Marshall Public Library (Marshall, IL)

Paul Paddock, 4th & Archer looking east
What a neat photo . . the old tanker truck, the proud looking young man, and the Claypool & Son building in the background. When we began researching this photo, the name was a great place to begin. A search of our newspaper archive quickly revealed a sad story for this young man.
Paul Paddock was born in April 1903 and grew up in Darwin. In 1926, he was living in Marshall - rooming at Clay Montgomery's boarding house on Locust Street and driving a tanker truck for H.B. O'Hair. On the morning of December 22, 1926, he had breakfast at the boarding house and headed to work. When he returned to O'Hair's filling station after a run in his truck, he was not looking well and was talked into returning to the boarding house. There he fell terrible ill and passed away suddenly. Paul was only 23 years old. He was laid to rest at Darwin Cemetery.

Notes from Brian Murphy:
The house was originally built by Nineveh Shaw. The farm was later purchased by James C Bryan, my Great Great Grandfather. He was the first hardware store owner in Marshall. Dad and Uncle George Kile had the house torn down, they found it had walnut floor joists and poplar flooring. I have the original order for the lumber that came from Walnut Prairie. It was purchased from William B Archer. That farm had a loom shed on it where farmers brought flax to make linen material. I have a throw that was made there. The farm is now the Westwood Subdivision.

Class of 1979