Madison County residents say Marshall is "a block wide, a mile long, sky high and hell deep.

"[5] The Bank of French Broad, Capitola Manufacturing Company Cotton Yarn Mill, Madison County Courthouse, Marshall High School, Marshall Main Street Historic District, James H. White House, and Jeff White House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

[6][7] During the Civil War, Marshall, as the seat of Confederate administration for Madison County, was the scene of conflict with the largely pro-Union rural population.

In January 1863, a group of men raided the salt warehouse in Marshall, then proceeded to ransack the home of Colonel Lawrence Allen of the 64th North Carolina Regiment (the columned house below the courthouse dome in the Main Street photo).

In retaliation, the 64th North Carolina Regiment summarily executed 13 men and boys in the Shelton Laurel massacre.

[15] Independent filmmakers Joel Haver and Dylan Dexter released the film 31 Days in Marshall, North Carolina in 2019.

[16] Wiley Cash's 2012 debut novel, A Land More Kind Than Home, is set in Marshall and the surrounding area.