The first settlers to arrive at the site of present-day Marion were Michael Muckle and his wife. In 1817 he cleared an acre of land, called Muckle's Ridge, on the site of the present-day courthouse. Many of the newcomers devoted a small portion of their fields to the cultivation of cotton.

On February 5, 1822, seven commissioners were elected to choose a permanent site for the county seat of government. After many arguments, the location of Muckle's Ridge was suggested. After several votes, it became the winning site. In deciding upon a name for this site, Anderson West suggested to name it "Charlotte" after his former house in Tennessee, but Joseph Evans suggested "Marion," in honor of the Revolutionary War hero, Francis Marion, the Swamp Fox, a name which obtained the approval of the other commissioners.

In June 1822, Charles Crow and William Calloway constituted the first church in Marion, the Siloam Baptist Church. In 1837, "a most elegant and tasty house of worship" was erected by the congregation. This building was used until 1849 when the present house of worship was built on Washington Street.

During the 1830's Marion became a city of churches. Siloam Baptist Church continued to enlarge its membership and influence. In 1832, the Rev. Robert L. Kennon established the Methodist Church. During these early years, the church struggled for Its very existence. In 1833 a small congregation was attached to the equally small Selma Methodist circuit, becoming so weak that it ceased to exist in 1834 for a period of three years. In 1837, the Methodists of Marion reorganized their congregation and obtained the use of the Masonic lodge each Sunday for several years. By 1839, they had expanded their membership to the total of 259 white and 200 African members

In 1832, the First Presbyterian Church was organized with Rev. Robert Nall serving as its' minister. The first church building was erected in 1834 on Lafayette Street, and continued to be used until 1877, when the present building was constructed.

In 1838, Rev. John R. Goodman established St. Wilfrid's Episcopal Church. The small congregation met in the Perry County courthouse for a few months until services were discontinued because of a lack of members. In 1847, Rev. William A. Stickney came to Marion and established the St. Wilfrid's School, using money from the tuition of the students as the basis for a future house of worship. He became a very popular citizen, an in 1853, he erected the first Episcopal church building.

In the spring of 1836, a joint-stock company was organized to form an educational institution, the Marion Female Seminary. The constitution of the Marion Female Seminary stated that the institution would not be sectarian in "its instructions or influences" and "that denominational connections should neither qualify or disqualify an individual, for the situation of Principal, or Teacher, in its Faculty of Instruction."

In 1838, the Judson Female Institute was founded. The school opened under the leadership of Professor Milo P. Jewett with fourteen students, but closed out the first five month session with forty-seven students. The present site of Judson College was procured in the winter of 1840. By the winter of 1841, Judson was financially sound, therefore, the Alabama Legislature passed an Act of Incorporation. In 1843, final arrangements were made to transfer the institution to the Baptist State Convention.

Howard College, a Baptist institution founded on a farm near Greensboro in 1833, was moved to Marion in 1841. The school opened its door to nine small boys in January 1842, but by June the attendance had risen to 31 students. On May 10, 1844, Howard College as destroyed by fire. The school continued to operate at Siloam Baptist Church until a new building was erected in October 1846. On the night of October 15, 1854, another disastrous fire struck the institution, this time originating from an act of arson. The fire broke out after midnight long after the students had gone to sleep. Harry, a janitor-slave was awakened by the smell of smoke. Realizing that the boys would possibly be overcome by the smoke, he ran into each student's room and guided them to safety. Finally the heroic slave found himself trapped by flame on the second floor. He jumped from a window to the ground below where he soon died from the effects of burns and internal injuries. For his devotion to the students, Harry's funeral was held at Siloam Baptist Church. He was then carried to the Marion Cemetery, where a marble obelisk was erected over his remains by the people of Marion. Classes were once again resumed in the church. Soon after, Dr. John T. Barron donated a large lot to the college, and three building were erected, a Chapel and two dormitories. This chapel and the "Old South Barracks" are still in use today where they are cherished by the students and faculty of the Marion Military Institute.

Marion was spared during the Civil War. The "romantic Old South" had come to an end, but many memories of yesteryear remain. Many antebellum homes and building remind the citizens and visitors of the times which are no more.