Editing Marion, Indiana (section)

===Industrial growth===
[[File:The street railway review (1891) (14756991591).jpg|thumb|left|Streetcars in Marion, 1891]]
Marion grew slowly for more than 50 years as an agricultural trading center supported by a sprinkling of small farm- and forest-related industries. Native Americans were a common sight as they traveled there from Indiana's last reservation, with its Indian school, Baptist Church, and cemetery, {{Convert|8|mi|km|0}} away. In the 1880s, fields of natural gas were discovered across much of east-central Indiana, and Grant County began to grow at a dizzying pace during the [[Indiana gas boom]].<ref name="JG">{{cite book |last1=Glass |first1=James |last2=Kohrman |first2=David |title=The Gas Boom of East Central Indiana (Images of America) |date=2005 |publisher=Arcadia |location=Charleston |isbn=9780738539638 |pages=53–57}}</ref> Gas City and Matthews were carved out of raw farmland and launched as speculative boom towns, each absorbing existing tiny villages. They attracted several thousand residents before the gas reserves were tapped and most industries left. As late as the 1940s, Matthews resembled a Western ghost town, before it attracted eleven glass factories and drew the professional baseball team away from Indianapolis. Grant County's only covered bridge remains there as a link to the past. However, the gas boom left its legacy. A few industries remained, particularly glass manufacturers.
[[Image:Marion-indiana-VA-hospital-from-above.jpg|thumb|[[United States Department of Veterans Affairs|VA]] hospital campus (left) south of Marion's downtown]]
On July 23, 1888, with increasing number of residents at the six [[National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers|HDVS]], Congress established a seventh home in Grant County (and ultimately three more). It is known as the [[National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, Marion Branch|Marion Branch]]. Congress allotted an appropriation of $200,000 for construction, while Grant County residents provided a natural gas supply for heating and lighting. Marion was selected as a site for the new branch due to the availability of natural gas and the political support of Colonel [[George Washington Steele]], US Congressman serving from 1880 to 1890. This facility is now a part of the [[Veterans Administration]] (VA) Northern Indiana Health Care System, a dual-campus facility associated with the former VA Medical Center Fort Wayne. In the early 21st century, the original treatment hospital, built in 1889, the greenhouse, and cadet quarters are scheduled for demolition. There has been a lack of public support for funding restoration of these buildings. As they do not meet current standards, the Veterans Administration plans to demolish the buildings and replace them.