Editing Marshall, Missouri (section)

==History==

Sixty-five acres of land for the city of Marshall was donated by Jeremiah O’Dell, deeded on April 13, 1839. It was named for the United States Supreme Court Chief Justice, John Marshall, when chosen for the county seat. After the first two courthouses in Marshall were lost to fires, the Saline County Courthouse was constructed in January 1882; it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. The courthouse is an enduring landmark in the center of the Marshall Square, and a legacy of Nineteenth-Century architecture.<ref name="visitmarshallmo.com">{{Cite web|url=http://www.visitmarshallmo.com/play/historical/|title = PLAY &#124; United States &#124; Visit Marshall Mo}}</ref>

The [[Nicholas-Beazley Airplane Company]] was an American aircraft manufacturer headquartered in Marshall in the 1920s and 1930s. At its peak, the company produced as many as one aircraft per day. In 1937, production of aircraft ceased, due to economic pressures from the [[Great Depression]]. Today, the Nicholas Beazley Aviation Museum is located at the Marshall Airport, with artifacts of interest from aviation history. ConAgra Foods owns the property of the old Nicholas-Beazley Airplane Company factory building, located right off the Marshall square; the factory building was torn down in the summer of 2015 to expand the ConAgra plant.<ref>[[Nicholas-Beazley Airplane Company]]</ref>{{Circular reference|date=September 2015}}

Marshall is rich in music history. Marshall is the home of Bob James, the acclaimed jazz musician; the Foothills Fest Music Festival; The Marshall Municipal Band; and, notably, the Marshall Philharmonic Orchestra. The Orchestra performs every year for the public, free of charge, and has been featured in the [[Los Angeles Times]] in 2006 and on [[NBC]]'s American Almanac in December 1985, among other media outlets. The Philharmonic Orchestra has been performing for 52 years and counting. The Municipal Band has been performing for over 100 years and usually performs on the Courthouse lawn every Thursday evening during the summer months, filling the town square with music.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.marshallphilharmonic.org/ |title=Marshall Philharmonic Orchestra &#124; "Music … the favorite passion of my soul." -- Thomas Jefferson |access-date=2015-08-07 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150801195637/http://marshallphilharmonic.org/ |archive-date=2015-08-01 }}</ref>

Marshall is also home to [[Jim the Wonder Dog]]. Jim earned his reputation as a 'wonder dog' during the 1930s, puzzling psychologists from both [[Washington University in St. Louis]] and [[University of Missouri]]. Dr. A. J. Durant, director of the School of Veterinary Medicine, tested Jim's abilities in a public demonstration. He concluded that Jim, "possessed an occult power that might never come again to a dog in many generations." Jim seemed to have the ability to guess the sex of an unborn baby and answer to orders in many different languages even though his owner, Sam Van Arsdale, spoke only English. Jim the Wonder Dog picked the winner of the Kentucky Derby seven years in a row, and also predicted the [[New York Yankees|Yankees]]' victory in the 1936 World Series. A joint session of the Missouri Legislature was called in order to witness the talents of Jim. He died March 18, 1937.<ref>[[Jim the Wonder Dog]]</ref>{{Circular reference|date=September 2015}}

During the Civil War, Marshall was frequently garrisoned by Union troops and was considered of some symbolic significance. This was due to Marshall’s close proximity to Arrow Rock (the hometown of the former Missouri governor in exile, [[Claiborne Fox Jackson]]). Before the [[Battle of Boonville]], the former Governor [[Claiborne Fox Jackson]] ordered munition power to be removed from the Jefferson City to Boonville by boat. Where it was then hidden amongst the fields of counties of Cooper, Saline, etc. This powder was referred to as the Kelly Powder.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Missouri Historical Company, St. Louis, pub. |url=https://lccn.loc.gov/22010228 |title=History of Saline County, Missouri, carefully written and compiled from the most authentic official and private sources ... with a condensed history of Missouri; the state constitution; a military record of its volunteers in either army of the great civil war ... biographical sketches of prominent men. St. Louis, Missouri historical company, 1881. |publisher=St. Louis, Missouri historical company, 1881. |year=1881 |publication-date=1881 |pages=280–281 |language=English |oclc=2687083}}</ref> In addition, after the events of July 19, 1859 ([[List of lynching victims in the United States|when three black men were lynched outside the county courthouse]]) had reached Northern media outlets. It prompted pro unionist to refer to Marshall, Missouri as “the place where men are burned at the stake.” Often labeling the residents as unruly. Numerous citizens were arrested on suspicion of feeding confederate bushwhackers, or for having sympathies to the "Southern Cause". Although Marshall was strategically unimportant, it was considered symbolic to the “Southern Cause”. Which ultimately led to the town being the victim of two Confederate raids, the burning of the County court house in August 1864, and the site of the October 13, 1863, Battle of Marshall, the climax of Colonel [[Joseph Shelby|J. O. Shelby's]] 1863 [[Shelby's Raid (1863)|"Great Raid"]]. Confronted by a larger force of 1,800 Federal troops and [[Missouri State Militia (Union)|Missouri State Militia]], Shelby broke through, divided his command and withdrew from Missouri.<ref name="visitmarshallmo.com"/><ref>McLachlan, Sean. (2011) ''Ride Around Missouri; Shelby's Great Raid 1863". Osprey Publishing. pp. 52-67</ref><ref>”History of Saline County” (1881) St. Louis Historical Company. pp. 259-265 and 270-358</ref>

Missouri Valley College was founded in Marshall in 1889. The history of [[Missouri Valley College]] began during a conference at [[Sarcoxie, Missouri]], on October 27, 1874, where the representatives of the several [[Presbyterian]] synods in the state of Missouri met to discuss founding the school. The school was affiliated with the [[Cumberland Presbyterian Church]] for a long period.

The college's original building, [[Baity Hall]], was built in 1889, the year of the college's founding, and is listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]]. The Victorian Era building is notable for its beautiful wooden staircase, vaulted wooden ceilings, and stained glass windows. Missouri Valley College is a private, four-year liberal arts college affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). The 150-acre (60.7 ha) campus is found within the city limits of Marshall. The college supports 27 academic majors and an enrollment close to 1,800 students. Missouri Valley College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, a Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.<ref>[[Missouri Valley College]]</ref>{{Circular reference|date=September 2015}}

In addition to Baity Hall, the [[Chicago and Alton Depot]], [[First Presbyterian Church (Marshall, Missouri)|First Presbyterian Church]], [[Fitzgibbon Hospital]], [[Free Will Baptist Church of Pennytown]], [[Mt. Carmel Historic District]], [[Saline County Courthouse (Missouri)|Saline County Courthouse]], [[Utz Site]], [[Van Meter State Park|Van Meter State Park Combination Building]], and [[Van Meter State Park|Van Meter State Park Shelter Building]] are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref><ref name="nps">{{cite web|url=http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/listings/20121026.htm|title=National Register of Historic Places|date=2012-10-26|work=Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 10/15/12 through 10/19/12|publisher=National Park Service}}</ref>