Marshall, Texas
Old Courthouse Harrison County Courthouse in Whetestone Square during the Wonderland of Lights, one of the largest light festivals in the U.S.
Marshall is a city in Texas, USA, located near the Louisiana and Arkansas borders in the Ark-La-Tex. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 23,935. It is the county seat of Harrison County6.
Marshall is a major cultural, educational, and political center of East Texas. The city is known for its Civil War, railroad, and civil rights movement history; for holding one of the largest light festivals in the United States, the Wonderland of Lights, and, as the Pottery Capital of the World for its sizable pottery industry.
| Table of contents |
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2 Law and Government 3 Geography 4 Demographics 5 Sites of interest 6 Colleges and universities 7 Notable Natives, Citizens, and Associated People 8 External links |
The Republic of Texas and the Civil War
The city was founded in 1841 as the seat of the newly established Harrison County, after repeated failed attempts to establish a city on the Sabine River. The Republic of Texas decided to choose the site of land granted by Peter Whetstone and Isaac Van Zandt after Whetstone had proven that the hilly location had a good water source. The city quickly became a major city in the state because of it's positon as a gateway to Texas on several major stage coach lines. The city's growing importance was confirmed when Marshall was linked by a telegraph line to New Orleans, becoming the first city in Texas to have a telegrpah service.
By 1860 the city was the fourth largest city in Texas and the seat of the richest county. The county had more slaves than any other in the state, making it a hot bed of anti-union sentiment. When Gov. Sam Houston refused to take an oath of allegiance to the Confederacy, Marshall's Edward Clark was sworn in as governor. Marshall would also produce Texas' third confederate governor Pendleton Murrah. Marshall became a major Confederate city; becoming the capital of Missouri's exile confederate government, producing gun powder and other supplies for the C.S.A. Army, and hosting three conferences of Trans-Mississippi and Indian Territory leaders.
Marshall became the seat of civil authority and headquarters of the Trans-Mississippi Postal Department after the fall of Vicksburg. The city may have been the intended target of a failed Union advance that was rebuffed at Mansfield, Louisiana. Towards the end of the Civil War Richmond had $9 million in Treasury notes and $3 million in postage stamps shipped to Marshall, possibly meaning this was the intended destination of a government preparing to flee from advancing armies.
Reconstruction and the Railroad Era
Marshall was occupied by Union forces on June 17, 1865. During Reconstruction the city was home to an office of the Freedmen's Bureau and was the base for Union troops. In 1873 The Methodist Episcopal Church founded Wiley College to educate free men. African-Americans came to the city seeking opportunities and protection until 1878, when the Citizens Party, led by former Confederate General Walter P. Lane and his brother George, took control of the city and county governments and ran Unionists, Republicans and many African-Americans out of town. The Lanes ultimately declared Marshall and Harrison County "redeemed" from Union and African-American control. Despite this the African-American community would continue to progress with the establishment of Bishop College in 1881 and the certification of Wiley by the Freedman's Aid Society in 1882.
Marshall's "Railroad Era" began in the early 1870s. Harrison County citizens voted to offer $300,000 bond subsidy, and the City of Marshall offered to donate land north of the downtown to the Texas & Pacific Railroad if the company would move to Marshall. T&P President, Jay Gould, accepted and located the T&P's workshops and general offices for Texas in Marshall. The city benefited immediately from a population explosion. By 1880 the city was one of the South's largest cotton markets. The city's new prosperity became apparent when the first department store in Texas, J. Weisman and Co., opened in 1878. During this period of wealth many of the cities now historic homes were constructed. The city's most prominient industry, pottery manafacturing, began with the establishment of Marshall Pottery in 1895.
Despite the prosperity of the railroad era, poverty continued to be a problem in the city among all races, but tensions between white people and African-Americans continued to worsen as segregation crystallized in the city. The rural areas of Harrison County saw greater interaction between white people and African-Americans and a white person having a black neighbor was common place. Even though the areas surrounding Marshall were somewhat integrated, racism certainly was still apparent in every day life. The fact that several plantation owners divided up sizable tracks of land and gave them to their former slaves may also have contributed.
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries children of both races were raised to accept the status quo of racial segregation, children such as George Dawson, who would later write about his experiences. However, in some instances demands were to outrageous to follow. In his book Life Is So Good, Dawson wrote of an instance when a woman he was working for expected him to eat with her dogs, he refused.
In 1949, the movie Pinky was banned from showing in Marshall because of it portrayed an interracial couple, a violation of the city's censorship code. The city was sued and the case went all the way to the US Supreme Court which over turned the city's censorship law.
With the encouragement of Melvin B. Tolson, James L. Farmer, Jr, and Harrison County NAACP President Fred Lewis, students from Wiley and Bishop Colleges organized the first sit-ins in Texas in the rotunda of the County Courthouse on Whetstone Square. The move directly challenged the oldest White Citizens Party in the Texas and would culminate with the reversal of Jim Crow laws in the state and the desegregation of post graduate studies in Texas by the Sweat v. Painter verdict. African Americans would continue to progress with the integration of all Marshall public schools in 1970.
Like much of America, the late 20th Century brought tremendous social change to Marshall. In the 1960s, Carolyn Abney became the first woman to be elected to the commission. In April 1975, local business man, Sam Birmingham became the first African-American to be elected to the city commission and later Marshall's first black Mayor. Birmingham retired in 1989 for health concerns, and was succeded by his wife, Jean Birmingham, who became the first African-American woman to serve on the commission.
Marshall became a sister city with Taipei, Taiwan on November 29, 1978, both Mayor Lee Teng-Hui (Taipei) and Mayor William O. Burns (Marshall) were present at the signing cermemny.
Commission Members
History
19th Century
20th Century
Law and Government
The City of Marshall has a Council-manager form of municipal government, with all governmental powers resting in a legislative body called a Commission. The Commission passes all city laws and ordinances, adopts budgets, determines city policy, and appoints city officials, including the City Manager. The city manager, rather than a mayor, serves as the executive of the city government and thus is in charge of enforcing city laws and administering the city?s various departments. The City Commission
The City Commission has seven members, each elected to serve a single member district. These seven districts are divided into odd numbers, which divide the city into four districts, and even numbered districts which divide the city into three districts which overlap the odd districts. Each Commissioner is elected to a two year term. The districts 1,2,3,4 hold elections in odd years and districts 5,6,7 in even years, thus an election for all city citizens in Spring of each year. After each election the city Commission selects a Commissioner to serve as Chairman of the Commission, generically called a Mayor, until after the election next year. The City Commission meets twice a month on the second and fourth Thursdays, in addition to any special sessions that are called. The Commission provides for a public forum before each regular session. The Commission meetings are broadcast on radio and a public access television station.
| District | 2003 Commission | 1999 Commission |
|---|---|---|
| District 1 | Katie Jones | Jean Birmingham |
| District 2 | Alonza Williams | Alonza Williams |
| District 3 | Ed Carlile | Chris Horsely |
| District 4 | Jack Hester | Audrey Kariel (Mayor) |
| District 5 | John Wilborn | John Wilborn |
| District 6 | Bryan Partee | Chris Smith |
| District 7 | Ed Smith (Mayor) | Martha Robb |
City Administration
| District | City Manager | Asst. City Manager |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Frank Johnson | Janet Cook |
| 1999 | Tony Williams | Frank Johnson |
Geography
Marshall is located at 32°32'34" North, 94°21'49" West (32.542897, -94.363727)1 or roughly 150 miles east of Dallas, Texas and 40 miles west of Shreveport, Louisiana. The intersection of US 80 and US 59 and the intersection of US 59 and Interstate 20 are located within the city limits of Marshall.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 76.8 km² (29.6 mi²). 76.6 km² (29.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.27% water.
City Layout
The city is bisected along a north-south axis by East End Blvd. ( US 59). The eastern half of the city is bisected along an east-west axis by US 80 which east of it's intersection with US 59 is called Victory Drive and west of US 59 is named Grand Ave. The Harrison County Airport and Airport Baseball Park are located to the south of Victory Dr. off of Harper Dr.
To the west of US 59, south of Pinecrest Dr. are older suburban; north of Pincrest Dr. the oldest portion of the city stretches northward over seven hills. This portion of the city radiates out from downtown which is centered on the Old Harrison County Courthouse in Peter Whetestone Square. Immediately to the north of the square is the Ginnochio National Historic District where the city's Amtrak Terminal. This region of the city is bisected along an east-west by Grand Ave. (US 80). Spreading out from downtown is a belt of Antebellum and Victorian homes centered on Rusk and Houston Streets.
To the west of downtown are some of the oldest African-American neighborhoods in Texas are centered around Wiley College. To the north of Grand Ave. (US 80) are neighborhoods that were largely built by employees of the Texas & Pacific Railroad. In addition to the Ginnochio National Historic District, this part of the city is home to East Texas Baptist University and three historic cemeteries: Marshall Cemetery, Powder Mill Cemetery and Greenwood, which is divided into Christian and Jewish sections.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 23,935 people, 8,730 households, and 6,032 families residing in the city. The population density is 312.5/km² (809.5/mi²). There are 9,923 housing units at an average density of 129.6/km² (335.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 54.66% White, 38.59% African American, 0.39% Native American, 0.55% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 4.83% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. 8.64% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. The Asian population is mostly Indian from Maharashtra or Andhra Pradesh and Chinese from Hong Kong and Fuzhou.
There are 8,730 households out of which 32.2% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.4% are married couples living together, 19.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 30.9% are non-families. 28.0% of all households are made up of individuals and 14.0% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.55 and the average family size is 3.12.
In the city the population is spread out with 26.1% under the age of 18, 13.4% from 18 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females there are 87.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 82.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $30,335, and the median income for a family is $37,438. Males have a median income of $30,146 versus $21,027 for females. The per capita income for the city is $15,491. 22.8% of the population and 17.8% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 32.5% are under the age of 18 and 15.1% are 65 or older.
Sites of interest
Bridge in Venice by Leo Michelson in the Michelson Museum of Art
Colleges and universities
Notable Natives, Citizens, and Associated People
External links