[4] Marianna was built as a mining town for the Pittsburgh Buffalo Company in 1907 and was incorporated in 1910.

The town's brick homes were designed to offer indoor bathrooms, fenced yards and other amenities making living conditions very attractive for the time.

At 10:55 a.m. on the morning of Saturday, November 28, 1908, an explosion occurred in the mine which killed 154 men and left only one survivor.

[5][6] Although the mine was quickly refurbished by the Pittsburgh Buffalo Company, the colliery's fortunes flagged.

[8] According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 2.0 square miles (5.2 km2), all land.