Map of Marshall city, Missouri

Marshall is a city in Saline County, Missouri, United States. The population was 13,065 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Saline County. The Marshall Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of Saline County. It is home to Missouri Valley College.

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History

Sixty-five acres of land for the city of Marshall was donated by Jeremiah O’Dell, deeded on April 13, 1839. It was named for the United States Supreme Court Chief Justice, John Marshall, when chosen for the county seat. After the first two courthouses in Marshall were lost to fires, the Saline County Courthouse was constructed in January 1882; it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. The courthouse is an enduring landmark in the center of the Marshall Square, and a legacy of Nineteenth-Century architecture.

The Nicholas-Beazley Airplane Company was an American aircraft manufacturer headquartered in Marshall in the 1920s and 1930s. At its peak, the company produced as many as one aircraft per day. In 1937, production of aircraft ceased, due to economic pressures from the Great Depression. Today, the Nicholas Beazley Aviation Museum is located at the Marshall Airport, with artifacts of interest from aviation history. ConAgra Foods owns the property of the old Nicholas-Beazley Airplane Company factory building, located right off the Marshall square; the factory building was torn down in the summer of 2015 to expand the ConAgra plant.

Marshall is rich in music history. Marshall is the home of Bob James, the acclaimed jazz musician; the Foothills Fest Music Festival; The Marshall Municipal Band; and, notably, the Marshall Philharmonic Orchestra. The Orchestra performs every year for the public, free of charge, and has been featured in the Los Angeles Times in 2006 and on NBC’s American Almanac in December 1985, among other media outlets. The Philharmonic Orchestra has been performing for 52 years and counting. The Municipal Band has been performing for nearly 100 years and usually performs on the Courthouse lawn every Thursday evening during the summer months, filling the town square with music.

Marshall is also home to Jim the Wonder Dog. Jim earned his reputation as a ‘wonder dog’ during the 1930s, puzzling psychologists from both Washington University in St. Louis and University of Missouri. Dr. A. J. Durant, director of the School of Veterinary Medicine, tested Jim’s abilities in a public demonstration. He concluded that Jim, “possessed an occult power that might never come again to a dog in many generations.” Jim seemed to have the ability to guess the sex of an unborn baby and answer to orders in many different languages even though his owner, Sam Van Arsdale, spoke only English. Jim the Wonder Dog picked the winner of the Kentucky Derby seven years in a row, and also predicted the Yankees’ victory in the 1936 World Series. A joint session of the Missouri Legislature was called in order to witness the talents of Jim. He died March 18, 1937.

During the Civil War, Marshall was garrisoned by Union Troops. Although Marshall was strategically unimportant, the town was the victim of two Confederate raids and the site of the October 13, 1863 Battle of Marshall, the climax of Colonel J. O. Shelby’s 1863 “Great Raid”. Confronted by a larger force of 1,800 Federal troops and Missouri State Militia, Shelby broke through, divided his command and withdrew from Missouri. d.

Missouri Valley College was founded in Marshall in 1889. The history of Missouri Valley College began during a conference at Sarcoxie, Missouri, on October 27, 1874, where the representatives of the several Presbyterian synods in the state of Missouri met to discuss founding the school. The school was affiliated with the Cumberland Presbyterian Church for a long period.

The college’s original building, Baity Hall, was built in 1889, the year of the college’s founding, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Victorian Era building is notable for its beautiful wooden staircase, vaulted wooden ceilings, and stained glass windows. Missouri Valley College is a private, four-year liberal arts college affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). The 150-acre (60.7 ha) campus is found within the city limits of Marshall. The college supports 27 academic majors and an enrollment close to 1,800 students. Missouri Valley College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, a Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

In addition to Baity Hall, the Chicago and Alton Depot, First Presbyterian Church, Fitzgibbon Hospital, Free Will Baptist Church of Pennytown, Mt. Carmel Historic District, Saline County Courthouse, Utz Site, Van Meter State Park Combination Building, and Van Meter State Park Shelter Building are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Marshall Road Map

Marshall city Satellite Map

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.28 square miles (26.63 km), of which 10.22 square miles (26.47 km) is land and 0.06 square miles (0.16 km) is water.

Climate

Marshall has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen: Dfa).

See also