Lovell Kimball arrived at the area along the Illinois River known as the Grand Rapids in 1833 from Watertown, New York. Kimball, aware that the Illinois-Michigan Canal Bill had passed and the canal would eventually reach the rapids, hired a surveyor to lay out a town. Kimball called the town Marseilles in reference to the Frenchcity ofMarseille as he hoped it would become a similar industrial center in Illinois. Marseilles, pronounced the same as the French city, was officially platted on June 3, 1835; the plat was revised twice for railroad and canal right-of-ways.
Nabisco Building
In 1921 the National Biscuit Company built an eight-story corrugated cardboard box production plant in Marseilles, the largest industrial building in the state at the time, and the first air-conditioned factory in the Midwest. Nabisco was a major employer in the area but ceased production at the plant in 2002.
In 2004 the Middle East Conflicts Wall Memorial was dedicated to the service men and women who gave their lives fighting in US wars anywhere in the Middle East. The Middle East Conflicts Wall Memorial is the first US memorial to servicemen dedicated while an actual war is ongoing. Currently, the earliest names on the wall are from 1967 commemorating the deaths during the USS Liberty incident. Andrew Bacevich felt that all presidential candidates should visit Marseilles, commenting that "Just as there are all-but-mandatory venues in Iowa and New Hampshire where candidates are expected to appear, why not make Marseilles, Illinois, one as well. Let all of the candidates competing to oust Donald Trump from the White House schedule at least one campaign stop at the Middle East Conflicts Wall, press entourage suitably in tow." Andrew Bacevich lost his son in Iraq, his son's name is included in the monument.
Museums
In 2016 Marseilles resident Seattle Sutton founded a community , located in the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad building. Its collection includes historical items from the Nabisco factory other Marseilles businesses, and archived recordings of Marseilles war veterans.
Geography
Marseilles is located at . The city is at the head of rapids along the Illinois River historically known as "the Grand Rapids" or the "Rapids of Maninumba". According to the 2010 census, Marseilles has a total area of, of which is land and is water.
Demographics
As of the 2010 Census there were 5,094 people, 2,045 households, and 1,327 families residing in the city. The population density was 584 people per square mile. There were 2,422 housing units at an average density of 278 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 96.2% White, 0.04% African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 1.4% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.6% of the population. There were 2,045 households out of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.8% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present. 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 26.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.00. The city's age distribution consisted of 23.9% under the age of 18, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.5 years, and females made up 50.7% of the population. During the period of 2009–2013 the median income for households was $37,558, per capita income was $20,931, and 12.8% of the population was below poverty level.
