The Journey of the Marshall House

In February, 1853 Daniel Marshall and his brother, Joseph, purchased lot 23 in North Manchester. In June of that year he was appointed Postmaster in North Manchester as part of political patronage under President Franklin Pierce. March 14, 1854 his son, Tom, was born in the house on lot 23, which was probably built soon after their arrival. Judging from a comparison of the value of the property when purchased and when sold, it appears that there was no house on it when the Marshalls bought the lot.

When Tom's mother became ill and the decision was made to move west in search of health for her, Joseph purchased the half share and then his brother, Milburn, bought the property from Joseph in March of 1863. Sometime during his ownership, Milburn moved the house to the corner of Third and Market and sold it to George and Ellen Cowgill Rhodes who lived in the house until George's death in 1872.

As part of the estate, the house was sold to John & Augusta Shively in 1872 and they lived there until they built a much larger house on the same lot in 1905. When the large house was finished, they sold the small (Marshall) house to Bartlet Krisher who moved it to a lot at the corner of Ninth & Walnut. After various owners there it became a rental property owned by Walter and Mary Jenet Penrod, who decided to sell it in 1992.

The North Manchester Historical Society had money in hand, hoping that the house would eventually be for sale and bought it. They began restoration at that site and arranged to move the house in September, 1994 to a site on town property at the southern edge of Halderman Cemetery. There restoration continued; the random-width poplar floors were exposed, the stairway was reset at the original location, the woodwork was repaired and restored, and shutters were repaired and all surfaces inside and out were repainted. Materials suitable to the period were used for most of the restoration.

The search for furnishings and other materials for the house is a long and difficult process. Slowly, as funds and suitable items are found, we are adding to the things in the house to show once more how the house might have looked in the last half of the 1800s. We are pleased to have this recognition of the significance of the Marshall House through the State Historical Marker.

Dedication and Acceptance of the State Historical Marker for the Thomas Marshall Birthplace.

On August 10, during Funfest, The Indiana State Historical Bureau presented a Marker to the Town and the Historical Society which has been placed in front of the house, now sited on Market Street on the grounds of the Halderman Cemetery. The text for the Marker is:

Side one Thomas Riley Marshall

Born 1854 in North Manchester in this house on Main Street. Was Governor of Indiana 1909 - 1913. Under his leadership, Indiana General Assembly enacted legislation, called the "Marshall Constitution," to improve government efficiency by amending the Constitution. Indiana Supreme Court declared the legislation unconstitutional, July 5, 1912.

Side two Thomas Riley Marshall

He was elected vice president 1912 under Woodrow Wilson. Marshall generally supported Wilson's proposals. He refused to assume powers of presidency after Wilson's stroke in 1919, believing it would be unconstitutional. Marshall was only the third vice president to serve two full terms. He died 1925 and is buried in Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis.

The event was chaired by Darlene Bucher, who directed the work of the planning committee. Ferne Baldwin described the various moves of the house, David Bennett , author of a recent book titled, He Almost Changed the World: The Life and Times of Thomas Riley Marshall, spoke of Marshall's life. A community choir directed by Debbie Chinworth and accompanied by Diana Bucher delighted with a number of songs of the period .

The Marker was presented by Pamela Bennett, Director, Indiana Historical Bureau, with appropriate remarks and accepted for the town by Carrie Mugford, City Clerk-Treasurer, and for the Historical Society by William Eberly, President. These three, plus Ferne Baldwin, uncovered the Marker . A sizeable crowd then read the Marker and toured the house which has been restored by the work of many volunteers under the skills and leadership of Steve Batzka, who completed much of the finishing work himself.

A note from Ms Bennett later said, "The ceremony was a model for community participation, and a lot of fun. . . . Please convey my thanks and appreciation to everyone for the ceremony and the tour, as well as the preservation of the Marshall home and your history. I'm glad we were able to spend the additional time learning about your activities."

NMHS Newsletter, August 2005

Thomas Marshall Birthplace Dedication 8/12/05

Good Morning!

For any of you who have been out of town for a very long time, my name is Marshall; Thomas Riley Marshall, and I was born in this very house on March 14, 1854. Do the math: I'm a certified Geezer! But I have also been a legal counselor to small communities, a Governor serving all Hoosiers, and the Vice President of all these 33 states ... yes, Kansas and Nebraska have just been admitted, though the news may not have reached this tiny town!

You may already know that this birthplace home was located on Main Street in 1854, but I'll rely on someone much younger than I to tell the travel tales of The Marshall Home.

When I was born in this little house, there was no Historical Society, much less a Public Library, Manchester College, Peabody Home, Timbercrest, or Fun Fest. My parents' idea of a Fun Fest was hearing a horse draw up in front of the house with a rider that was NOT about to deliver a baby! You do recall that my father, Daniel, was a doctor, don't you?

Anyone looking out the front door of this simple frame house would have seen an unpaved street where dust choked the traveler in the dry days of summer, where hogs and dogs and the occasional mule were free to wallow after a rain. Do I understand that travelers today can choose among The Treeway, The Hospitality House, and the Fruitt Basket? My, how North Manchester has grown!

We were a hardy population of 400 in 1854. If one looked down from a hot air balloon in those days, we'd see the cross-hatching of a few streets, a few thread-like roads winding among the trees; a few plumes of smoke; the gleam of sunlight on the river; we'd hear the distant thud of an ax; the sound of children shouting and laughing at play; a horse's whinny; a creaking cart; and all around this scene lies a vast forest, like an emerald ocean, stretching to the horizon.

Here and there we'd see open spaces, like islands, that indicate the feeble beginnings of agriculture. My father, Daniel Marshall, told me that he had cut down walnut trees that were six feet in diameter at the stump and soared a hundred feet into the sky before there was a limb! Those mighty trees were logged and burned to gain ground for growing crops! My, how we have wasted the resources of nature!

Well, it's nice to be back in North Manchester! From this gathering, I surmise that people here do recall that I got my humble beginnings here! I recall another visit, that time to Columbia City, to visit friends and family. I was vice president at the time and Mrs. Marshall and I came in on the night train. Unannounced. Unrecognized. As we were riding from the station to the hotel in the town hack, I thought I'd have a little fun with the driver.

"I hear Thomas Marshall once lived in this town. Is that right?" I asked.

"Yep," said the loquacious man, shifting his chaw of tobacco.

"Isn't he vice president of the United States?" I continued.

"Yep," replied the man, growing ever more eloquent.

"Well, what do they say here in Columbia City about Vice President Thomas Marshall?"

"They don't say nothing," the driver said. "They just laugh!"

On that humbling note, and given my bland ambition toward high places, I will dispense with my political rise and address what I see as the needs of your times.

Yes ... I know ... you are expecting me to say that, "What this country really needs is a good 5 cent cigar."

However saddled with that offside commentary I remain, I would today suggest, "What this country really needs is lasting and loving homes."

And so, we are gathered here today at this old home.

This house became "home" to me in 1854. That was just 20 years after Richard Helvey became the first white settler to find the solace and promise of this place beside the meandering Eel River compelling enough to make it his home.

Indeed, I have often speculated within the dusty reaches of my own mind, if this place has some cosmic connection to another home that became famous in 1854? That famous retreat and home belonged to Henry David Thoreau and sits beside Walden Pond. I suggest that one might draw more than a few parallels between the lessons of Walden and life beside the Eel.

My father was a doctor, so this house dispensed care and healing even before I came along. After we moved on to Pierceton and ultimately Columbia City, this old home provided warmth and shelter to a succession of people in a succession of places!

In my reading of the Holy Scriptures, I was always reminded that "As ye sow, so shall ye reap." Thus, it is entirely appropriate that this old home, having given care, comfort, and love for so many years, is now the recipient of this community's care and labors of love.

It is good to see your efforts and your continued commitment to being a community of lasting and loving homes.

It's been 19 years since I first returned to this town to participate in your sesquicentennial celebration in the play "Memory Speaks." As I did on that stage, I ask you to remember, "Friendship and goodwill. Friendship and goodwill."

David Grandstaff

The Marshall birth-house Dedication

With the dedication of the Thomas Marshall Birth-House on August 12, 2005 we have marked the completion of the first phase of this significant project. We have rescued the house, moved it to a secure location, and restored the basic structure to its original form. We have recovered its "architectural integrity". This has been a long and time-consuming process.

It was exciting to have Thomas Marshall himself (a.k.a. David Grandstaff) bring some remarks at this dedication ceremony. President Ferne Baldwin gave a history of the house itself. There was special music by Terry McKee, Marilyn Mason, and Debra Lynn. The Rotary Gazebo provided a beautiful setting for the program. Special guests included Mr. Stephen Berrey from the Indiana Historical Bureau and Mr. John Harris of the Indiana Historical Society, both from Indianapolis.

The second phase will involve the final refinishing of the interior in a somewhat original form. This involves painting, finishing the floor and woodwork and installing floor coverings.

The third phase is the furnishing of the house and creating displays of Marshall history. Since we have no original furniture from this house from the time of the Marshalls, we need to acquire various pieces from that general time frame. I am suggesting the period from 1850 to 1900. If we want to include the time span of Mr. Marshall's life, we would extend this to about 1925.

It will be doubly significant if furniture and other household articles have a North Manchester connection. We already have a cast iron stove made in North Manchester. We also have a dresser that was purchased by Amos B. Miller of rural North Manchester for his daughter, Bertha, on her 18th birthday, February 8, 1891. The Manchester merchant who sold the dresser was J. Straw, whose store was located in the building now occupied by John Knarr's book store. The shipping tag is still attached to the back of the dresser. A penciled notation in one of the drawers indicated the price at $10.00. There is also a small collection of doctor's supplies, including medicine bottles and a satchel carried by an early physician on his home visits. A committee has been working for some years on identifying items for the house. Our staff at the Center for History can develop exhibits and photographs for display.

We have applied for an official Indiana Historical Marker for the Marshall House. If this is approved, we can expect the marker to be installed sometime late summer or fall of 2006. It would be desirable to have most of phase three completed by this. This will call for another ceremony when this marker is installed.  William R. Eberly

The Story of the Thomas Marshall House

Told at the Dedication of the House

Riley Marshall grew up in Virginia, in what is now West Virginia. In 1818 he and his family came to the newly admitted state of Indiana and settled in Randolph County. Then they moved to Grant county and later sold his land there and moved to Wabash County. In the fall of 1848 he purchased 142 acres of farmland west of Lagro and soon original plat 108 in Lagro. In the late 1850s Riley moved to Kansas near his married daughters.

Daniel Marshall, one of Riley's nine children, became a physician. He married Martha Patterson who had come to visit her sister in Marion, Indiana and met him there. They located in North Manchester in 1848 and Daniel established a medical practice. They lived in a house on Original Plat 24 on Main Street which the Thorne family had purchased from Peter Ogan in 1839. The Thornes probably built the house sometime between 1839 and 1848.

Thomas Riley Marshall was born in North Manchester in this house March 14, 1854. When he was two years old, his mother developed tuberculosis. Daniel determined to treat her with what was called the open-air treatment and they moved westward near Urbana, Illinois where Martha was put on a diet of raw eggs and milk. Her health did not improve so they moved to Kansas near others of the family.

Kansas was in a turmoil with the struggle between pro-slavery and free state settlers. The Marshalls soon moved to La Grange, Missouri and there Martha regained her health. But Dr. Marshall had become involved in the political controversy and his life was being threatened. They fled at once: by sundown the family was on a boat headed for Quincy, Illinois. By November Dr. Marshall was practicing medicine in Pierceton, Indiana.

The Marshall House was moved about 1870 to the northwest corner of Third and Market Streets, probably by M. S. Marshall who owned the house from 1866-1872. His relationship, if any, to Daniel Marshall is unknown, but during the restoration of the building a business card for M. Marshall was found in the wall. George and Ellen Cowgill Rhodes were owners and occupants after the house was relocated to Third and Market. After George Rhodes died the property was sold to John and Augusta Shively. In 1905 they completed the building of a residence on the property and sold the building to Bartlet Krisher. Bartlet moved it to the northwest corner of Ninth and Walnut.

The history of the house during its life on Ninth and Walnut has not been documented. By 1992 it was a rental property owned by Walter and Mary Jenet Penrod. That year it was acquired by The North Manchester Historical Society and the restoration began. Additions to the house were removed there, a new roof was put on and the house was prepared for another move. On September 30, 1994 the house moved slowly a block west to Market and down Market to a site at the south end of Halderman park where a basement had been prepared. There the restoration continued.

Source: NMHS Newsletter, September 2004

The Thomas Marshall Birthplace

Ferne Baldwin

The Thomas Marshall House, now located on North Market next to the Public Library has traveled a long journey from its original home on Main Street at the site of the History Center. When the Historical Society became owners of the building it was located at Ninth and Walnut on the northwest of that intersection. What followed was the long process of finding another site, preparing the site and planning the move. Eventually the day came, and with lots of school children and other lining the streets, the house moved slowly down Market to its new and final home north of the Library.

Since the time, for more years than we hoped, we have worked within the limits of funds and time and energy to restore the house to the period of the 1850s when it was built. Before it was moved we replaced the roof and tore of a shed-like addition which had been built on the rear. Since we have rebuilt the rear wall (where the shed had been removed) replaced the stairway to its original position, replaced and restored windows, painted the exterior, took out added floors, wired the house, dry walled all walls.

This summer we have been working to bring the renovation to completion. Shutters are restored and painted. The exterior and the interior have been painted the final coat. Authentic hardware for new doors and for the shutters has been secured through the hard work of Steve Batzka. One of the most difficult tasks has been the restoration of the interior woodwork. It had been modified and cut up through the years. By the close of this season we hope to have the restoration complete and be working on the furnishing of the house with period furniture. That, too, is a difficult task.

We have been encouraged by the promise of a matching grant, and are beginning fund raising efforts to meet that challenge, and would be grateful for any help. We are eager for the day when we can open the house as one of the interesting and educational sights in North Manchester

Source: NMHS Newsletter, February 1998

Thomas Marshall House
End of Year Report for 1997

These items of construction were accomplished:
Removal of front half of the first layer of flooring boards revealed the original floor boards had been painted which, in turn, outlined the position of the original wall locations and stairway location.
Removed and replaced in the original location, the stairway to the second floor. The railing spindle's original location were discovered by locating the holes in the original floor boards and were replaced accordingly. Both railing and spindles in some locations had to be reproduced to match existing.
New walls have been framed in their original locations in the Entry and Living Room.
The exterior wood siding for the most part has been completed and some of the windows have been restored. New wood siding that was installed last summer was prime painted this fall.
There is low heat in the building and it will be maintained as necessary.
Items still to be done:
In the back half of the house the rest of the newer floor boards must to removed. It is hoped that this will reveal the rest of the original wall locations.
Portions of the second floor must be replaced and/or renewed where the stairway was taken out and framing must be stabilized.
Front door assembly and side lights installed and restored.
All plaster walls and ceilings except for observation areas to be removed.
All floors sanded and refinished, stairway stripped and refinished, and wall paneling, wainscoting and trim stripped and refinished.
Painting inside and outside completed.
We thank Joe Kitchel for his restoration work and Steve Batska for helpful consultation. The Boy Scouts and Robert Pittman deserve special thanks for their scraping and painting and Mr. Taylor for the use of his woodworking shop and tools in recreating and matching existing stairway parts and other wood trim. This has saved the Historical Society hundreds of dollars in millwork costs.

 The following article is from the NMHS Newsletter Feb 1993--

Historical Society Undertakes Preservation of Marshall House

Source: NEWSLETTER
of the North Manchester Historical Society, Inc.
VOLUME XI, NUMBER 3 (AUG, 1994)

Thomas Marshall Birthplace Moved to "Final" Location
by Ferne Baldwin