Spotlight on an Abilene Resident: Howard Marshall

Views of the Past is currently featuring brief biographies of former Abilene residents. These photographs and biographies were recently featured in an exhibit at the Jeffcoat Photography Studio Museum. Even if you are not from Abilene or do not know these people, these stories are invaluable since they paint a portrait of small town life. Both the photograph and text of this post are courtesy of the Jeffcoat Photography Studio Museum. The following was written by Bill Jeffcoat about Howard Marshall:

Howard Marshall, born in Abilene, Kansas, but not with a silver spoon in his mouth! Yet, this did not deter him from being aggressive. His business seemed to thrive in insurance, small loans, and real estate.

In real estate, he developed the area now known as Charles Road, which he named after his son. Cement blocks were coming (into style) and many of these are built this way.

Howard’s office first started in the basement of the Commercial State Bank, run by Andy Blair. Later, he moved to where the VFW post is now located.