In 1837, the people of Guyandotte, then a village on the Virginia frontier, resolved to open a school for their sons and daughters. Tradition says local lawyer John Laidley convinced his neighbors to name the school for his friend, Chief Justice John Marshall. The one-room log cabin that housed those first students soon gave way to a two-story brick building that, with various additions over the years, became the school's Old Main. For decades, the cherished landmark has stood like a proud sentinel, watching Marshall grow and evolve into a major university with an enrollment over 16,000. This remarkable volume, with more than 200 historic photographs from the Marshall archives, chronicles the dramatic Marshall saga.
About the Author:
Retired newspaper editor James E. Casto is the author of Arcadia Publishing's Cabell County and Southern West Virginia: Coal Country. In 2004, Marshall awarded him its John Marshall Medal of Civic Responsibility in recognition of his services to the university and the community.
