Local history fanatics, rejoice — a new Marion history book will be released on May 7.
“Looking Back ― A Collection of Marion History Snippets,” by local author and “memory collector” Randy Winland, features a collection of 365 history snippets centered around the America 250 celebration.
Readers may be familiar with some of Winland’s work through his daily history snippets, which he posts on the Marion County Historical Society’s Facebook page. Each snippet contains about a paragraph of historical information on a variety of topics depending on the month. The posts began Jan. 1 and will run through the end of the year.
The reception to the snippets has been positive with many commenters expressing they were learning some of Marion’s history for the first time.
“‘I really am enjoying this. I look forward to seeing it every morning,'” Winland recalled seeing in the comment section under his posts. “And so, that makes me feel good that people are interested in it.”
Winland has collected all of the snippets, both published and soon to be published, and organized them into one book.
The community can get a first look at 7 p.m. May 7 at Tri-Rivers Career Center, 2222 Marion-Mt. Gilead Road. Winland will hold a book release event including a presentation on some of the snippets. Copies of the book and his other works will be available for purchase.
Marion’s America 250 celebration inspires new book
Each month of 2026, Marion’s America 250 features a new theme related to Marion’s history. While there are events throughout the year, the main event will occur July 16-19 during the Red, White & YOU Weekend, a county-wide celebration.
The themes, which are reflected in each chapter of Winland’s book, include Marion’s first and originals; business and industry; music and entertainment; transportation; arts and culture; natural resources; homecomings and picnics; fairs and festivals; sports and recreation; food and farms; veterans and first responders, and education and schools.
The book has been a work in progress for about a year, but some of the research began much earlier. Winland used snippets and research from his previous works for this new book, but estimates about three quarters of the snippets will be completely new to readers.
In each chapter of “Looking Back,” Winland has included 28-31 snippets of history related to the theme, coordinating with the days of the month. Each snippet is accompanied by a photo or map, which Winland recalled was one of the more difficult aspects of the project.
“The research to write a couple of words might take me a couple hours,” Winland said. “It might take me a couple days. It just depends on the topic.”
For some themes, the snippets start wide in scope and slowly narrow as the chapter goes on. In other, Winland created a checklist of different topics to cover related to the theme.
The online snippets have garnered a following from around Ohio and out of state, which Winland said has been rewarding to see. Now, with a book, Winland can keep a record of the snippets for years to come.
“That was the idea behind the book, too, to have a way to preserve it and share it with others,” Winland said. “Good, bad or indifferent, once something’s in black and white, it’s there forever.”
This article originally appeared on Marion Star: ‘Looking Back’ chronicles Marion’s past in new local history book
Reporting by Abby Bammerlin, Marion Star / Marion Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
