History

Early Inhabitants & Settlers

The native inhabitants of the area in which Marshall is located were members of the Caddo Indian nation. This nation inhabited the area for thousands of years before Hispanics, Anglos, and Africans began arriving, exploring, and settling in this area.

The first recorded arrival of non-native persons was a group of Spanish explorers who arrived in the area in 1543. Spanish soldiers passed through the area of Marshall in 1679. Permanent settlement of the area by Anglos is thought to have happened in the late 1820s or early 1830s. African Americans settled in the area with Anglos.

Marshall's Founding

Texas declared its independence in 1836. In 1839, Harrison County was created out of Shelby County. Marshall was founded in 1841, and became the county seat of Harrison County in 1842. By 1850, Marshall was the fourth largest city in Texas. Marshall played a major role in the Civil War providing munitions and manufactured goods for the Confederacy.

Marshall became the Capitol of the Confederacy west of the Mississippi River after the fall of Vicksburg. Marshall also served as the site of the Confederate Government in exile for the State of Missouri from 1863 to 1865.

Railroad

In 1871, Jay Gould established the Texas and Pacific railroad in the area and located its shops in Marshall. From that time until the decline of the railroad industry after World War II, the Texas and Pacific railroad was the largest employer in Marshall and Harrison County.

Oil & Gas Influence

Marshall was the largest city in East Texas until the discovery of oil and gas in East Texas in the early 1930s. Longview's proximity to the oil and gas fields allowed it to become the center of the trade for this booming industry. Longview's population almost tripled from 5,036 to 13,758 between 1930 and 1940 while Marshall's population increased by only about 15% from 16,203 to 18,410 during the same time. Longview's population had surpassed Marshall's by 1950.

Education

Higher education has always played a prominent role in Marshall. In 1842 an all-male institution was established, and in 1844 Sam Houston chartered Marshall University. By the early 1900s, these two institutions were discontinued. In 1872, the Northern Methodist Freedman's Aid Society established Wiley University, a college for African Americans. It is now a four-year college with a 2004 enrollment of approximately 800 students. Taking advantage of the opportunity at the time to expand educational opportunities for African Americans, the Northern Baptist Home Missionary Society founded Bishop College in 1882. It remained in Marshall until 1962 when it moved to Dallas.

In 1912, the College of Marshall, a private junior college, was chartered. In 1944 it became a four-year institution and was renamed East Texas Baptist College. It became East Texas Baptist University in 1984. The enrollment in 2004 was approximately 1,529 students. Panola College, a two-year junior college based in Carthage, maintains a permanent campus in Marshall.

In 2004 enrollment in Marshall and Harrison county was 109 students. Texas State Technical College established a campus in Marshall in 1992. Enrollment was 369 in 1996, with plans to increase to 1,500 by 2005. Currently, the campus has grown to include student housing to accommodate its students. They are also in the process of building a new Library facility and an Administrative facility