The city has a history dating back to the War of 1812. Jacob Foos, a surveyor in the army, discovered a spring on top of a hill (Jacob's Well). It became a stop-over from Fort Franklin (Columbus) to Toledo. The well is located near Marion Towers on Delaware Ave. The town was started just north of it in 1822 by Alexander Holmes and Eber Baker and the county was established 2 years later.
Marion was a long time industrial city. Its factories helped build the Panama Canal and the "crawler-transporters" for the Saturn V rockets. It is a rail center.
Marion is partly famous for popcorn. It has a large annual Popcorn Festival and a museum dedicated to this tradition.
President Harding is the most famous resident from the city. He is not the only notable name though. Norman Thomas, the co-founder of the ACLU was from Marion. Marilyn Meseke, a local tap dance instructor, became Miss America in 1938.
Marion has been in decline for the past several decades. Its population peaked at around 38,646 in the 1970 census. Most of the major industries have left/shut down, although Whirlpool remains in the city (non-union).
The city is named after Francis Marion, a military officer from the Revolutionary War from South Carolina nicknamed the "old swamp fox."
