Thomas Marcellus Marshall
(1851-1926)


A person who I have always heard about is Marcellus Marshall. He served as principal of Glenville State Normal School (now Glenville State College) between 1875 and 1881. His long, white beard was a thing to behold. (As you can see from the photo) He was an unconventional man who lived a long and interesting life. Among other things, he loved to travel, and he usually found ways to visit foreign countries at little personal expense.

Mr. Marshall was born in Stouts Mill, located on Route 5 between Glenville and Burnsville. He was in the first graduating class at Marshall College in 1870. Marshall is said to have hauled coal, cleaned the building, and whatever else was necessary for a time while the Glenville Normal School was without state funding.

I have always wanted to visit his gravesite. I had heard that his large monument stands along the Littler Kanawha riverbank in Stouts Mill to commemorate his death in November 1926. For years a local fraternity would keep the cemetery clean and remove the weeds. After many decades in Glenville, it was only a few years ago that I ventured down into the historic Stout’s Cemetery. It is within walking distance of Route 5 and is tucked down the hill by the waters of the Little Kanawha River. It is said that Marshall wanted to be buried here so he could be close to the riverboats traveling the river. Oh, would he be surprised to find that the river can hardly be transversed by a canoe these days due to silting.

Wow! The monument is certainly impressive. It was reportedly imported from Europe and is a very tall marble obelisk As you can see from my photos, it is worth an afternoon’s hike to see Marcellus Marshall’s unique grave marker.