Marshall, Texas

History

This area of Texas was developed for cotton plantations. Planters brought slaves with them from other regions or bought them in the domestic slave trade. It had a higher proportion of slaves than other regions of the state, and the wealth of the county depended on slave labor and the cotton market.

Republic of Texas and Civil War (1841–1860)

The city was founded in 1841 as the seat of Harrison County after failed attempts to establish a county seat on the Sabine River. It was incorporated in 1843. The Republic of Texas decided to choose the land donated for the seat 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 its position as a gateway to Texas; it was on the route of several major stage coach lines and one of the first railroad lines constructed into Texas ran through it. The founding of several colleges, including a number of seminaries, teaching colleges, and incipient universities, earned Marshall the nickname "the Athens of Texas," in reference to the ancient Greek city-state. The city's growing importance was confirmed when Marshall was linked by a telegraph line to New Orleans; it was the first city in Texas to have a telegraph service.

By 1860, Marshall was the fourth-largest city in Texas and the seat of its richest county. Developed as cotton plantations, the county held more slaves than any other in the state. Many planters and other whites were strongly anti-Union because of their investment in slavery, but some residents of Marshall fought for the North. For example, brothers Lionel and Emmanuel Kahn, Jewish merchants in Marshall, fought on opposing sides in the conflict.

When Governor Sam Houston refused to take an oath of allegiance to the Confederacy, Marshall's Edward Clark was sworn in as governor. Pendleton Murrah, Texas's third Confederate governor, was also from Marshall. The city became a major Confederate supply depot and manufactory of gunpowder for the Confederate Army, and hosting three conferences of Trans-Mississippi and Indian Territory leaders. The city was used as the capital of Missouri's Confederate government-in-exile, earning it the nickname the "City of Seven Flags." This was a nod to the flag of Missouri, in addition to the six flags of nations and republics that have flown over the city.

Marshall became the seat of Confederate 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. Toward the end of the American Civil War, the Confederate government had $9.0 million in Treasury notes and $3.0 million in postage stamps shipped to Marshall. They may have intended Marshall as the destination of a government preparing to flee from advancing armies.

Reconstruction and the Railroad era (1865–1895)

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 freedmen. African Americans came to the city seeking opportunities and protection until 1878.

The White Citizens Party, led by former Confederate General Walter P. Lane and his brother George, took control of the city and county governments. Their militia 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 continued to progress. Bishop College was founded in 1881 and Wiley College was certified 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 and Pacific Railway if the company would establish a center in Marshall. T&P President Jay Gould accepted the business incentive, locating the T&P's workshops and general offices for Texas in Marshall. The city immediately had a population explosion from workers attracted to the potential for new jobs here.

By 1880 the city was one of the South's largest cotton markets, with crops and other products shipped by the railroad. The city's new prosperity was shown by the opening of J. Weisman and Co., the first department store in Texas. When one light bulb was installed in the Texas and Pacific Depot, Marshall became the first city in Texas to have electricity. Some nationally known crimes were tried here, including the trials for the attempted murder of Maurice Barrymore. During this period of wealth, many of the city's now historic homes were constructed. The city's most prominent industry, pottery manufacturing, began with the establishment of Marshall Pottery in 1895.

Despite the prosperity of the railroad era, some city residents struggled with poverty. Blacks were severely discriminated against. At the turn of the 20th century, the Democratic-dominated state legislature passed segregation laws and disenfranchised most blacks and Hispanics, as did all the states of the former Confederacy. They were essentially excluded from the political system for more than 60 years.

In the rural areas of Harrison County, there was more interaction between white people and African Americans than in the city, and whites and blacks were often neighbors. But Jim Crow rules were prominently imposed on African Americans. Several planters divided up sizable tracts of land and gave them to their former slaves, which angered poor whites.

Early and mid- 20th century

In 1909 a field of Natural gas was discovered near Caddo Lake and began to supply city needs. Under the leadership of John L. Lancaster, the Texas and Pacific Railway experienced its height during the first half of the 20th century, and Marshall's ceramics industry expanded to the point that the city was called by boosters the "Pottery Capital of the World." In 1930 what was then the largest oil field in the world was discovered at nearby Kilgore. The first student at Marshall High School to have a car was Lady Bird Johnson, a kind of progress that excited many students.

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, children of both races were forced into accepting the law of racial segregation in the state. Marshall resident George Dawson became a writer, later describing his childhood under segregation in his memoir Life Is So Good. He described how, in some instances, he and other African Americans refused the demands of Jim Crow. He rejected one employer who expected him to eat with her dogs.

As blacks were being excluded from politics and tensions rose, more lynchings of black men took place, a form of extrajudicial punishment and social control. Between October 1903 and August 1917 at least twelve people were lynched, mostly black men. Not all instances of lynching were reported by authorities, so this number is likely an undercount.

In the early and mid-20th century, Marshall's traditionally black colleges were thriving intellectual and cultural centers. The writer Melvin B. Tolson, who was part of the Harlem Renaissance in New York, taught at Wiley. Two major future civil rights leaders, Martin Luther King Jr. and Jesse Jackson, attended Bishop College, while James L. Farmer Jr. went to Wiley College.

Inspired by the teachings of professors such as Tolson, students and former students of the colleges mobilized to challenge and dismantle Jim Crow in the 1950s and 1960s. Fred Lewis, as the secretary of the Harrison County NAACP, challenged the oldest White Citizens Party in Texas and the laws it enforced. This suit overturned Jim Crow in the county with the Perry v. Cyphers ruling. Heman Sweatt, a Wiley graduate, tried to enroll in the University of Texas at Austin Law school, but was denied entry because of his race. He sued and the United States Supreme Court ordered the desegregation of postgraduate studies in Texas in the Sweatt v. Painter (1950) decision. James L. Farmer Jr., another Wiley graduate, became an organizer of the Freedom Rides and a founder of the Congress of Racial Equality.

Late 20th century

The Civil Rights Movement reached into the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. In the 1960s, students organized the first sit-ins in Texas in the rotunda of the county courthouse on Whetstone Square, protesting segregation of public schools, which had been declared unconstitutional in 1954 by the US Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education. In 1970, all Marshall public schools were finally integrated. Also in that year, Carolyn Abney became the first woman to be elected to the city commission. In April 1975, nearly a decade after passage of the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965, local businessman Sam Birmingham became the first African American to be elected to the city commission. In the 1980s, he was elected as the city's first African-American mayor. Birmingham retired in 1989 for health concerns and was succeeded by his wife, Jean Birmingham.

Marshall's railroad industry declined during the restructuring of the industry; most trains were converted to diesel fuel and many lines merged. Expansion of airlines and the construction of the Interstate highway system after World War II also led to railway declines. The T&P Shops closed in the 1960s, and T&P passenger service ceased in 1970. The Texas oil bust of the 1980s devastated the local economy. The city's population declined by about 1,000 between 1980 and 1990.

During the mid-20th century, the city lost many of its historic landmarks to redevelopment or neglect. For a time people preferred “modern” structures; other buildings were demolished because tax laws favored new construction. By 1990, Marshall's opera house, the Missouri Capitol, the Moses Montefiore Synagogue, the original Viaduct, the Capitol Hotel, and the campus of Bishop College (including the Wyalucing plantation house) had been demolished. In the 1970s the city began to look at the preservation efforts of nearby Jefferson, and has emphasized preservation throughout the remainder of the 20th century.

Due to newly completed construction projects, the city was one of ten designated in 1976 as an All American City by the National Civic League. In 1978, then Taipei mayor, Lee Teng-Hui, and Marshall mayor, William Q. Burns, signed legislation recognizing Marshall as a sister city with the much larger Taipei. During this period Bill Moyers won an Emmy for his documentary, Marshall, Texas: Marshall, Texas, chronicling the history of race relations in the city. In terms of the city's economy, the 1960s through 1980s were a period of social and economic decline for the city. Longview surpassed it in population and economy.

In the 1980s and 1990s the city began to concentrate on diversifying its economy; tourism has been increasingly important. Two new festivals were established, the Fire Ant Festival, and the Wonderland of Lights, joining the longstanding Stagecoach Days. The Fire Ant Festival gained national attention through being featured on such television shows as The Oprah Winfrey Show.

The Wonderland of Lights became the most popular and it has become one of the largest light festivals in the United States. By 2000, the Wonderland of Lights had become such a part of the cityscape that the lighted dome of the Old Courthouse was the most recognizable symbol of the city. 2011 marks the 25th anniversary of the Wonderland of Lights festival. The city expected more than 200,000 visitors during the event's 40-day run, beginning with the official lighting ceremony on November 23, 2011.

21st century

During the 2000s, the downtown had moderate economic growth and restoration of significant buildings. By 2005, the Joe Weisman & Company building, the T&P Depot, the former Hotel Marshall (now known as "The Marshall"), and the former Harrison County Courthouse were either restored or under restoration. Restaurants, boutiques, and loft apartments were developed in downtown, adding to its daily life. Some adapted historic structures for re-use. Many historic homes outside of downtown continue to deteriorate, and some structures in moderate condition were approved for demolition for replacement by prefabricated or tin structures. The square has become quite busy again, with few empty buildings. Lack of funding and manpower has slowed movement on demolition and salvage of historic homes.

The Sam B. Hall, Jr. Federal Courthouse has been the venue for several cases challenging voting rights. challenges. The Democratic Party challenged the 2003 redistricting by the state legislature. TiVo sued EchoStar over DVR patent rights.

An unusual number of patent lawsuits are being filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas which includes Marshall, Tyler, and Texarkana. Marshall has a reputation for plaintiff-friendly juries for the 5% of patent lawsuits that reach trial. This has resulted in 78% plaintiff wins. The number of patent suits filed in 2002 was 32, and the number for 2006 has been estimated at 234. The second-highest number of patent suits is filed here, after the United States District Court for the Central District of California in Los Angeles. The trend continued through 2011 in the Eastern District of Texas, which includes Marshall, with the number of patent lawsuits more than doubling from 2010.

Marshall was profiled on This American Life as its juries' support of patent suits generated controversy.

The city entered into a legal battle with local residents and environmentalists about the amount of water it could draw out of Caddo Lake, the source of the city’s water. This issue dominated city-county relations during the decade.

Music

On January 18, 2010, Dr. John Tennison, a San Antonio physician and musicologist, publicized his research that found that Boogie Woogie music was first developed in the Marshall area in the early 1870s. It originated among African Americans working with the T&P Railroad and the logging industry. On May 13, 2010, the Marshall City Commission unanimously passed an ordinance declaring Marshall to be "the Birthplace of Boogie Woogie."

Geography

Marshall is roughly 150 miles (240 km) east of Dallas, Texas and 40 miles (64 km) 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 29.6 square miles (77 km²), of which, 29.6 square miles (77 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) (0.27%) is water.

Marshall is closer to the capitals of Arkansas (Little Rock, 190 miles (310 km)), Louisiana (Baton Rouge, 239 miles (385 km)), and Mississippi (Jackson, 243 miles (391 km)) than it is to the capital of Texas (Austin, 253 miles (407 km)).

The city lies within the Eastern Interconnection rather than the Texas Interconnection, making it part of only 15% of the state to lie outside of that power grid.

The city is bisected along a north-south axis by East End Boulevard (US 59). The eastern half of the city is bisected along an east-west axis by US 80 which east of its intersection with US 59 is called Victory Drive and west of US 59 is named Grand Avenue. The Harrison County Airport and Airport Baseball Park are located to the south of Victory Drive off of Warren Drive.

To the west of US 59, south of Pinecrest Dr. are older suburbs; north of Pinecrest 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 Whetstone Square. Immediately to the north of the square is the Ginocchio National Historic District where the city's Amtrak station is located. 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, centered on Wiley College. To the north of Grand Ave. (US 80) are neighborhoods that were built largely by employees of the Texas and Pacific Railway. In addition to the Ginocchio 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.

Climate

Marshall has a humid subtropical climate, characterized by hot summers and fairly mild winters. On average, Marshall receives 51.2 inches (1,300 mm) of rain per year. The precipitation is relatively evenly spread throughout the year, with only the summer months of July and August receiving less than 3.5 inches (89 mm) on average.

In the spring months during the transition from winter to summer, severe weather is not uncommon, and tornadoes have hit the city in the past, including an F2 that struck the southern side of town in 2000, wiping out a Domino's Pizza on US Highway 59.

Summers in Marshall are hot and humid, with average temperatures higher than 85 degrees Fahrenheit (29 °C) from June through September. Temperatures above 100 °F (38 °C) are not uncommon, with a highest recorded temperature of 112 °F (44 °C) in August 1909.

In 2008, Hurricane Ike struck Marshall hard with winds over 60 miles per hour (100 km/h). 82% of the population in Marshall was without power for at least 24 hours.

Demographics

At the census of 2000, there were 23,935 people, 8,730 households, and 6,032 families residing in the city. The population density was 809.5 people per square mile (312.5/km²). There were 9,923 housing units at an average density of 335.6 per square mile (129.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 54.7% White, 38.6% African American, <0.1% Native American, 0.6% Asian, <0.1% Pacific Islander, 4.8% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.6% of the population.

There were 8,730 households out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.4% were married couples living together, 19.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.9% were non-families. 28.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.12.

In the city, the population was 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 were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 87.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,335, and the median income for a family was $37,438. Males had a median income of $30,146 versus $21,027 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,491. About 17.8% of families and 22.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.5% of those under age 18 and 15.1% of those age 65 or over.

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 serves as the executive of the city government and is in charge of enforcing city laws and administering the city's various departments.

The City Commission has seven members, each elected from a single-member district. Districts 1−4 divide the city into four districts, and the districts 5−7 divide the city into three districts that overlay Districts 1−4. So every location in the city falls in two districts, one from each set. Each Commissioner is elected to a two-year term. Districts 1−4 hold elections in odd-numbered years and districts 5−7 in even years; elections are held in the spring.

After each election, the City Commission selects a commissioner to serve as Chairman of the Commission, generically called a Mayor, until after the next year's election. If no one files to run against a commissioner, as happened with District 1 in 2005, the commissioner is reinstated and an election for that district is not held that year.

The City Commission meets twice a month on the second and fourth Thursdays, in addition to any special sessions that are called or regular meetings that are canceled. The Commission provides a public forum before each regular session, providing citizens the opportunity to address the commission for two minutes without forward notice, with notice additional time may be scheduled. The Commission meetings are broadcast on radio and on the local government-access television (GATV), public-access television cable TV station.

Management of the city and coordination of city services are provided by:

Marshall is represented in the Texas Senate by Republican Kevin Eltife, District 1, and in the Texas House of Representatives by Republican Chris Paddie, District 9.

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) operates the Marshall District Parole Office in Marshall.

At the Federal level, the two U.S. Senators from Texas are Republicans John Cornyn and Ted Cruz; Marshall is part of Texas' US Congressional 1st District, which is currently represented by Republican Louie Gohmert.

The United States Postal Service operates the Marshall Post Office.

The majority of the nation's patent litigation is handled in or around Marshall, Texas.

Economy

Marshall's economy is diversified and includes services such as Insurance claims processing at Health Care Service Corporation, also known as BlueCross BlueShield of Texas, education at several institutes of higher learning, manufacturing such as wood kitchen cabinets at Republic Industries and pottery at several manufacturers. Tourism is also an important industry with about one million tourists visiting the city each year.

Marshall has a local sales tax of 2.0%. The Marshall Economic Development Corporation or MEDCO lobbies companies to locate in Marshall and offers incentives to businesses that do. The Greater Marshall Chamber of Commerce represents the interests of local businesses to local, state, and national leaders.

Major highways and interstates in Marshall

Marshall is served by two taxicab companies. The Harrison County Airport is located in Marshall.

Passenger rail

Education

Secondary and primary education in the city is almost entirely conducted by the Marshall Independent School District, with more than six thousand students at twelve campuses.

Trinity Episcopal School serves students from pre-school (age 3) through 8th grade at two campuses. St. Joseph Catholic School enrolls students from pre-K through 4th grade.

Higher education

A total of nearly two thousand students annually attend colleges in the city, bringing energy to the area: East Texas Baptist University, the historically black Wiley College, Texas State Technical College-Marshall, and Panola College-Marshall. ETBU is the largest of the four institutions.

Wiley College is one of the oldest historically black institutions in the United States. It was the setting of the film The Great Debaters, which depicted Wiley College's debate team's struggle for racial equality. They challenged the Harvard University debating team on the national circuit.

Media

The city has one newspaper, The Marshall News Messenger, a subsidiary of the nearby Longview newspaper.

Four radio stations, KZEY (AM), KMHT (AM), KMHT (FM), and KBWC, serve the Longview/Marshall market.

Marshall has an ABC news office. The city is within the reception area of broadcasters based in Shreveport, Louisiana: KTBS (ABC), KSLA (CBS), KMSS (FOX), KTAL (NBC), KPXJ (The CW), KSHV-TV (My Network TV), and KLTS (Louisiana Public Broadcasting).

The local cable company, Fidelity Communications (formerly Cobridge Communications), provides public-access television channels that show local football games produced by KMHT radio, and meetings of the City and County Commissions (both live and replayed), as well as streaming audio from KMHT.

Sites of interest

Notable people

People from Marshall are called "Marshallites".

Fine arts, performing arts, and entertainment

Sports

Public service, political leaders, political activism

Authors and playwrights

Military

Religion

Business and commerce

News media

Scholastic and collegiate academia

Society