Marceline, Missouri is most famous as the childhood home of Walter E. Disney. But it is more than the man who brought us Mickey Mouse and his gang, so many animated movies, and multiple theme parks. In fact, because of Marceline’s rich history before and after Walt’s time in town, I assert that he is just a very cool footnote in the city’s history.
Marceline wouldn’t exist without the Atchinson/Topeka/Santa Fe Railroad. Literally. It owes its very existence to the railroad.
In 1888, the railroad decided it needed a line from Kansas City to Chicago. They essentially drew a straight line from K.C. to Chicago. They needed a subdivision point, so stuck a pin in the map in a spot in the middle of nowhere at the time. That middle of nowhere quickly became the City of Marceline.
Marceline was incorporated within three months of the railroad making the subdivision stop official.
Soon after, the city saw a steep increase in the population of people looking for work on the railroad or in the city. When a coal vein was discovered just north of town, the population boomed some more. Marceline became a hub of activity with multiple theaters, two jewelers, multiple restaurants, social halls, social groups and retail shops. Marceline had it all.
This site is the story of some of those people and places.
Want more details about the history of our city? Read what the Linn county Compendium has to say:
THE FULL EARLY HISTORY OF MARCELINE
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