Marshall, Michigan | |
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Coordinates: 42°16′14″N84°57′36″W / 42.27056°N 84.96000°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Michigan |
County | Calhoun |
Incorporated | 1836 (village) 1849 (city) |
Government | |
• Mayor | James Schwartz [1] |
Area | |
• Total | 6.61 sq mi (17.12 km2) |
• Land | 6.49 sq mi (16.82 km2) |
• Water | 0.12 sq mi (0.30 km2) |
Elevation | 919 ft (280 m) |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 6,822 |
• Density | 1,050.67/sq mi (405.66/km2) |
Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
ZIP codes | 49068-49069 |
Area code | 269 |
FIPS code | 26-51940 [3] |
GNIS feature ID | 631630 [4] |
Website | cityofmarshall.com |
Marshall is a city and the county seat of Calhoun County, Michigan. [5] The population was 6,822 at the 2020 census.
Marshall is best known for its cross-section of 19th- and early 20th-century architecture and as the future home of Ford Motor Company's BlueOval Battery Park. [6] It has been referred to by the keeper of the National Register of Historic Places as a "virtual textbook of 19th-Century American architecture." Its historic center is the Marshall Historic District, one of the nation's largest architecturally significant National Historic Landmark Districts. The Landmark has over 850 buildings, including the Honolulu House.
The town was founded by Sidney Ketchum (1797–1862) in 1830, [7] a land surveyor born in Clinton County, New York, in conjunction with his brother, George Ketchum (1794-1853). The Ketchum brothers explored central lower Michigan in 1830, and in late 1830, Sidney Ketchum obtained government grants for the land on which most of Marshall now stands. The early settlers named the community in honor of Chief Justice of the United States John Marshall from Virginia—whom they greatly admired. This occurred five years before Marshall's death and thus was the first of dozens of communities and counties named for him. [8] The village of Marshall was incorporated March 28, 1836.
Marshall was thought to be the frontrunner for state capital, so much so that a Governor's Mansion was built. However, the town lost, along with Lyons, Michigan, by a Yea/Nay vote count of 29-32 against Lansing's 35-27 (11 vote difference). [9] In the years thereafter, Marshall became known for its patent medicine industry until the Pure Drug Act of 1906. Marshall was involved in the Underground Railroad. When escaped slave Adam Crosswhite fled Kentucky and settled in Marshall with his wife and three children, the people of the town hid him from the posse sent to retrieve him. Those involved were tried in Federal Court and found guilty of denying a man his rightful property. This case and others like it caused the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 to be pushed through Congress.
In 1843, Adam Crosswhite, [10] his wife Sarah and their four children ran away from Francis Giltner's plantation in Hunter's Bottom, Carroll County, Kentucky because the Crosswhites learned that one of their four children was to be sold. [11] The Crosswhites made the tough journey north through Indiana along the Underground Railroad, beginning in Madison, Indiana. They finally settled in Marshall, where they were accepted, and Adam worked and built a cabin. [10]
In response to increasing numbers of runaway slaves, a coalition of slave owners in the north central counties and the Bluegrass region of Kentucky organized to recover the runaways. In January 1846, Francis Giltner's son David Giltner and three others went to Marshall to capture the Crosswhite family. [10]
On the morning of January 26, 1847, as 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. Marshall townspeople hid the Crosswhites in the attic of George Ingersoll's mill. By the time the slave catchers could post bond and get out of jail, Isaac Jacobs, the hostler at the Marshall House, had hired a covered wagon and driven the Crosswhites to Jackson where they boarded a train to Detroit and then crossed over into Canada. [10]
The Giltners sued some of the people from Marshall for damages in what is known in federal records as the Giltner v. Gorham case. It was tried in the federal court in Detroit. The Giltner v Gorham case resulted in two trials in federal court in Detroit, the first trial ending in a hung jury. At the conclusion of the second trial, the sole remaining defendant in the case, local banker Charles T. Gorham, was ordered to pay the value of the slaves plus court costs. [12] To curry political favor, Detroit entrepreneur Zachariah Chandler supposedly stepped in to pay these costs on Gorham's behalf. [13]
Because of the Crosswhite Affair and many others like it, Sen. Henry 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. [14]
Two Marshall citizens Rev. John D. Pierce and lawyer Isaac E. Crary, innovated the Michigan school system and established it as part of the state constitution. Their method and format were later adopted by all the states in the old Northwest Territory and became the foundation for the Morrill Land-Grant Act in 1862, which established schools like Michigan State University all over the country. Pierce became the country's first state superintendent of public instruction and Crary Michigan's first member of the U.S. House. [8]
The first railroad labor union in the U.S., The Brotherhood of the Footboard (later renamed the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen), was formed in Marshall in 1863. Marshall was one of the only stops between Chicago and Detroit and became known as the Chicken Pie city because the only thing one could get to eat in the time it took to cool and switch engines was a chicken pie. A replica of the city's roundhouse can be seen at the Greenfield Village outdoor living history museum in Dearborn, Michigan.
In July 2010, an oil pipeline, owned by Enbridge Energy, ruptured, spilling over 850,000 gallons of crude oil into Talmadge Creek and into the Kalamazoo River. The event received national attention as it was, at that time, the largest oil spill in the inside the United States. The event was known as the Kalamazoo River Oil Spill.
In 2012, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board stated the Enbridge oil spill in the Kalamazoo River near Marshall was the costliest onshore cleanup in U.S. history. [15]
In 1968, a large tract of land in Marshall Township, approximately 800 acres, was rezoned to D-2 Park Industrial. [16] The rezoning was sought by Flint industrial real estate developer Robert Gerholz. Gerholtz, a former president of the United States Chamber of Commerce, chose the property because of 4 advantages: 1) proximity to the I-94 & I-69 interchange, 2) access to the railroad, 3) access to hard surface road open to industrial truck travel year-round, and 4) proximity to the Kalamazoo River. [17] Over 140 people turned out for rezoning hearing. It was pointed out at the hearing that the 800 acres fully developed with industry could furnish a 100-million-dollar tax base which was about 3 times the tax base was at that time. Among the people at the hearing were representatives from Marshall City Schools, city and county officials, county road commission, Marshall businesses, and manufacturing plants including Consumers Power Company. [18]
In the years after the rezoning there was regular interest in developing the parcel for a large industrial development. In January 1997 the Gerholtz property was recognized by the Marshall Chamber of Commerce as having "statewide and national attention as one of the best locations in Michigan for large scale industrial development." [19] Volkswagen AG expressed interest in developing a manufacturing plant on the Gerholtz property in 2008. Accordingly, the Marshall City attorney obtained several options for property surrounding the larger parcel as would be needed for the preliminary site plannings as the Gerholtz property alone was not large enough. A lack of short-term site readiness for construction caused Volkswagen to shift attention to other potential development.
In late 2021 the State of Michigan pushed for the creation of a 100-million-dollar fund for industrial development on large tracts of land after Tennessee and Kentucky landed $11.4 billion in investments from the Ford Motor Company and a battery manufacturer. The site was the subject of planning, and it was anticipated that these funds would be used to develop an industrial master plan and traffic impact studies. [20]
In September 2022, the Marshall Area Economic Development Alliance (MAEDA) and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation began promoting the "Marshall Megasite" to industrial manufacturers but did not disclose their plan to the general public. Notices were not sent to Marshall Township residents immediately adjacent to on in close proximity to the project. At the time the proposed development area encompassed up to 1,600 acres of rural land (owned by separate landowners and just under 800 acres of which had previously been zoned D-2 Park Industrial) located in Marshall Township just outside Marshall's city limits. [21] The move was controversial as the land was not yet zoned for heavy industry with the majority, over 1000 acres was zoned agricultural.
Marshall Township Residents were informed that a large industrial project was to take place in their community via the announcement of PA 425 Land Transfers to take place in January 2023. There was vocal public opposition to the land transfers, which would take 1,900 acres off of the Marshall Township Tax rolls and put them on the City of Marshall Tax rolls of which a percentage would go back to Marshall Township per the Master PA 425. The transfer enabled the megasite to have access to city utilities such as water and electricity. The Marshall Township Board of Supervisors voted 4 to 1 for the PA 425 land transfers. The Marshall City Council voted for the transfer as well, although there was significant public opposition to the project. [22] [23] [24] [25]
In February 2023, Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Ford Motor Company announced the Marshall Megasite would become the site of Ford BlueOval Battery Park. [26] The zoning changes on the property to allow for heavy industry were not made until May 1, 2023 by the Marshall City Council. [27] Residents filed a petition for referendum on the zoning and their petition was rejected by the Marshall City Clerk and the Marshall City Council Members. A lawsuit was filed against the City by the ballot committee named "Committee for Marshall-Not the Megasite" [28] The lawsuit was dismissed by the Circuit Court in early January 2024. [29] The Committee for Marshall-Not the Megasite have filed an appeal. [30] This committee was countersued by a committee with ties to Governor Whitmer's campaign committee. [31]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.40 square miles (16.58 km2), of which 6.28 square miles (16.27 km2) is land and 0.12 square miles (0.31 km2) is water. [32]
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1850 | 1,972 | — | |
1870 | 4,925 | — | |
1880 | 3,795 | −22.9% | |
1890 | 3,968 | 4.6% | |
1900 | 4,370 | 10.1% | |
1910 | 4,236 | −3.1% | |
1920 | 4,270 | 0.8% | |
1930 | 5,019 | 17.5% | |
1940 | 5,253 | 4.7% | |
1950 | 5,777 | 10.0% | |
1960 | 6,736 | 16.6% | |
1970 | 7,253 | 7.7% | |
1980 | 7,201 | −0.7% | |
1990 | 6,891 | −4.3% | |
2000 | 7,459 | 8.2% | |
2010 | 7,088 | −5.0% | |
2020 | 6,822 | −3.8% | |
Source: Census Bureau. Census 1960- 2000, 2010. |
Marshall is part of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area.
As of the census [33] of 2010, there were 7,088 people, 3,092 households, and 1,840 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,128.7 inhabitants per square mile (435.8/km2). There were 3,394 housing units at an average density of 540.4 per square mile (208.6/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 95.1% White, 1.1% African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.7% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.8% of the population.
There were 3,092 households, of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.2% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.5% were non-families. 34.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.90.
The median age in the city was 40.5 years. 24% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.8% were from 25 to 44; 26.3% were from 45 to 64; and 18.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.5% male and 52.5% female.
As of the census [3] of 2000, there were 7,459 people, 3,111 households, and 1,935 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,260.7 inhabitants per square mile (486.8/km2). There were 3,353 housing units at an average density of 566.7 per square mile (218.8/km2). 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.
Brooks Field is a non-towered General Aviation airfield owned and operated by the city of Marshall. The airport features a single runway (10/28) 3500 x 75 feet, helipad, public and private hangars, lighted wind indicator, segmented circle, compass rose, and a tie down apron.
There are many recognized Michigan historical markers in Marshall, [48] including
Calhoun County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 134,310. The county seat is Marshall. The county was established on October 19, 1829, and named after John C. Calhoun, who was at the time Vice President under Andrew Jackson, making it one of Michigan's Cabinet counties. County government was first organized on March 6, 1833. Calhoun County comprises the Battle Creek Metropolitan Statistical Area and is included in the Kalamazoo-Battle Creek-Portage Combined Statistical Area.
Bedford Charter Township is a charter township located in the northwest corner of Calhoun County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is part of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, the township population was 9,198. Most of the township lies north of the Kalamazoo River and the city of Battle Creek. Three small noncontiguous areas of the township lie south of the Kalamazoo River.
Clarence Township is a civil township located in northeast Calhoun County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is part of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,903 at the 2020 census. The township was originally named Pinkney Township.
Emmett Charter Township is a charter township of Calhoun County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is part of the Battle Creek Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 11,744 at the 2020 census.
Homer Township is a civil township of Calhoun County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is part of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,896 at the 2020 census.
Leroy Township is a civil township of Calhoun County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is part of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,659 at the 2020 census.
Marengo Township is a civil township of Calhoun County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is part of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, the township population was 2,205.
Marshall Township is a civil township of Calhoun County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is part of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,157 at the 2020 census. The city of Marshall is adjacent to the township, but is administratively autonomous.
Charleston Township is a civil township of Kalamazoo County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The 2020 census recorded a population of 1,904, slightly down from 1,975 at the 2010 census.
Comstock Charter Township is a charter township of Kalamazoo County in the U.S. state of Michigan, located east of the city of Kalamazoo and is part of the Kalamazoo–Portage Metropolitan Area. The 2020 census recorded the population within the township at 15,231.
Wakeshma Township is a civil township of Kalamazoo County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The 2020 census recorded a population of 1,341, up from 1,301 at the 2010 census.
The Kalamazoo River is a river in the U.S. state of Michigan. The river is 130 miles (210 km) long from the junction of its North and South branches to its mouth at Lake Michigan, with a total length extending to 178 miles (286 km) when one includes the South Branch. The river's watershed drains an area of approximately 2,020 square miles (5,200 km2) and drains portions of ten counties in southwest Michigan: Allegan, Barry, Eaton, Van Buren, Kalamazoo, Calhoun, Jackson, Hillsdale, Kent and Ottawa. The river has a median flow of 1,863 cubic feet per second (52.8 m3/s) at New Richmond, upstream from its mouth at Saugatuck and Douglas.
Interstate 94 (I-94) is a part of the Interstate Highway System that runs from Billings, Montana, to the Lower Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. In Michigan, it is a state trunkline highway that enters the state south of New Buffalo and runs eastward through several metropolitan areas in the southern section of the state. The highway serves Benton Harbor–St. Joseph near Lake Michigan before turning inland toward Kalamazoo and Battle Creek on the west side of the peninsula. Heading farther east, I-94 passes through rural areas in the middle of the southern Lower Peninsula, crossing I-69 in the process. I-94 then runs through Jackson, Ann Arbor, and portions of Metro Detroit, connecting Michigan's largest city to its main airport. Past the east side of Detroit, the Interstate angles northeasterly through farmlands in The Thumb to Port Huron, where the designation terminates on the Blue Water Bridge at the Canada–United States border.
The Kalamazoo–Portage Metropolitan Area comprises a region surrounding Kalamazoo. 2015 estimates placed it as the 151st largest among similarly designated areas in the United States. 2015 estimates place the combined statistical area 85th among similarly designated areas.
The Marshall Historic District is a National Historic Landmark District that encompasses a significant portion of the central residential and commercial area of Marshall, Michigan. The district is nationally significant for the remarkably unified and well-preserved street plan, architecture, and public infrastructure, one of the largest such concentrations in the nation. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1991.
Battle Creek is a city in northwestern Calhoun County, Michigan, United States, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek rivers. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 52,731. It is the principal city of the Battle Creek metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses all of Calhoun County. Nicknamed "Cereal City", it is best known as the home of WK Kellogg Co and the founding city of Post Consumer Brands.
Talmadge Creek is a tributary of the Kalamazoo River. It is located in Calhoun County, Michigan, near the county seat of Marshall.
Charles T. Gorham was a Michigan banker and diplomat. He was one of the founders of the Republican party, an anti-slavery activist and a major general and division commander in the Michigan Militia during the years immediately preceding the American Civil War. After the war he served as United States Ambassador to the Netherlands and Assistant Secretary of the Interior.
Horace Hawkins Comstock was an American businessman, lawyer, and politician. He was very successful in business as a young man, purchased large quantities of land in the Michigan Territory in the early 1830s, founded the town of Comstock, Michigan, and served multiple terms in the Michigan Legislature. He built a reputation as a generous and helpful citizen, but following the death of his first wife, his family began to fall apart and his finances suffered, and he died intestate with little of his fortune left.
Adam Crosswhite (1799–1878) was a former slave who fled slavery along the Underground Railroad and settled in Marshall, Michigan. In 1847, slavers from Kentucky came to Michigan to kidnap African Americans and return them to slavery in Kentucky. Citizens of the town surrounded the Crosswhite's house and prevented them from being abducted. The Crosswhites fled to Canada, and their former enslaver, Francis Giltner, filed a suit, Giltner vs. Gorham et al., against residents of Marshall. Giltner won the case and was compensated for the loss of the Crosswhite family. After the Civil War, Crosswhite returned to Marshall, where he lived the rest of his life.
Mrs. Awsumb moved to Memphis from Marshall, Michigan, at the age of 15
Rear Admiral Cole was born in Marshall, Michigan, June 21, 1876
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