History of Marshall, Texas
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The History of Marshall, Texas follows the State from its founding as an administrative center of the
19th century
Marshall's history began when the area that is now
In 1841 a new
Whetstone's friend
By 1860 the city was the fifth largest city in Texas, the "first metropolis of
Marshall became the seat of civil authority and headquarters of the Trans-Mississippi Postal Department after the fall of Vicksburg. The city would remain influential in the Confederacy throughout the war, as a power center west of the Mississippi, which hosted Confederate governors during the Marshall Conferences in 1862, 1863, and 1865. 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 that Marshall was the intended destination of a government preparing to flee from advancing armies. With high desertion among the Confederate army in the final days of the war, the Confederate powder mill at Marshall was abandoned to looters.
Marshall was occupied by Union forces on June 17, 1865, two days before the force, made famous by
Marshall's "
During this period of wealth many of the city's now historic homes were constructed. Homes such as Maplecroft, commissioned by James F. Starr. The 1871 Starr home is a two-story frame, late Greek Revival structure with some Victorian styling. Craftsmen, such as shipwrights, and building materials were shipped from New Orleans to Marshall.
Marshall Pottery was founded by W. F. Rocker in Marshall in 1895. Rocker located the business in East Texas because of its abundant water and white clay deposits.
Despite the prosperity of the railroad era, poverty continued to be a problem in the city among all races, but tensions between
20th century
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, children of both races were raised to accept the status quo of segregation. African American Marshall resident George Dawson later wrote about his childhood experiences with segregation in his book Life Is So Good. He described how, despite African American children's acceptance of segregation, in some instances, its demands were too outrageous to follow. For example, Dawson described how he had refused the demand of one employer who expected him to eat with her dogs.
1913-02-25: Two African Americans were lynched in Marshall on this date. Robert Perry was shot to death by a mob after being accused of horse stealing. Another African American, by the family name of Anderson, was hanged by a mob for unknown reasons.[2]
1914-04-29: Charles Fisher, a young African-American resident of Marshall, was accused of hugging and kissing the daughter of a white farmer. News of the incident spread widely, and a lynch mob was formed. Fisher was found, kidnapped, and mutilated both physically and sexually, and then released. Fisher was later examined by Sheriff Sanders and County Health Officer Taylor, who found that the mob had sheared off Mr. Fisher's ears, slit his lips, and mutilated his genitals. Fisher survived, but never totally recovered. None of the mob was ever captured.[3]
Other known victims of lynching from this time period include:
- Walker Davis October 1, 1903,
- James Hodges April 27, 1909,
- Matthew Chase April 30, 1909,
- "Mose" Creole April 30, 1909,
- "Pie" Hill April 30, 1909,
- 1 unidentified black man October 29, 1911,
- Mary Jackson February 13, 1912,
- George Saunders February 13, 1912,
- Unknown Anderson February 25, 1913,
- Charles Jones August 22, 1917.[4][5]
In 1949, Marshall banned the movie
Three graduates of
The progression of
During the first half of the 20th century, the Texas & Pacific Railroad experienced its height under the leadership of
References
- ^ "Marshall, Texas" Archived June 16, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, found in the Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities,
- ^ The Birmingham News, Birmingham, Alabama, February 27, 1913
- Boston, Massachusetts; April 30, 1914
- ^ "Autopsis.org". Archived from the original on July 21, 2012. Retrieved April 12, 2008.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on May 29, 2007. Retrieved April 12, 2008.
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: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)