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Falls County TX
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MARLIN, TEXAS


Falls County Seat, Central Texas North

31° 18' 29" N, 96° 53' 35" W (31.308056, -96.893056)

Hwy 7 & Hwy 6
25 miles E of I-35
16 miles W of Kosse
30 miles SE of Waco
56 miles NW of Bryan
59 miles NW of College Station
102 miles NE of Austin
Population: 5,581 Est. (2019)
5,967 (2010) 6,628 (2000) 6,386 (1990)

Marlin, Texas Area Hotels ›
Waco Hotels

Marlin TX - Palace Theatre and Cafe by RR tracks
Palace Theatre and Cafe by RR tracks
TE photo, April 2003

Marlin, Texas Topics:

  • Marlin History
  • Marlin Landmarks & Attractions
  • Marlin Chronicles
  • Marlin Vintage Photos



  • History in a Pecan Shell

    The town was named after early settler John Marlin, the County after the falls of the Brazos River. County was originally part of Milam and Limestone.

    A hot artesian spring was struck by accident in 1893 and the town became known for its curative waters. This was the era of health awareness (people became aware of how little they had) and what better excuse was there for leaving home, than "taking the cure" in Marlin? Even today you can drink from a fountain from that era, right next to the Chamber of Commerce Office. You can soak your feet too, and they've thoughtfully provided a separate facility for that purpose. Water has a tendancy to purge and locals have timed it's effects at 43 minutes.



    Historical Marker:

    Marlin

    In 1851, one year after Falls County was created, the town of Marlin was designated county seat. Formerly known as Adams, it was renamed for area pioneer John Marlin. The first courthouse was a log structure which also served as a school and community gathering place. A post office was established in 1851, the city was incorporated in 1867, and railroad service began in the 1870s. The discovery of hot mineral water wells in 1892 caused an economic boom. Spas, hotels, and hospitals were built, and Marlin was a noted health resort for the next fifty years.
    1990

    Artesian spring in Marlin, Texas
    Men drinking from hot artesian spring in Marlin, circa 1920
    Old postcard



    Marlin, Texas Landmarks / Attractions:

    1939 Falls County courthouse., Marlin Texas
    Photo courtesy Terry Jeanson December, 2005
    Falls County Courthouse



    Marlin historic downtown has many antique sources.

    Falls on the Brazos Park has canoeing, camping and fishing ( Any Marlins caught must be released).

    Brick collectors can find Marlin Bricks at downtown antique stores.

    The Falls County Historical Museum
    Hour: Mondays and Fridays 1-4 P.M.
    Phone: 245-883-910.




    Palace Theater and Palace Cafe, Marlin, Texas
    Palace Theatre
    TE photo, April 2003

    Palace Theatre & Palace Café

    The Movies in 1930s Marlin : A memoir
    by George Lester

    Hamburgers at the Café were a nickel or a dime - depending on who was eating them. more

    Marlin, TX - Palace Theatre old neon sign
    Palace Theatre old neon sign
    Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, June 2010


    Marlin, TX - Palace Cafe old neon sign
    Palace Cafe old neon sign
    Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, June 2010


    Marlin, TX - Strand Theatre old neon sign
    Strand Theatre old neon sign
    Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, June 2010
    More Texas Old Neons


    Marlin, TX - Strand Theatre old neon sign
    Strand Theatre
    TE photo, April 2003
    More Texas Theatres




    Marlin, TX - Falls Hotel


    Falls Hotel today

    Photo courtesy George Lester, 5-2004

    The Falls Hotel
    Conrad Hilton's Eighth

    "I guess you know the history of this famous old hotel in Marlin. It had a tunnel going to a bathhouse across the street. The bathhouse is gone and the tunnel has been blocked off.

    During the depression I stood on the sidewalk just to the left of the entrance way shelter and watched a "human fly" scale the wall. I don't know how high he climbed because I couldn't stand to watch the full ascent. I believe the only thing he received from his daring act was the net proceeds from a passed hat. I heard that he told someone when it was all over that the biggest danger he faced was starving to death." - George Lester, May 18, 2004

    Marlin Texas, Falls Hotel
    Fall Hotel
    Old post card, TE archive
    More Rooms with a Past




    Blue Ridge Baptist Church Marlin  Texas
    Blue Ridge Baptist Church in SE Marlin
    Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, August 2005


    St. Paul's United Church of Christ, Marlin Texas
    St. Paul's United Church Of Christ north of Marlin
    Photo courtesy Michael Baxter, 2007


    St. Paul's United Church of Christ, Marlin Texas
    Another view of St. Paul's United Church Of Christ
    Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, August 2005
    More Texas Churches


    Marlin Tx - Old Brazos Pilings
    Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, August 2005


    Marlin Tx - Old Brazos Pilings
    Old Brazos Pilings
    Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, August 2005
    See Texas Bridges


    Marlin, TX - Grain Elevators
    Marlin grain elevators off main street
    TE photo, April 2003
    More Texas Grain Elevators



    Marlin, Texas Vintage Photos:

    Marlin TX - East Texas Gas, Looney Brothers & Sons, 1947s
    Photo courtesy Larry W. Johnson
    Looney Brothers, East Texas Gas, Marlin, Texas, 1947


    Marlin, Texas - George Sohuh with Cotton Bales
    George Sohuh with Cotton Bales
    (Info was written on the back)
    Courtesy The Will Beauchamp Collection


    Marlin TX - Cotton Gin, Cotton Compress
    Cotton Compress, Marlin, Texas
    Courtesy Will Beauchamp Collection


    Marlin, TX - Cotton Compress, 1908
    Marlin, TX Cotton Compress, Postmark Jan 3, 1908
    Courtesy Will Beauchamp Collection
    More Cotton
    Texas Vintage Photos


    Marlin, Texas - Brazos River Bridge
    New Bridge Across the Brazos, Marlin, Texas
    Courtesy Will Beauchamp Collection


    Marlin TX - Brazos River Bridge, Postmarked 1907
    Marlin, Texas Brazos River Bridge, Postmarked 1907
    Courtesy Will Beauchamp Collection
    More Texas Bridges
    Texas Vintage Photos



    Marlin, Texas Chronicles
  • Hot Air Verses by Mike Cox
    Back when Dr. John Walter Torbett practiced medicine in Marlin, his patients could buy his “Hot Air Verses from the Hot Water Town” from him for a quarter or at the local Renfro Drug Store. The 88-page softcover booklet offered a mixture of the good doctor’s doggerel and medical advice that for the most part rings surprisingly true more than a century after he published it.

  • Common Sense Justice in Marlin by Mike Cox
    “Battery Dan” Finn's renown for putting “equity before the law,” seems to have come to the judicial notice of Marlin’s mayor, F. S. Heffner...

  • Bring Me the Head of My Least Favorite Nephew by John Troesser
    Getting what you wish for in Marlin, Texas, 1908

  • The Movies in 1930s Marlin by George Lester
    Our dad gave us each a quarter to spend on our big "Saturday-go-to-town" day ...



  • Marlin, Texas Tourist Information
    Marlin Chamber of Commerce - 254-883-2171
    245 Coleman St.
    Website: www.marlintexas.com



    Falls County is also home to Rosebud and Spunky Flat.

    (See Falls County Towns & Ghost Towns.)



    Take a road trip

    Central Texas North

    Marlin, Texas Nearby Towns:
    Waco | Cameron | College Station | Bryan | Temple
    See Falls County

    Book Hotel Here:
    Waco Hotels | College Station Hotels | More Hotels
    Texas Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories, landmarks and recent or vintage photos, please contact us.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     


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