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Information About

Marshall, Michigan




Marshall is a city located in the U.S. State of Michigan . It is part of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area . As of the 2000 Census , the city population was 7,459. It is the County Seat of Calhoun County 6 . The town operates a student exchange program with its sister city, Koka Cho, Japan .

Marshall is best known for its cross-section of 19th- and early 20th-Century architecture. It has been referred to by the keeper of the National Register of Historic Places as a "virtual textbook of 19th-Century American architecture." It is home to the one of the nation's largest National Historic Landmark Districts. There are over 850 buildings included in the Landmark.


FESTIVALS

  • The weekend after Labor Day is the oldest historic home tour in the Great Lakes area, with eight private homes, a church, a business, and four to six museums open for the two days of the tour. There are also roving musicians, demonstrating craftspeople, a juried craft show, antiques for sale, and a Civil War Ball with elaborate costumes on Saturday night.

  • The last three weekends of October feature the Marshall Scarecrow Festival, with special events each of the three Saturdays and scarecrow displays on the front lawns of the homes for the entire 16 days.

  • Cruise to the Fountain features about 1,000 classic cars from the 1950s and 1960s the weekend before the Fourth of July at the Calhoun County Fairgrounds. On Friday and Saturday nights the cars cruise from the Fairgrounds through the downtown, around the Brooks Memorial Fountain and back.

  • Bluesfest is the third Saturday, with blues musicians from all over the Midwest performing throughout the downtown all day. The headliner in 2005 and 2006 was James Armstrong.

  • The Monday after Thanksgiving is the date of the Marshall Christmas Parade with about 60 floats, ten full-sized marching bands, a total of over 100 units, and Santa Claus.

  • Marshall is home to an authentic, Louisiana-style Annual Crawfish Boil on the first or second Saturday in June at the Dark Horse Brewery .



HISTORY

Marshall was settled in 1830 and first Plat ted in 1831 by Sidney Ketchum, from Clinton County, New York . George Ketchum became its first postmaster on October 10 , 1831 .

Two early Marshall residents, Rev. John D. Pierce and lawyer Isaac E. Crary , innovated the Michigan school system and established it as part of the Michigan Constitution adopted when Michigan became a state in 1837. Pierce became the country's first state superintendent of public instruction and Crary was Michigan's first member of the U.S. House Of Representatives after statehood.

Marshall was named for Chief Justice Of The United States , John Marshall , it incorporated as a village in 1836 and as a city in 1859. It is one of several communities across the country named for Marshall but is the only one so designated before Marshall's death in 1835.


NOTABLE RESIDENTS



STAND AGAINST SLAVERY

In 1843, Adam Crosswhite and his family ran away from David Giltner 's Kentucky plantation because Crosswhite learned that his four children were to be sold. The Crosswhites made the tough journey north and finally settled in Marshall.

On the morning of January 2, 1847, the slave catchers and a local deputy sheriff were pounding on Adam's door. His neighbors heard the noise and came running. The cry of "slave catchers!" was yelled through the streets of Marshall. Soon over 100 people surrounded the Crosswhite home.

Threats were shouted back and forth. One of the slave catchers began to demand that people in the crowd give him their names. They were proud to tell him and even told him the correct spelling. Each name was written down in a little book. Finally, the deputy sheriff swayed by the crowd's opinion, decided he should arrest the men from Kentucky instead. By the time the slave catchers would post bond and get out of jail, the Crosswhites were on their way to Canada.

Next the Giltners went to the federal court in Detroit. They sued the crowd from Marshall for damages. Since they had many of their names it was easy to decide whom to sue. Many of the people in the crowd were fined, which they paid gladly and considered a badge of honor.

Because of the Crosswhite Case and others like it, Senator Clay from Kentucky pushed a new law through Congress in 1850 known as the Fugitive Slave Law , which made it very risky for anyone to help an escaped slave.Chardavoyne, David G., "Michigan and the Fugitive Slave Acts", ''The Court Legacy'', Vol. XII, No. 3, November 2004, The Historical Society for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. {Link without Title} Accessed 2007-06-27


GEOGRAPHY


According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 15.8 Km&2 (6.1 Mi&2 ). 15.3 km&2 (5.9 mi&2) of it is land and 0.5 km&2 (0.2 mi&2) of it (2.96%) is water.


DEMOGRAPHICS

As of the Census 2 of 2000, there were 7,459 people, 3,111 households, and 1,935 families residing in the city. The Population Density was 486.5/km&2 (1,260.7/mi&2). There were 3,353 housing units at an average density of 218.7/km&2 (566.7/mi&2). The racial makeup of the city was 95.91% White , 0.32% African American , 0.43% Native American , 0.59% Asian , 0.99% from Other Races , and 1.76% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.16% of the population.

There were 3,111 households out of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.5% were Married Couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.8% were non-families. 32.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.0% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 18.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 86.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $41,171, and the median income for a family was $53,317. Males had a median income of $41,446 versus $30,398 for females. The Per Capita Income for the city was $22,101. About 2.6% of families and 5.0% of the population were below the Poverty Line , including 3.2% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.


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