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