farmers moved to Seguin and San Antonio because we had a really bad drought. They quit farming and moved to the cities to make money."

Jesus: Were there a lot of businesses back then in early Marion?
Mr. Huebinger: "Yes, we used to have two blacksmith shops, two auto repair shops, and around 11 bars in the 50’s and 60’s. In the early 70’s, all the bars were shutting down because of insurance kept going up and they had other expenses to worry about".

Jesus: Were there any dance halls?
Mr. Huebinger: " There were some dance halls. We had two of them. They were open from 1910-1960. The reason they closed down was because people were buying cars and would travel to the city to party or dance."

Jesus: How old are some of the churches here in Marion?
Mr. Huebinger: "The Catholic Church was built in 1955. St. John’s Lutheran Church is about 100 years old. The church was located near the Marion State Bank and they eventually moved their current location down the road from Marion Middle School in 1965."

Jesus: Did the town have running water? When did the town get running water?
Mr. Huebinger: "Before 1936, we did not have any running water. We used to get our water when it rained. We had a system to catch rainwater. Farmers had to use Earthen or Livestock tanks to get water for their cattle. In 1936, we dug a well five miles north of town."

Jesus: What about electricity?
Mr. Huebinger: "The Guadalupe Valley provides us with electricity today. In the early 1900’s, we had an old Delco generator that provided electricity for the whole town. As the town grew, dams were built on the Guadalupe river to provide electricity for the growing community."

Jesus: What about fire fighters? How long has the fire department been around?
Mr. Huebinger: "The Marion Fire Department has been around for a long time. Around 1936, I would say is when they came on. They are volunteer fire fighters and they service the western half of Guadalupe County. One of the biggest fires I can remember was when the Blacksmith shop burned down. I would have to say that was in the late 1940’s."

Jesus: Have you ever been a part of the fire department?
Mr. Huebinger: "I used to wash the hoses for the Fire Department when I was 11 years old. I was also the Fire Chief in 1949-1950."

Jesus: I see that Marion has a railroad nearby. Did this town have a train station?
Mr. Huebinger: "This town used to be a huge railway stop back in the 1800’s. The trains would unload freight in a huge warehouse that we used to have located near the railroad tracks. The trains would deliver freight to Victoria, Edna, and Georgetown. The warehouse was torn down in the 1950’s."

Jesus: What about the Great Depression? Do you remember the Great Depression and if so, how old were you?
Mr. Huebinger: "Oh yeah, I remember the Great Depression. It was a very bad time. I was about six years old. Nobody had jobs and if they did get a job, they would work for .30-.50 cents a day. We always had something to eat though because we had a garden and we used the cattle for milk. The event that brought the community out of the Great Depression at least in my opinion was World War II."

Jesus: What about Pearl Harbor? How did you hear about it?
Mr. Huebinger: "I heard it on the radio and people were talking about all over the town. I was 15 years old."

Jesus: Where did you get your radio? When did the first television arrive in Marion?
Mr. Huebinger: "I made my own crystal set radio. I made it out of coil of a wire, an antenna, earphones, and a piece of crystal rock. You could get the crystal rock at any hardware store for about .50 cents. The first television arrived in Marion around 1948-1949. Hugo Shulz owned it, the man who owns the famous nursery. Nobody sells televisions here in Marion."

Jesus: Did you go to high school?
Mr. Huebinger: "I went to high school in San Antonio. I attended Central Catholic High School. I graduated in 1943. My first three years of school, my brother and I would get a ride from a freight truck to school. When he graduated, I had to get my own way to school. I hitchhiked the last six months of school and if I didn’t get a ride hitchhiking, I would take the Boeing Bus. Boeing Bus competed with Greyhound and the ride to San Antonio was .65 cents. That was expensive back then."

Jesus: Let me backtrack a minute. What were the big crops when you were growing up and what are the businesses here now?
Mr. Huebinger: "This town was Cotton country. We also had corn as a huge export. The grain made from corn was sent to Battle Creek, Michigan to make cereal. The main business now is a factory called SAFECO. This is the only factory in town. They make valves and fittings."

Jesus: How old are some of the buildings?
Mr. Huebinger: "The building where the Antique Store is at is about 120 years old. The oldest building is the Feed Store is over 130 years old."

Jesus: My last question is about the Sears Big Book. Was it important to this community?
Mr. Huebinger: "The Sears Big Book was huge. It was very popular. Everybody would talk about it and would get excited when the new book came out. I bought a tennis racket from the Big Book in about the late 30’s, early 40’s. It was about 14 dollars. I worked my tail off to get it. I sold ice cream and did all kinds of work to buy that tennis racket. It was weird because the catalogue had a rifle like $1.50 and the tennis racket was about 14 dollars. I still have it to this day."

Jesus: Thank you for your time. I appreciate it.

Back to Marion, Tx