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Historical highlights of Marshall, North Carolina


    The North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office statewide inventory contains information on over 360 prehistoric and historic archaeological sites in Madison County.

    Marshall was an important stop on the Buncombe Turnpike, or Old Drovers' Road. They used the Turnpike to commute up and down the road that stretched from South Carolina to Tennessee, to markets in the region. Thousands of drovers with their hogs, sheep, horses, mules and turkeys passed through Marshall along the French Broad River each year.

    originally named Lapland.

    1851: Madison County was formed in 1851 from Buncombe and Yancey Counties. It was named for President James Madison. The county seat of Marshall (originally called Lapland) was named for U.S. Chief Justice John Marshall.

    1862 Union sympathizers and Confederate deserters raided the town of Marshall to get enough salt to survive the winter. This event led to the Shelton Laurel Massacre in January 1863.

    1889 William T. Weaver built Asheville's granite dam before building the dam at Marshall.

    Asheville Citizen Times, September 25, 19321902 flood as reported in the New York Times.

    1906: The Madison County Courthouse constructed in 1906. The two story Neo-Classical Revival brick structure in the heart of Marshall. It cost $30,000 to build. The cupola, a four stage polygonal structure, is one of the most impressive courthouse cupolas in North Carolina. The domical roof, bearing clocks on its alternate faces, is capped by a lantern which serves as a pedestal for a statue of Blind Justice. This courthouse was built by the famed architect, Richard Sharp Smith.

    Seven individual National Register listings are located across the county: California Creek Missionary Baptist Church (Mars Hill vicinity); Dorland Memorial Presbyterian Church (Hot Springs); Madison County Courthouse (Marshall); the Henry Ottinger House (Hot Springs vicinity); Sunnybank (Hot Springs); the James H. White House (Marshall); and the Jeff White House (Marshall vicinity).

    Marshall is a rich crossroads of rural Appalachian History which is interwoven in its existing craft and music culture.