Marlin, Texas
Encyclopedia
Marlin is a city in Falls County
, Texas
, United States
. The population was 6,628 at the 2000 census, but decreased to 5,967 by 2010. It is also the (third) county seat
of Falls County, and has been so since 1851. Marlin has been given the nickname the Hot Mineral Water City of Texas when mineral waters were found in 1892.
in the year of 1834. Marlin was later incorporated in 1867, and was named after a pioneer patriot, John Marlin
. His son-in-law was Samuel A. Blain. Blain laid out streets and lots, and drafted a map around a square. Three churches—a Presbyterian, Methodist, and Baptist—were given lots first, and relocated to the east side of the square. Zenas Bartlett's General Store was the first business to be established in Marlin. When Bartlett's wife died, the general store was deeded to the city and used as a town hall. A simple brick building temporarily stood as a school. The first of four county courthouses was a log cabin. It was used for county business and court, a school, a church, a meeting place for political and community events, and as a dance hall. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 1938 and 1939, after the third courthouse, which was built in 1887, was declared unsafe.
Before the county of Falls was organized, the settlement of Marlin already had established private schools. A tuition school, Marlin Male and Female Academy was located on Ward Street in 1871, north of the public square. The school was renamed and relocated before finally being sold in 1886, only to be destroyed by fire in 1900. A replacement, brick school was constructed in 1903. Marlin I.S.D. (Independent School District) was established in 1923. Nearly half a century before in 1875, two other schools for blacks were organized. The two black schools were dependent on state funds, and met in the African and Baptist churches. In 1916, the city council voted to build a school for blacks, which after it was first built, it was moved to Commerce Street, (where it is still located today) and named Booker T. Washington. In 1900, the town's Jewish residents organized a Sunday School
.
, which was believed to heal any sickness or pain, by bathing in it. Even though the waters had a smell to them, they still seemed to be 'magic' when people bathed in the stuff, and actually felt better. Bath houses were opened around the town of Marlin so people could come and takes bathes in the mineral water, after it was discovered in 1892 during the search for an artesian well. The mineral water had put the town on the map as hundreds of thousands of tourists flocked to the area. Marlin got the name of the Mineral Water City of Texas.
Also in 1892, the Bank of Marlin was opened, and was run for over seventy years, closing in about the year of 1963.
The New York Giants baseball team (now the San Francisco Giants
) held their spring training
in Marlin from 1908-18.
In 1929, Conrad Hilton
built his eighth Hilton Hotel in his chain in Marlin, a nine-floor, 110 room building that could be seen for miles out of the city limits
of Marlin, named the Falls Hotel. Across the street was the Marlin Sanitarium Bathhouse. An underground tunnel connected the two buildings.
A fire destroyed the underground tunnel. The Sanatarium Bath House was torn down and the Falls Hotel was closed. It is still the tallest building in Falls County
today. The location of the bath house is now the city post office and a gazebo park. The location of where another nearby hotel on Coleman Street, the Arlington Hotel, is now the location of a Mexican restaurant, Lupita's, and the Marlin Inn. The Arlington Hotel was first built as a three-floor hotel in 1895, and burned in 1899. An even more grand structure made of brick and stone was made after that, taller than three floors, but it was soon closed down as well.
The first floor of the Falls Hotel is the only part of the hotel that the public can visit. Original rooms of the hotel are now another Mexican restaurant, a beauty salon, and an eye doctor. City events are also held in the ballroom of the Falls Hotel.
Mineral water can only be found in a fountain right outside of the Marlin Chamber of Commerce, which is just shy of the old location of the Arlington Hotel. Citizens are allowed to control the water whenever they want by turning the fountain on and off.
Wallace, a business-form printing company which was the job center of hundreds in Marlin, closed in the mid-2000s. A styrofoam company had been open in another building in Marlin's declining industrial park
, had caught fire and the remains were demolished. The Thomas Connally Veteran's Affair Hospital, an eight-floor building in the residential area of Marlin, located at the corner of Ward and Virginia Streets closed completely in 2005, losing even more hundreds of jobs to Marlinites, as the economy in Marlin continued to struggle.
By 2009, different census estimates had said that Marlin's population had decreased by between 400 and 800 people. Though it looked like the 2010 census would show Marlin has a town with a population in the 5000's, things looked good for Marlin. An article in the Waco Tribune-Herald
showed residents of the rapidly growing, nearby Waco, Texas
that Marlin could grow. A new $10-million water plant was about two months from being finished that would improve Marlin's water, which has proved to be unreliable in the past. The article mentioned a three-floor, sixty-room Best Western Hotel that was being constructed on Highway 6 at the intersection of the highway and Farm-to-Market Road 147. The Veterans' Affair hospital that had been shut down years before was now being renovated by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice of Marlin as a hospital for prisoners. The hospital would employ 100-150 people. Also the Bible Way Church Family Worship Center would be opening up a new 30000 square feet (2,787.1 m²) facility that would double as a church and a community center, offering sports, a medical clinic, skating, and other activities.
But the major story in the Sunday article was that "Coach" Ken Carter
would be opening up a boarding school
for boys in the Fall of 2009, for boys who might be facing poverty, and underachievers ready to make a change. The boarding school
would be at the former home of the Marlin Middle School. Coach Carter is well-known for his 2005 movie Coach Carter
, based on a true story about a basketball coach whose team was currently 13-0, but learned that his students were doing poorly in the classes, if even attending them. Carter lockdown
ed the gymnasium until the grades of fifteen of his players who were failing improved to at least a 2.3 grade point average. The lockdown lasted for eight days as the team had to forfeit two games. Eventually the team would finish 19-5.
Ken Carter had not known about Marlin before the movie. After finishing shooting the movie, Carter was in Dallas when he rented a car and just took a drive down Interstate 35
to Waco
, and turned south onto Highway 6 and discovered Marlin, a town that he instantly fell in love with, which does not happen very often. "I fell in love with this little town. I enjoyed the people, and I loved how green everything was." said Carter.
Coach Carter spent hundreds of thousands of dollars from his movies into renovating the old, abandoned buildings. The boarding school will serve for grades from 8-12, and the first year will have up to 150 students, 64 to live on campus in dorms with a kitchen and laundry rooms. The total school day will be 12 hours with homework and sports, including basketball, football, and baseball. The students will also run their own store and barber shop on campus.
"We want the new generation to start thinking differently. People ask me, 'Why Marlin?' And I say, 'why not Marlin?' They act as if no great thing can come from Marlin."
A town meeting held at the former middle school buildings attracted guests such as Martin Luther King III
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 4.6 square miles (11.9 km²), of which, 4.5 square miles (11.7 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it (1.09%) is water.
, located about three miles (5 km) northeast of the Marlin city limits.
of 2000, there were 6,628 people, 2,415 households, and 1,509 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,465.4 people per square mile (566.2/km²). There were 2,826 housing units at an average density of 624.8 per square mile (241.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 85.00% White, 24.48% African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 11.62% from other races
, and 1.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 18.30% of the population.
There were 2,415 households out of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.7% were married couples
living together, 22.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.5% were non-families. 34.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.21.
In the city the population was spread out with 33.2% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 21.3% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 19.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 96.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $21,443, and the median income for a family was $26,861. Males had a median income of $25,220 versus $18,111 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $13,555. About 27.9% of families and 31.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 40.8% of those under age 18 and 16.8% of those age 65 or over. Marlin currently on the upswing and should return to its haydays in the near future.
(TDCJ) operates the Marlin Unit, a transfer facility for men, in the City of Marlin. The unit opened in June 1992 and was transferred to the Texas Youth Commission
(TYC) in May 1995. When it was a part of TYC, the facility, named the Marlin Orientation and Assessment Unit, served as the place of orientation for children of both sexes being committed into TYC from the facility's opening in 1995 to its transfer out of TYC in 2007. In September 2007 the facility was transferred back to the TDCJ. The TDCJ also operates the William P. Hobby Unit, a prison for women located southwest of Marlin in unincorporated
Falls County
and named for former Lieutenant Governor
Bill Hobby.
The United States Postal Service
operates the Marlin Post Office.
, and is also home to the Coach Carter Impact Academy
, opened and ran by Ken "Coach" Carter
.
Falls County, Texas
Falls County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 18,576. In 2003, the population of the county was estimated to be 17,926. It is named for the waterfalls on the Brazos River, which can be found at the Falls On The Brazos Park, a campsite located only a few...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 6,628 at the 2000 census, but decreased to 5,967 by 2010. It is also the (third) county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Falls County, and has been so since 1851. Marlin has been given the nickname the Hot Mineral Water City of Texas when mineral waters were found in 1892.
Establishment
The city of Marlin is located about four miles (6 km) east of the Brazos River, which runs straight through the center of the county. That was the site of Sarahville de Viesca, in which was established by Sterling C. RobertsonSterling C. Robertson
Sterling Clack Robertson was an empresario from Tennessee, during Mexican Texas. He introduced 600 families into Robertson's Colony. Robertson was also an elected delegate to the Washington-on-the-Brazos convention, signing both the Texas Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the...
in the year of 1834. Marlin was later incorporated in 1867, and was named after a pioneer patriot, John Marlin
John Marlin (Texas)
John Marlin was a Texian patriot and the namesake of Marlin, Texas. John was granted a league of land east of the Brazos River in 1835 and started a settlement later honored on his behalf years after being killed in Indian attacks....
. His son-in-law was Samuel A. Blain. Blain laid out streets and lots, and drafted a map around a square. Three churches—a Presbyterian, Methodist, and Baptist—were given lots first, and relocated to the east side of the square. Zenas Bartlett's General Store was the first business to be established in Marlin. When Bartlett's wife died, the general store was deeded to the city and used as a town hall. A simple brick building temporarily stood as a school. The first of four county courthouses was a log cabin. It was used for county business and court, a school, a church, a meeting place for political and community events, and as a dance hall. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 1938 and 1939, after the third courthouse, which was built in 1887, was declared unsafe.
Before the county of Falls was organized, the settlement of Marlin already had established private schools. A tuition school, Marlin Male and Female Academy was located on Ward Street in 1871, north of the public square. The school was renamed and relocated before finally being sold in 1886, only to be destroyed by fire in 1900. A replacement, brick school was constructed in 1903. Marlin I.S.D. (Independent School District) was established in 1923. Nearly half a century before in 1875, two other schools for blacks were organized. The two black schools were dependent on state funds, and met in the African and Baptist churches. In 1916, the city council voted to build a school for blacks, which after it was first built, it was moved to Commerce Street, (where it is still located today) and named Booker T. Washington. In 1900, the town's Jewish residents organized a Sunday School
Sunday school
Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...
.
1890s Bring Good to Marlin; Falls and Arlington Hotels
Despite not going over the 15,000 population barrier, Marlin did get many tourists from around the country for its famous mineral waterMineral water
Mineral water is water containing minerals or other dissolved substances that alter its taste or give it therapeutic value, generally obtained from a naturally occurring mineral spring or source. Dissolved substances in the water may include various salts and sulfur compounds...
, which was believed to heal any sickness or pain, by bathing in it. Even though the waters had a smell to them, they still seemed to be 'magic' when people bathed in the stuff, and actually felt better. Bath houses were opened around the town of Marlin so people could come and takes bathes in the mineral water, after it was discovered in 1892 during the search for an artesian well. The mineral water had put the town on the map as hundreds of thousands of tourists flocked to the area. Marlin got the name of the Mineral Water City of Texas.
Also in 1892, the Bank of Marlin was opened, and was run for over seventy years, closing in about the year of 1963.
The New York Giants baseball team (now the San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
) held their spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
in Marlin from 1908-18.
In 1929, Conrad Hilton
Conrad Hilton
Conrad Nicholson Hilton was an American businessman and investor. He is well known for being the founder of the Hilton Hotels chain.-Early life:Hilton was born in San Antonio, New Mexico...
built his eighth Hilton Hotel in his chain in Marlin, a nine-floor, 110 room building that could be seen for miles out of the city limits
City limits
The terms city limits and city boundary refer to the defined boundary or border of a city. The area within the city limits is sometimes called the city proper. The terms town limits/boundary and village limits/boundary mean the same as city limits/boundary, but apply to towns and villages...
of Marlin, named the Falls Hotel. Across the street was the Marlin Sanitarium Bathhouse. An underground tunnel connected the two buildings.
A fire destroyed the underground tunnel. The Sanatarium Bath House was torn down and the Falls Hotel was closed. It is still the tallest building in Falls County
Falls County, Texas
Falls County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 18,576. In 2003, the population of the county was estimated to be 17,926. It is named for the waterfalls on the Brazos River, which can be found at the Falls On The Brazos Park, a campsite located only a few...
today. The location of the bath house is now the city post office and a gazebo park. The location of where another nearby hotel on Coleman Street, the Arlington Hotel, is now the location of a Mexican restaurant, Lupita's, and the Marlin Inn. The Arlington Hotel was first built as a three-floor hotel in 1895, and burned in 1899. An even more grand structure made of brick and stone was made after that, taller than three floors, but it was soon closed down as well.
The first floor of the Falls Hotel is the only part of the hotel that the public can visit. Original rooms of the hotel are now another Mexican restaurant, a beauty salon, and an eye doctor. City events are also held in the ballroom of the Falls Hotel.
Mineral water can only be found in a fountain right outside of the Marlin Chamber of Commerce, which is just shy of the old location of the Arlington Hotel. Citizens are allowed to control the water whenever they want by turning the fountain on and off.
Modern Utilities in Marlin
Phones began appearing in households in Marlin in the year 1900. Automobiles, electricity, and Lone Star gas followed shortly. By the mid-1900s, Marlin had a bottling company, stock pens, a brickyard, a turkey-processing plant, (building can still be seen on Williams Street/South Business Highway 6) a saddlery, a water crystallization plant, and a pottery plant.The 2000's
At the census in 2000, Marlin had a population of 6,628, a increase of 242 more people from 1990, when the census said Marlin had a population of 6,386. Things went downhill from there.Wallace, a business-form printing company which was the job center of hundreds in Marlin, closed in the mid-2000s. A styrofoam company had been open in another building in Marlin's declining industrial park
Industrial park
An industrial park is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development...
, had caught fire and the remains were demolished. The Thomas Connally Veteran's Affair Hospital, an eight-floor building in the residential area of Marlin, located at the corner of Ward and Virginia Streets closed completely in 2005, losing even more hundreds of jobs to Marlinites, as the economy in Marlin continued to struggle.
By 2009, different census estimates had said that Marlin's population had decreased by between 400 and 800 people. Though it looked like the 2010 census would show Marlin has a town with a population in the 5000's, things looked good for Marlin. An article in the Waco Tribune-Herald
Waco Tribune-Herald
The Waco Tribune-Herald is an American daily newspaper serving Waco, Texas and vicinity.The newspaper has its roots in five different predecessors, beginning with the Waco Evening Telephone in 1892. The Tribune-Herald took its current identity when E.S...
showed residents of the rapidly growing, nearby Waco, Texas
Waco, Texas
Waco is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas. Situated along the Brazos River and on the I-35 corridor, halfway between Dallas and Austin, it is the economic, cultural, and academic center of the 'Heart of Texas' region....
that Marlin could grow. A new $10-million water plant was about two months from being finished that would improve Marlin's water, which has proved to be unreliable in the past. The article mentioned a three-floor, sixty-room Best Western Hotel that was being constructed on Highway 6 at the intersection of the highway and Farm-to-Market Road 147. The Veterans' Affair hospital that had been shut down years before was now being renovated by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice of Marlin as a hospital for prisoners. The hospital would employ 100-150 people. Also the Bible Way Church Family Worship Center would be opening up a new 30000 square feet (2,787.1 m²) facility that would double as a church and a community center, offering sports, a medical clinic, skating, and other activities.
But the major story in the Sunday article was that "Coach" Ken Carter
Ken Carter
Kenny Ray Carter is an American business owner, education activist and former high school basketball coach. Carter attended college at San Francisco State, then Contra Costa College, and finally George Fox University, where he played basketball.-Biography:...
would be opening up a boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
for boys in the Fall of 2009, for boys who might be facing poverty, and underachievers ready to make a change. The boarding school
Coach Carter Impact Academy
The Coach Carter Impact Academy is an unconventional boarding school that was founded and opened by Ken "Coach" Carter in 2009 in the small Central Texas town of Marlin....
would be at the former home of the Marlin Middle School. Coach Carter is well-known for his 2005 movie Coach Carter
Coach Carter
Coach Carter is a 2005 American film directed by Thomas Carter. It is based on a true story, in which Richmond High School basketball coach Ken Carter made headlines in 1999 for benching his MVP and undefeated team due to poor academic results....
, based on a true story about a basketball coach whose team was currently 13-0, but learned that his students were doing poorly in the classes, if even attending them. Carter lockdown
Lockdown
There are several definitions for the term lockdown, the most common of which pertains to a state of containment or a restriction of progression....
ed the gymnasium until the grades of fifteen of his players who were failing improved to at least a 2.3 grade point average. The lockdown lasted for eight days as the team had to forfeit two games. Eventually the team would finish 19-5.
Ken Carter had not known about Marlin before the movie. After finishing shooting the movie, Carter was in Dallas when he rented a car and just took a drive down Interstate 35
Interstate 35
Interstate 35 is a north–south Interstate Highway in the central United States. I-35 stretches from Laredo, Texas, on the U.S.-Mexico border to Duluth, Minnesota, at Minnesota Highway 61 and 26th Avenue East. Many interstates used to have splits or spurs indicated with suffixed letters , but I-35...
to Waco
Waco, Texas
Waco is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas. Situated along the Brazos River and on the I-35 corridor, halfway between Dallas and Austin, it is the economic, cultural, and academic center of the 'Heart of Texas' region....
, and turned south onto Highway 6 and discovered Marlin, a town that he instantly fell in love with, which does not happen very often. "I fell in love with this little town. I enjoyed the people, and I loved how green everything was." said Carter.
Coach Carter spent hundreds of thousands of dollars from his movies into renovating the old, abandoned buildings. The boarding school will serve for grades from 8-12, and the first year will have up to 150 students, 64 to live on campus in dorms with a kitchen and laundry rooms. The total school day will be 12 hours with homework and sports, including basketball, football, and baseball. The students will also run their own store and barber shop on campus.
"We want the new generation to start thinking differently. People ask me, 'Why Marlin?' And I say, 'why not Marlin?' They act as if no great thing can come from Marlin."
A town meeting held at the former middle school buildings attracted guests such as Martin Luther King III
Martin Luther King III
Martin Luther King III is an American human rights advocate and community activist. He is the eldest son and oldest living child of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King. His siblings are Dexter Scott King, Rev. Bernice Albertine King, and the late Yolanda Denise...
.
Geography
Marlin is located at 31°18′29"N 96°53′35"W (31.307975, -96.892975).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 4.6 square miles (11.9 km²), of which, 4.5 square miles (11.7 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it (1.09%) is water.
Highways and other major roads
- Texas State Highway 6, also known as Williams, Craik Streets in city limits.
- Texas State Highway 7, also known as Bridge, Live Oak Streets in city limits.
- Farm-to-market road 147, also known as McClanahan Road in city limits.
- Farm-to-market road 2117, also known as Rock Dam Road in city limits.
- Farm-to-market road 2308, also known as Lakeview Drive in city limits.
- Farm-to-market road 2958
- Farm-to-market road 712
Airports
Marlin and Falls County are served by the Marlin Municipal AirportMarlin Airport
The Marlin Airport is a public municipal airport located and owned by the city of Marlin, Texas. The facility includes one runway that extends to over 3,000 feet long that is asphalt. The airport opened in 1960 and is about three miles northeast of Marlin, right next to Lake Marlin....
, located about three miles (5 km) northeast of the Marlin city limits.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 6,628 people, 2,415 households, and 1,509 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,465.4 people per square mile (566.2/km²). There were 2,826 housing units at an average density of 624.8 per square mile (241.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 85.00% White, 24.48% African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 11.62% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 18.30% of the population.
There were 2,415 households out of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.7% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 22.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.5% were non-families. 34.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.21.
In the city the population was spread out with 33.2% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 21.3% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 19.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 96.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $21,443, and the median income for a family was $26,861. Males had a median income of $25,220 versus $18,111 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $13,555. About 27.9% of families and 31.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 40.8% of those under age 18 and 16.8% of those age 65 or over. Marlin currently on the upswing and should return to its haydays in the near future.
Government and infrastructure
The Texas Department of Criminal JusticeTexas Department of Criminal Justice
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice is a department of the government of the state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jails and private correctional facilities, funding and certain...
(TDCJ) operates the Marlin Unit, a transfer facility for men, in the City of Marlin. The unit opened in June 1992 and was transferred to the Texas Youth Commission
Texas Youth Commission
The Texas Youth Commission is a Texas state agency which operates juvenile corrections facilities in the state. The commission is headquartered in the Brown-Heatly Building in Austin...
(TYC) in May 1995. When it was a part of TYC, the facility, named the Marlin Orientation and Assessment Unit, served as the place of orientation for children of both sexes being committed into TYC from the facility's opening in 1995 to its transfer out of TYC in 2007. In September 2007 the facility was transferred back to the TDCJ. The TDCJ also operates the William P. Hobby Unit, a prison for women located southwest of Marlin in unincorporated
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
Falls County
Falls County, Texas
Falls County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 18,576. In 2003, the population of the county was estimated to be 17,926. It is named for the waterfalls on the Brazos River, which can be found at the Falls On The Brazos Park, a campsite located only a few...
and named for former Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant Governor of Texas
The Lieutenant Governor of Texas is the second-highest executive office in the government of Texas, a state in the U.S. It is the second most powerful post in Texas government because its occupant controls the work of the Texas Senate and controls the budgeting process as a leader of the...
Bill Hobby.
The United States Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
operates the Marlin Post Office.
Education
The City of Marlin is served by the Marlin Independent School DistrictMarlin Independent School District
Marlin Independent School District is a public school district based in Marlin, Texas . The district serves students in eastern Falls County.In 2009, the school district was rated "academically acceptable" by the Texas Education Agency...
, and is also home to the Coach Carter Impact Academy
Coach Carter Impact Academy
The Coach Carter Impact Academy is an unconventional boarding school that was founded and opened by Ken "Coach" Carter in 2009 in the small Central Texas town of Marlin....
, opened and ran by Ken "Coach" Carter
Ken Carter
Kenny Ray Carter is an American business owner, education activist and former high school basketball coach. Carter attended college at San Francisco State, then Contra Costa College, and finally George Fox University, where he played basketball.-Biography:...
.
Newspapers
The city of Marlin has had several newspapers. The current one that has been serving Marlin since 1890 is the Marlin Democrat, issued every Wednesday. Other newspapers that were being published in the 19th and 20th centuries were The Falls County Freeman, ran by the black community. The Marlin Ball was first established in 1874 by T.C. Oltorf and continued until about the year of 1901. The Falls County Record was popular during the 1940s and 1950s. To this day, The Marlin Democrat and The Rosebud News remain the only active newspapers in Falls County.Filmed in Marlin
- LeadbellyLeadbelly (film)Leadbelly is a 1976 film chronicling the life of folk singer Huddie William Ledbetter . The film was directed by Gordon Parks, and starred Roger E. Mosley in the title role...
(1976) starring Roger E. MosleyRoger E. MosleyRoger Earl Mosley is an American actor best known for his role as the helicopter pilot Theodore "T.C." Calvin on the long running television series, Magnum, P.I., which starred Tom Selleck as the title character.-Early life:...
; took place on and around Wood Street. - InfamousInfamous (film)Infamous is a 2006 American drama film, based on the 1997 book by George Plimpton, Capote: In Which Various Friends, Enemies, Acquaintances and Detractors Recall His Turbulent Career....
(2006) starring Sandra BullockSandra BullockSandra Annette Bullock is an Academy Award winning American actress and producer who rose to fame in the 1990s after roles in successful films such as Demolition Man, Speed, The Net, A Time to Kill, and While You Were Sleeping. She continued with films such as Miss Congeniality, The Lake House,...
; took place around Falls County Courthouse and run-down homes of Marlin.
Notable people
- Marlin is the attributed birthplace of bluesBluesBlues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
/gospelGospel musicGospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
street musician Blind Willie JohnsonBlind Willie Johnson"Blind" Willie Johnson was an American singer and guitarist, whose music straddled the border between blues and spirituals....
, although his birth records, if they exist, are lost. His birthplace has also been traced to Beaumont, TexasBeaumont, TexasBeaumont is a city in and county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, United States, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 118,296 at the 2010 census. With Port Arthur and Orange, it forms the Golden Triangle, a major industrial area on the...
. - Thomas Terry Connally, U.S. Senator 1928–1952 and Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during World War II. Served on the US House of Representative from 1918–1928 when he was elected to the Senate.
- Marlin was the spring trainingSpring trainingIn Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
site of John McGraw's New York GiantsSan Francisco GiantsThe San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
from 1908–1918. - Marlin is the birthplace of world champion boxer, Bruce CurryBruce CurryBruce Curry , is a former professional boxer. He was the WBC Super Lightweight Champion from 1983 to 1984.-Amateur career:...
, born in 1956. - State RepresentativeTexas House of RepresentativesThe Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Texas Legislature. The House is composed of 150 members elected from single-member districts across the state. The average district has about 150,000 people. Representatives are elected to two-year terms with no term limits...
Dan KubiakDan KubiakDaniel James Kubiak was an educator and businessman from Rockdale, Texas, who served as a Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives from 1969 to 1983 and again from 1991 until his death in office...
of RockdaleRockdale, TexasRockdale is a city in Milam County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,440 at the 2000 census.Rockdale was the site of a large Alcoa smelting operation, which could produce 1.67 million pounds of aluminum per day. The ALCOA plant was closed in late 2008 - early 2009.Author George Sessions...
, Texas, graduated from Marlin High School in 1957. - New York JetsNew York JetsThe New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
running backRunning backA running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
LaDainian TomlinsonLaDainian TomlinsonLaDainian Tramayne Tomlinson is an American football running back for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers fifth overall in the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Texas Christian.Tomlinson, often referred to by his initials, L...
was born in Marlin. Tomlinson HillTomlinson Hill, TexasTomlinson Hill is a small unincorporated community in Falls County, Texas, United States. It lies approximately 7½ miles west of Marlin on State Highway 320 and approximately 1½ miles west-southwest of the junction of 320 and State Highway 7....
, an incorporated community just five miles (8 km) west of Marlin, is named for his family. Others claim that Tomlinson was born in RosebudRosebud, TexasRosebud is a city in Falls County, Texas. The population was 1,493 at the 2000 census. As of July, 2007, the population was 1,348, an -8.4% change since 2000. Rosebud is the birthplace of NFL running back LaDainian Tomlinson.-Geography:...
. - Marlin serves as a second home to Ken "Coach" CarterKen CarterKenny Ray Carter is an American business owner, education activist and former high school basketball coach. Carter attended college at San Francisco State, then Contra Costa College, and finally George Fox University, where he played basketball.-Biography:...
, who in Fall of 2009, opened up an unconventional boarding school in the town. - Danario AlexanderDanario AlexanderDanario Alexander is an American football wide receiver for the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League. While considered by some to be a prime wide receiver prospect for the 2010 NFL Draft, Alexander was not drafted. On August 22, 2010, St...
, a wide receiver who played college footballCollege footballCollege football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at the University of MissouriUniversity of MissouriThe University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
and signed with the St. Louis RamsSt. Louis RamsThe St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
on August 22, 2010, was born in Marlin and graduated from Marlin High SchoolMarlin High School (Texas)Marlin High School is a public high school located in Marlin, Texas . It is part of the Marlin Independent School District. The school mascot is the Bulldog.-Athletics:The Marlin Bulldogs compete in the following sports:...
in 2006. - Bobbi HumphreyBobbi HumphreyBarbara Ann Humphrey is an American jazz flautist and singer who plays fusion, jazz-funk and soul-jazz styles. Bobbi Humphrey has performed for audiences around the world....
, a jazzJazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
flautistFlautistA flautist or flutist is a musician who plays an instrument in the flute family. See List of flautists.The choice of "flautist" versus "flutist" is the source of dispute among players of the instrument...
and singer was born in Marlin in 1950.