Marshall, Texas

Marshall
City
Clockwise: Old Courthouse, Starr Home, Hotel Marshall, ETBU, Depot, Wiley, Ginnocho, First United Methodist
Clockwise: Old Courthouse, Starr Home, Hotel Marshall, ETBU, Depot, Wiley, Ginnocho, First United Methodist
Location in the state of Texas
Location in the state of Texas
Coordinates: 32°32′03″N 94°22′12″W / 32.53417°N 94.37000°W / 32.53417; -94.37000
CountryUnited States
StateTexas
CountyHarrison
Founded1841 (183 years ago) (1841)
Government
 • TypeCouncil-Manager
Area
[1]
 • City29.66 sq mi (76.81 km2)
 • Land29.59 sq mi (76.65 km2)
 • Water0.06 sq mi (0.17 km2)
Elevation
[2]
341 ft (104 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • City23,392
 • Density771.47/sq mi (297.86/km2)
 • Metro
65,631
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP codes
75670-75672
Area code(s)903, 430
FIPS code48-46776[3]
GNIS feature ID2411041[2]
Websitemarshalltexas.net

Marshall is a city in the U.S. state of Texas.[4] It is the county seat of Harrison County and a cultural and educational center of the Ark-La-Tex region. At the 2020 U.S. census, the population of Marshall was 23,392.[5] The population of the Greater Marshall area, comprising all of Harrison County, was 65,631 in 2010[6] and 66,726 in 2018.[7]

Marshall and Harrison County were important political and production areas of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. 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. The county had the highest number of slaves in the state, and East Texas had a higher proportion of slaves than other regions of the state. The wealth of the county and city depended on slave labor and the cotton market.[8]

The late 19th century until the mid-20th century, Marshall developed as a large railroad center of the Texas and Pacific Railway. Following World War II, activists in the city's substantial African-American population worked to create social change through the Civil Rights Movement, with considerable support from the historically black colleges and universities in the area.

The city is known for holding one of the largest light festivals in the United States, the "Wonderland of Lights".[9][10][11] It identifies as the self-proclaimed "Pottery Capital of the World", for its sizable pottery industry.[12][13] Marshall is referred to by various nicknames: the "Cultural Capital of East Texas",[14] the "Gateway of Texas", the "Athens of Texas",[15] the "City of Seven Flags",[16][17] and "Center Stage", a branding slogan adopted by the Marshall Convention and Visitors Bureau.

  1. ^ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  2. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Marshall, Texas
  3. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  4. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  5. ^ "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001): Marshall city, Texas". American Factfinder. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
  6. ^ "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001): Marshall, TX Micro Area; Texas". American Factfinder. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
  7. ^ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Harrison County, Texas". www.census.gov. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  8. ^ Campbell, Randolph. "Slaveholding in Harrison County, 1850-1860, A Statistical Profile".
  9. ^ "Wonderland of Lights in Marshall Kicks Off the Christmas Season in Style". Texas Hill Country. November 19, 2018. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  10. ^ "City of Marshall Texas Official Site". www.marshalltexas.net. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  11. ^ East-Texas.com. "Marshall in East Texas". www.east-texas.com. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  12. ^ Popik, Barry. "Barry Popik". www.barrypopik.com. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  13. ^ Jakle, John A.; Sculle, Keith A. (2009). America's Main Street Hotels: Transiency and Community in the Early Auto Age. Univ. of Tennessee Press. ISBN 978-1-57233-655-1.
  14. ^ "About Marshall Texas". Marshall Chamber of Commerce. Archived from the original on August 31, 2007. Retrieved October 15, 2007.
  15. ^ Lale, p. 7.
  16. ^ "On the Road: The history of Marshall, Texas". www.ksla.com. July 19, 2012. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  17. ^ Halliday, Doc (July 29, 2014). "The seventh flag over Marshall". Marshall News Messenger. Retrieved June 18, 2020.