Marshall, North Carolina

History

During the Civil War, Marshall, as the seat of Confederate administration for Madison County, was the scene of conflict with the largely pro-Union rural population. On May 13, 1861, the election day for delegates to the state convention on secession from the Union, a man shot and killed the pro-secession county sheriff after a dispute in which the sheriff had shot the man's son.

Later, Confederate authorities restricted the distribution of salt, which was needed to preserve meat in the winter. In January 1863, a group of men raided the salt warehouse in Marshall, then proceeded to ransack the home of Colonel Lawrence Allen of the 64th North Carolina Regiment (the columned house below the courthouse dome in the Main Street photo).

In retaliation, the 64th North Carolina Regiment summarily executed 13 men and boys in the Shelton Laurel massacre.

From the 1950s to the 1980s, Marshall was the seat of the Ponder machine, which controlled all the patronage jobs in Madison County.

The Bank of French Broad, Capitola Manufacturing Company Cotton Yarn Mill, Madison County Courthouse, Marshall High School, Marshall Main Street Historic District, James H. White House, and Jeff White House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The town was impacted by Hurricane Helene in 2024. The hurricane destroyed several buildings in Marshall, and damaged the town hall.

Geography

Marshall is in southern Madison County, 19 mi by road northwest of Asheville. The townsite is blocked on one side by the French Broad River and on all other sides by steep mountainous terrain. Madison County residents say Marshall is "a block wide, a mile long, sky high and hell deep."

U.S. Route 70 Business passes through the center of town as Main Street, while U.S. Routes 25 and 70 bypass the town to the northeast. The combined highways lead southeast to Asheville and northwest 40 mi to Newport, Tennessee.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town of Marshall has a total area of 4.2 sqmi, of which 4.0 sqmi are land and 0.2 sqmi, or 5.21%, are water. The French Broad River, one of the major river systems of western North Carolina, flows westward through the south side of the town.

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Marshall has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Marshall was 102 F on September 6, 1925, July 21–22, 1926, and July 29, 1952, while the coldest temperature recorded was -18 F on January 21, 1985.

|Jan record high F = 79 |Feb record high F = 84 |Mar record high F = 90 |Apr record high F = 94 |May record high F = 96 |Jun record high F = 100 |Jul record high F = 102 |Aug record high F = 101 |Sep record high F = 102 |Oct record high F = 92 |Nov record high F = 84 |Dec record high F = 78

|Jan avg record high F = 67.0 |Feb avg record high F = 70.5 |Mar avg record high F = 77.8 |Apr avg record high F = 85.0 |May avg record high F = 86.8 |Jun avg record high F = 90.1 |Jul avg record high F = 91.8 |Aug avg record high F = 91.1 |Sep avg record high F = 89.0 |Oct avg record high F = 83.2 |Nov avg record high F = 75.2 |Dec avg record high F = 67.0 |year avg record high F = 92.9

|Jan avg record low F = 5.2 |Feb avg record low F = 10.3 |Mar avg record low F = 15.9 |Apr avg record low F = 24.2 |May avg record low F = 33.4 |Jun avg record low F = 45.2 |Jul avg record low F = 53.3 |Aug avg record low F = 51.4 |Sep avg record low F = 40.0 |Oct avg record low F = 25.9 |Nov avg record low F = 16.9 |Dec avg record low F = 11.4 |year avg record low F = 2.5

|Jan record low F = -18 |Feb record low F = -11 |Mar record low F = -3 |Apr record low F = 11 |May record low F = 27 |Jun record low F = 31 |Jul record low F = 41 |Aug record low F = 41 |Sep record low F = 28 |Oct record low F = 16 |Nov record low F = 3 |Dec record low F = -15

|Jan snow depth inch = 3.3 |Feb snow depth inch = 2.3 |Mar snow depth inch = 2.2 |Apr snow depth inch = 0.3 |May snow depth inch = 0.0 |Jun snow depth inch = 0.0 |Jul snow depth inch = 0.0 |Aug snow depth inch = 0.0 |Sep snow depth inch = 0.0 |Oct snow depth inch = 0.0 |Nov snow depth inch = 0.2 |Dec snow depth inch = 3.5 |year snow depth inch = 7.2

|access-date = June 28, 2025 |access-date = June 28, 2025

Demographics

Marshall is part of the Asheville metropolitan area.

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 777 people, 346 households, and 195 families residing in the town.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 842 people, 390 households, and 225 families residing in the town. The population density was 240.1 /mi2. There were 443 housing units at an average density of 126.6 /mi2. The racial makeup of the town was 98.57% White, 0.48% African American, 0.36% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.12% from other races, and 0.24% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.60% of the population.

There were 390 households, out of which 23.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.2% were married couples living together, 15.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.3% were non-families. 37.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.12 and the average family size was 2.81.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 21.7% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 21.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $24,188, and the median income for a family was $36,250. Males had a median income of $26,172 versus $22,875 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,245. About 13.7% of families and 23.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.6% of those under age 18 and 18.8% of those age 65 or over.

In the media

The Amazon Prime Video series The Peripheral shot scenes in the town on September 24, 2021.

Independent filmmakers Joel Haver and Dylan Dexter released the film 31 Days in Marshall, North Carolina in 2019. The film was shot entirely in Marshall in 2017, and features multiple townsfolk in both the cast as well as background musical talent.

Wiley Cash's 2012 debut novel, A Land More Kind Than Home, is set in Marshall and the surrounding area.

References

References

1. "2024 U.S. Gazetteer Files: North Carolina". United States Census Bureau.
2. "P1. Race – Marshall town, North Carolina: 2020 DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)". U.S. Census Bureau.
3. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
4. {{GNIS. 2406103
5. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
6. (1988). "Bushwhackers: The Civil War in North Carolina (The Mountains)". John F. Blair.
7. (1988). "Bushwhackers: The Civil War in North Carolina (The Mountains)". John F. Blair.
8. {{NRISref
9. (September 7, 2012). "National Register of Historic Places Listings". National Park Service.
10. (3 October 2024). "Shovel by shovel, N.C. towns dig out from Helene mud and debris". NPR.
11. (2 October 2024). "As residents dig out of the mud, they know Helene has forever changed their NC town". Charlotte Observer.
12. Bergin, Mark. (2024-10-03). "Marshall overwhelmed by mud: Residents struggle to dig out after Helene flooding".
13. Pinsky, Mark. (April 25, 1994). "The abridgment of Madison County, N.C.: For four decades, the Ponder clan ruled the region as a virtual fiefdom. But a recent voter revolution has the 'dictatorship' in steady decline.".
14. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov.
15. "Explore Census Data".
16. Casey, Johnny. (May 26, 2021). "New details emerge on upcoming show production to be filmed in Marshall this fall".
17. Joel Haver. (2019-11-28). "31 Days in Marshall, North Carolina".