Marshall Public Library (Marshall, IL)

South Side School – Early in Marshall’s history school classes were taught in several small school buildings in town including the King School in the southwest part of Marshall and the Little Brick School in the south east section. These schools proved inadequate for the growing population, and in 1887 a two story building with four classrooms was erected in the south part of town on the block between Walnut and Elm and S. 6th and 8th Streets. This school served students in grades 1 through 8 living south of Archer Avenue in Marshall. Four more rooms were added on the east side of the school by Joe Forbeck in 1908. More room was needed, and in 1956 Walnut Street was closed between 6th Street, Michigan Avenue, and 8th Street, and a one story addition containing a cafeteria/gymnasium and 13 classrooms was erected on the north side of the old building with a connecting hallway. In 1977 the old part of the South Side School building was torn down. Since then other additions and many improvements have been made to the South School building which now houses all of Marshall’s Kindergarten through 2nd grade classes.
Current school address is 805 S. 6th St.

Notes from Brian Murphy:
The house was originally built by Nineveh Shaw. The farm was later purchased by James C Bryan, my Great Great Grandfather. He was the first hardware store owner in Marshall. Dad and Uncle George Kile had the house torn down, they found it had walnut floor joists and poplar flooring. I have the original order for the lumber that came from Walnut Prairie. It was purchased from William B Archer. That farm had a loom shed on it where farmers brought flax to make linen material. I have a throw that was made there. The farm is now the Westwood Subdivision.

The north east corner lot at Clinton (5th) and Main (Archer Avenue) Streets north of the courthouse in Marshall was unique because for many years it was the only lot on the 500 block of Main that did not have a business building. In 1838 a house was erected by Dr. Poole and served as a residence and doctor’s office for many years. It became the Shaw residence and after it was no longer used as a home it was used for several businesses until 1927 when the house was torn down and replaced by a filling station erected by the Ohio Oil division of the Lincoln Oil Refining Company of Robinson, Illinois. Several businesses followed including J’s Coin Laundry and Cooper’s Laundry and Dry Cleaning.