Route 40 passes through hundreds of
cities, towns, villages and communities along its 3,220
mile route. Of those, Marshall is quintessential Americana.
As you spend time in Marshall, you can't help but feel
like Norman Rockwell would feel at home there. There's
also something very Mayberry-like here in Marshall.
The town first came to attention of
students of Route 40 in George
Stewart's book, U.S. 40 (1953, Houghton Mifflin).
Stewart's photo showed the northeast corner of Archer
Avenue 6th Street at 6th Street.
The undated photograph below right shows
the southwest corner of the same intersection. National
Geographic photographer Melissa Farlow in her work
for an article on the National Road ("America's
Highway," March 1995) declared Marshall as one
of the most representative of small town America. Hey,
what more can you say about a town who once declared
it as a place where the "porch lights burn all
night?"
While things may appear idyllic, the
town has undergone many changes in the past 50 years.
Like many small towns in America, its Main Street (Archer
Avenue) has seen its core businesses move from downtown
to the off ramps of the Interstate Highway exit a few
miles to the north. What was once a thriving city center
is now a refuge for the hangers-on and those business
that do not wish to be located so far from the center
of town.
Below is a map showing the current placement
of businesses in Marshall. The red dots with the letter
R represent retailers, F is for restaurants, G for gas
stations and L for lodging. The map show these businesses
in relation to three roads through and around town.
I-70 is to the north. The current alignment of Route
40 which bypasses the town's downtown section is in
the middle while the original Route 40 alignment is
to the south.
At one time, most of the businesses
were along Archer Avenue (old Route 40) or the main
crossroads, Michigan Avenue and 6th Street. At first
glance it may seem as if there is a balance between
the downtown and the I-70 exit ramp, however what the
map doesn't illustrate is the nature of the businesses.
For example, with two exceptions, all of Marshall's
lodging is located at the I-70 exit ramp area. Moreover,
the exit area is predominantly cluttered with larger
corporate chains (McDonald's Wendy's Hardee's, Burger
King, Subway, Super 8, Wal-Mart). The downtown area
is almost exclusively smaller independent businesses.
