Marshall is a city in and the county seat of Clark County, Illinois, United States, located approximately west of Terre Haute, Indiana. The population was 3,947 at the 2020 census.

History

Marshall was officially organized by William B. Archer in 1835, eight years after the National Road entered the community. The city was named after John Marshall, chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Marshall was incorporated on May 14, 1873.

In 1863, Marshall was the scene of conflict in which local Copperheads, who opposed the Civil War, sought to protect soldiers who had deserted from the Union Army. In March, 1863, an army detail from Indiana arrested several deserters. A local judge, Charles H. Constable, freed the deserters and ordered the arrest of two Union sergeants on kidnapping charges. This resulted in the dispatch of 250 soldiers under the command of Col. Henry B. Carrington by special train from Indianapolis, who surrounded the courthouse, freed the sergeants and arrested judge Charles H. Constable. The judge was, however, absolved several months later after presenting a highly technical defense.

Marshall was home to the Handy Writers' Colony, 1950–1964. The most famous writer associated with the Colony was the novelist James Jones, who built a home in Marshall and lived there ca. 1952–1957.

Geography

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Marshall has a total area of , of which (or 99.59%) is land and (or 0.41%) is water.

Demographics

thumb|The Archer House Hotel is one of seven sites in Marshall listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Clark County, Illinois|National Register of Historic Places.]]

upright|thumb|Statue of young [[Abraham Lincoln at the Marshall Illinois Courthouse]]

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Marshall had a population of 3,947 and 1,129 families residing in the city.

The population density was . There were 1,921 housing units at an average density of .

Of housing units, 9.6% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.3%, and the rental vacancy rate was 5.4%.

Government

The Marshall City Council consists of nine members: eight aldermen and the mayor.

==Notable people==<!--consensus reached to standardize this heading per WP:WikiProject Cities/US Guideline -->

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  • Robert H. Birch, American western outlaw, raised in Marshall
  • Ed Carpenter, IndyCar Series driver, 2013 Indy pole sitter; raised in Marshall, IL
  • Charles H. Constable, Attorney, Illinois State Senator; close friend of Abraham Lincoln
  • Walter E. Cork, Illinois state representative and businessman, lived in Marshall
  • Gerald Forsythe, businessman and auto racing magnate; born in Marshall
  • James Jones, novelist, lived in Marshall ca. 1952–1957
  • John W. Lewis Jr., politician; born in Marshall
  • Ed Mayer, Major League Baseball player for the Philadelphia Phillies; born in Marshall
  • John Scholfield, jurist and state legislator; lived in Marshall
  • Jacob Zimmerman, United States Representative, newspaper editor, and businessman

References

  • City of Marshall Illinois Official Website
  • Marshall, Illinois History at GenealogyTrails.com
  • Marshall, Illinois City-Data.com