George C. Marshall Museum and Library

Walk in the steps of Marshall! These are places in Lexington that George C. Marshall would have been quite familiar with when he was a cadet at the Virginia Military Institute.

Marshall's Lexington

A bronze statue of Marshall is located on the VMI Parade Ground in front of Marshall Arch.

George C. Marshall Statue on the Post at VMI

A seven-foot bronze statue of George C. Marshall, given by alumni of Virginia Military Institute to honor its graduate, was formally dedicated and unveiled on the Parade Ground as part of the Virginia Military Institute's Founders Day Ceremony on November 11, 1978.

The statue was made possible by funds raised by the VMI Foundation, under the leadership of its then executive vice president, Joseph D. Neikirk. The statue was created by Augusto Bozzano, a well-known Italian sculptor.

George C. Marshall Statue

The door to Room 202 is on display in the VMI Museum (not to be confused with the Marshall Museum).

George C. Marshall's Room 202 Barracks Door

Black Dog Salvage in Roanoke, Virginia had the opportunity to acquire doors salvaged from the Virginia Military Institute barracks in Lexington, Virginia. They filmed an episode about George C. Marshall's door for their television show "Salvage Dawgs" in 2017.

Some doors date back to pre-civil war, some post-civil war - all well made and all have stood the test of time. 

The initial response when we first posted the doors online was overwhelming. Most doors quickly found homes with members of the VMI family. We set a few doors aside for future projects... stay tuned!

The most notable door belonged to the barrack where General George Marshall lived when he studied at VMI, #202. We were honored to return the door to its original home with a special delivery to Colonel Keith Gibson, Executive Director, VMI Museum System.

Marshall's Barracks Room Door

VMI Limit Gate is where the Post at VMI begins and ends.

Approaching the Virginia Military Institute: Limits Gates

I will never forget walking down the long approach avenue to the barracks and hearing the bugle sound the assembly for dress parade and seeing the adjutant and the sergeant major strut out to form a line on which the battalion would form. I thought they were very wonderful looking figures.

I tried very hard, he said afterward. “I was very exacting and very exact in all my military duties as I gradually developed from the mild authority—almost none—exercised by the corporal to the pronounced authority of the first sergeant. Ambition…had set in.”

‘‘This institution gave me not only a standard for my daily conduct among men, but it endowed me with a military heritage of honor and self-sacrifice.” 


VMI Limits Gate

The plaque is not visible to the public. The second-story window is visible from the front of Jackson Memorial Chapel and looking to your right to the side of the barracks.

Room 202 VMI Barracks

The George C. Marshall Museum & Library was dedicated on May 23, 1964.

Dedication of the George C. Marshall Research Library

At the dedication Former President Dwight D. Eisenhower said: 

I thought of his moral courage, calmness, and wisdom after the war began in directing the mobilization and worldwide deployment of great armies and air forces; of the readiness and selflessness he displayed in forsaking all his own cherished plans as he undertook new and onerous duties in the afternoon of his life. These and a myriad of other things, I prayed that he might fully understand. But his modesty would have rejected any effort of others to tell him.

Now the documents telling of his life and time are being collected, edited, and made ready for historical use. They will tell to future generations what those of us who were privileged to serve with him have long known: Here was truly a great man!


George C. Marshall Museum & Library

George C. Marshall wed Elizabeth "Lily" Carter Coles in a ceremony at her house on February 11, 1902.

George C. Marshall, Jr. weds Elizabeth "Lily" Carter Coles

The Marshall-Coles wedding party poses on the front porch of the bride's Lexington home, where the Episcopal ceremony took place. Left to right are Marie (George's sister), Elizabeth Carter ("Lily") Coles, George C. Marshall, Jr., Stuart (George's brother), Mr. and Mrs. George C. Marshall, Sr., and Mrs. Walter Coles.

The Pendleton-Coles house is the Admissions Office for the Virginia Military Institute.

Lily lived with her widowed mother near the gates of VMI. Lily was at least four years older than Marshall. She was known as a college widow-a young woman in a college town who dates students of successive college classes. In fact, she had dated Marshall’s older brother Stuart when he was at VMI in 1893. Many of Marshall’s classmates stated that Lily was a “mature woman when we were boys.” She was handsome, had a good figure, and was very striking.

Classmate Erskine Miller said that he and Marshall would often go to her house and listen to her play the piano. He decided to stop visiting with Marshall when it looked as if Marshall was serious about her. Edward Ryland said “his courtship of Lily Coles was a sensation. She didn’t date VMI men much and preferred the Washington and Lee University ‘minks’ men.” 

“Once George fell in love, he would run the block (VMI’s term for sneaking off post). It was decided that someone would have to tell him he might get caught and thrown out. We drew lots and I got the job. He just said, let me handle that. I asked how he escaped getting caught. He said no sentry was going to report the first captain, and it was doubtful if the sub-professors (who were recent graduates) would either. Sometimes he would dress up a dummy and put it in his bed. He knew inspection routines and could guess when they would be by.”

George C. Marshall weds Elizabeth Coles

Virginia Military Institute Historic Marker

The nation's first state military college, VMI was founded in 1839 on the concept of the citizen-soldier. The Corps of Cadets fought as a unit in the 1864 Battle of New Market. Confederate General "Stonewall" Jackson and oceanographer Matthew Fontaine Maury were among its faculty. George C. Marshall, a 1901 graduate, served as Army Chief of Staff in W.W. II, and later as Secretary of State, devising the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

VMI Historic Marker

Young George C. Marshall, Jr. would have arrived in Lexington by train and walked to the VMI Post.

School started on September 1, 1897 but a bout of typhoid fever during the summer delayed young Marshall's matriculation, and he was still weak from the disease when he left home.

In those days, the Valley Railroad ran to East Lexington from the north, and he could see the Barracks atop its bluff as he approached his destination. The train (referred to locally as "the Virginia creeper") reached the North River, turned around, and backed into Lexington.*

Marshall had arrived in on the evening of September 11, alone and 3 1/2 months shy of his seventeenth birthday. Leaving the train station, Marshall walked through Lexington. Passing the Washington & Lee University colonnade and Lee Chapel, Marshall reached the VMI parade ground. 

Marshall arrived bearing a note from his father to Superintendent Scott Shipp:

I send you my youngest, and last. He is bright, full of life, and I believe will get along very well.

*Rockbridge County's North River was renamed in 1945 to honor oceanographer and VMI professor Matthew Fontaine Maury (1806-1873).

Lexington Train Station

H.O. Dold's is the present-day Pumpkin Seed boutique.

George C. Marshall on being a VMI cadet:

"I didn't go out socially, I think at all, for the first two years that I was there. We would go uptown on Saturday afternoon and window shop. There were no movies, of course. There was a famous little store there on the corner - [H.O.] Dold's, they called it. He was quite the character and made a great point of favoring the cadets."

Images of Dold's Corner (1967), courtesy of the Rockbridge Historical Society, and the building today, home of Pumpkinseeds gift shop.

H.O. Dold's

Marshall Arch was dedicated on Marshall Day, May 15, 1951, which is also VMI's Founder's Day.

At 12:15 on May 15, 1951 VMI held a ceremony dedicating the George Catlett Marshall Arch, an entranceway into a new section of the barracks completed in 1949. Marshall Arch joined two named after Generals George Washington and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson. The program reverently states: “Through the George Catlett Marshall Arch shall march the cadets of today and the future.”

Marshall made light of the event later when asked by Pogue if he was ever “made to feel that you were a Yankee at VMI”:

Yes, quite a bit. I was “hazed” on my accent up to the day of my graduation. I remember that when I was called on to make a speech at my class dinner honoring the occasion of naming this arch for me, my principal twist that I gave to it was while they were these southern fellows largely, and while they pretty much kept the pressure on me on account of my northern accent and all, I happened to be the one and only one there who had an arch named for him down at the VMI.

Marshall Arch

Home

COVID-19 Resources

Arts & Culture

History

About Us

Explore museum content and digital tours around the state

Explore the Lynchburg Museum System's two sites ~ The Lynchburg Museum at the Old Court House and Point of Honor, Dr. George Cabell's 1815 house overlooking the James River and downtown Lynchburg.

Lynchburg Museum System

Explore Salem Museum's Exhibits and Grounds

The Salem Museum

The Taubman Museum of Art is part of the lively metro mountain mix of arts, culture and outdoor fun in the heart of downtown Roanoke, Virginia.

As you enjoy your visit, you will notice internationally renowned architect Randall Stout took special care to honor naturalistic elements of the Roanoke region.

Taubman Museum of Art

In 1818 the Lexington Arsenal was created in Lexington, Virginia to store weapons intended for use by the state militia. In 1839 the Virginia Military Institute was founded as the first state-supported military college in the nation. Small at first, the institute grew and is currently home to approximately 1,700 cadets. VMI offers four year undergraduate degree programs in liberal arts, science, engineering, and social sciences requiring its students to maintain an academically and physically rigorous schedule that is intended to prepare them for roles as citizen soldiers.

Virginia Military Institute

George C. Marshall: He won the war. He won the peace. Learn about the man known as World War II's "Organizer of Victory," and Nobel Peace Prize winner for the Marshall Plan. Marshall is the Virginia Military Institute's most famous graduate (Class of 1901) and its only five-star general. 

The independent, non-profit George C. Marshall Foundation preserves and perpetuates Marshall's legacy through the George C. Marshall Museum & Library and offers a wide range of programming and resources for use by the general public, amateur historians, scholars and students of all ages. We are located on the Parade Ground at VMI.

A National Register Historical Landmark and one of the oldest, most original operational grist mills in the country located in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley. This water-powered grist mill was built in 1782 in an area that would become the quaint village of Millwood. 

The Burwell-Morgan Mill…come marvel at the unusual and immense interior water wheel..come see, feel, and listen to the power of the turning wooden gears, shafts, bins, and old millstones, while the dedicated miller explains the process of grinding wheat and corn just as it was done over 200 years ago. Freshly ground flour, corn meal , and grits are available for sale at the mill.

The Historic Burwell-Morgan Mill

Discover culture around the state

Explore Virginia Museums

View All Museums

Find a museum to host your next field trip

Are you a teacher? 

Lynchburg Museum

Built in 1815 by Dr. George Cabell and his family overlooking the James River in Daniel's Hill

Point of Honor

VMCW is one of three museums owned and operated by the Virginia Military Institute.

The Virginia Museum of the Civil War

Virginia's first public museum collects, preserves, & interprets the legacy of VMI.

VMI Museum

An outdoor living-history Museum that brings the past to life!

Frontier Culture Museum

St. John's Church

Edgar Allan Poe Museum

See U.S. history through the eyes of Marines.

National Museum of the Marine Corps

Learn how the 1927 Bristol Sessions led to Bristol becoming known as the birthplace of country music.

Birthplace of Country Music Museum

Second oldest working capital in the United States

Virginia State Capitol

Built in 1813, the Governor’s Mansion is the oldest in continuous use.

Governor's Mansion

Here lie those dearest to Edgar Allan Poe.

Shockoe Hill Cemetery

Find a museum near you

Discover the Diversity of Virginia Museums

Civil War History

Northern Virginia

Central Virginia

Guide to NOVA Culture

Virginia Association of Museums

Chicago Scene

Irving Park Brown Line

Things to do off of the Harrison red line stop in South Loop. Whether you want to do some shopping, grab a slice of pizza, have some fun or listen to some great music, there is plenty to do in this college area.

Harrison Red Line

The Loop's State/Late Red Line Stop is an exciting area with plenty to see and do. Do some shopping, eat a delicious meal, have fun with friends, and catch a show.

State/Lake Red Line Stop

Blue line stop in the River North neighborhood has a lot to do to keep you busy.

Chicago Blue Line Stop

Places to go around the Southport Brown Line stop in Lakeview!

Southport Brown Line

Leading to an eclectic area with a plethora of different restaurants, markets, and museums, Morgan Station is a stop that will give you a days worth of adventures.

Morgan Green/Pink Line Station

If you're looking for a new place to explore with a younger crowd and unexpected adventures, then the Granville Stop is the one for you.

Granville Red Line Adventure

Diversey is located in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood, filled with various restaurants, bars, and music venues. There are endless entertainment options just steps from the station.

Diversey Brown Line

The heart of Lincoln Square holds nods to the past with an eye on whatever the future may bring.

Western Brown Line

Places to go off the Sheridan Red Line stop!

Sheridan Red Line

Things to do off the Merchandise Mart brown line stop. The station is right in the center of River North and is a great nightlife area.

Merchandise Mart Brown Line

Toeing the edges of the historic Logan Square and edgier Wicker Park; come have the best of both worlds.

California Blue Line Adventure

If you're coming into the city from the South side, there is much to learn and explore when taking the train from the South Chicagoland area.

LaSalle/Clark Street Blue Line

North/Clybourn features dining from diverse cuisines, creative bars and a mini getaway from the city.

North/Clybourn Red Line Station

Located in the historic Logan Square neighborhood, enjoy the best sites, foods, and shopping all within walking distance of train station.

Logan Square Blue Line

The Red Line Station at Grand Avenue and State Street is a popular subway stop in River North. With plenty of unique restaurants and entertaining shops around, you are definitely able to spend all day in the area.

Grand/State Red Line

As a transfer stop in Lakeview, the Belmont Station gets a lot of traffic during the day. Stepping out of the station, you will find many bars/restaurants, unique shops, theaters, and many other places to keep you entertained.

Belmont Red/Brown Line Stop

The Jackson Red Line has a great location in the Loop right by the entrance of Grant Park. Things to do off the Jackson train stop.

Jackson Red Line

Things to do near the Armitage Brown Line in Lincoln Park.

Brown Line Armitage Stop

The historic neighborhood is the epicenter of African-American culture in Chicago.

Bronzeville

Located in East Lakeview, Boystown is the first officially recognized gay village in the United States. This small, but spunky neighborhood hosts Chicago's gay pride parade as well as many bars, clubs, restaurants, theaters, and historical landmarks that will entertain and educate every, whether you're a member of the LGBTQ+ community or not. All are welcome in this 'gayborhood'.

Boystown

What once began as one of Chicago's first commuter suburbs, Ravenswood is now known for its art scene and industrial buildings turned hot spots. It's a great neighborhood to walk around, especially their historic district with their Victorian mansions.

Ravenswood

The Loop is known as Chicago's official downtown area and is one of the most important central business districts in the world! Here, you will find stunning architecture, fascinating cultural centers, plenty of shopping areas, and award-winning restaurants.

The Loop

The area surrounding Wrigley Field is ripe with opportunities to take in movies, live music, and Chicago's architectural history.

Wrigleyville

Lakeview

This charming neighborhood has many exciting things to do from great restaurants to fun nightlife to entertaining theaters and so much more. You don't even have to spend a dime if you don't want to as Lincoln Park is home to beautiful parks including a free zoo!

Lincoln Park

There are a lot of exciting things happening in this neighborhood downtown! From exquisite restaurants to fun nightclubs to beautiful parks, South Loop has it all.

The South Loop

A special and unique neighborhood that is full of history and eclectic style, Andersonville is a Chicago staple.

Andersonville

Chinatown is a lively business district in the south of Chicago. Here, you will find plenty of cafés, dim sum restaurants, teahouses, and an outdoor mall. Embrace the Chinese culture in Chicago's very own Chinese neighborhood.

Chinatown

West Town is filled with iconic landmarks, museums, restaurants, and much more in this Polish dominated neighborhood.

West Town

Chicago's official motto is "Urbs in Horto," which means "City in a Garden," and they have certainly lived up to that expectation. There are many green spaces and gardens in the Windy City making it a pioneering city in advancing landscape architecture. Chicago is still adding more but, for now, these are some of the best green spaces and gardens to visit.

Best Green Spaces and Gardens

It can be hard to leave your dog at home every day, especially on the weekends when your excuse is the place you are going to doesn't allow dogs. Luckily, there are a lot of dog-friendly places in Chicago that your canine friend will love to go to! Here are the best dog-friendly spots in the city.

Fun Dog-Friendly Places

The Budget Savvy Travelers

Chicago has one of the most iconic skylines in the world. This insider guide shows you the best vantage points to capture a memorable photo of the skyline of Chicago. Best of all? These are all places that you can visit that are all free of charge.

Where to Find Chicago's Best Skyline Views for Free

Hyde Park is rich in history, and with the University of Chicago nearby, and various other outlets of entertainment, there is no end to the options offered when exploring.

Hyde Park

The Adams/Wabash stop leads into a quaint, historical community with many famous spots that visitors​ should see.

Adams/Wabash Pink Line

Wilson is a CTA stop located in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood. It is surrounded by cafes, coffee shops, and bars.

Wilson Red Line

Argyle station offers an array of cultural experiences from Tea/Malaysian Cafe to the most talked about LGBTQ bar in the city.

Argyle Red Line Stop

Explore all of the unique and exciting places that the Clark/Division Red Line Stop has to offer.

Clark/Division Red Line Stop

Things to do near the Chicago/State red line stop, which will lead you to the Near North Side and Streeterville neighborhoods.

Chicago/State Red Line Stop

Chicago has had their share in pop culture as many movies and TV shows used the Windy City as their setting. A lot of those movies actually had their set in Chicago so you can visit some of the places you saw in your favorite film! From Ferris Buller's Day Off to The Blue's Brothers to Dark Knight, your inner fan will be ecstatic to snap a picture where your favorite actors were!

Famous Movie Spots in Chicago

Chicago’s art scene is thriving and there are so many intimate spaces all over the city to go and see it. From the hundreds of galleries, to the back alley poetry spots, and the nonprofit book stores, if you’re looking to find some art that barely anyone has seen, Chicago is for you.

Chicago Underground

When strolling through this hipster neighborhood, stop by these unique coffee shops for a break in your day.

Best Coffee spots in Wicker Park

Picking a restaurant for your date night can be hard, especially when Chicago has so many great options. We narrowed it down for you, though, to the top dinner places for two.

Best Dinner Places for 2

Hungry for something sweet? Look no further than one of the many ice cream parlors Chicago has to offer.

Best Ice Cream Shops

Chicago is certainly a treasure trove of unique experiences and new things to see. There are also plenty of shops where you can take a bit of that home with you to always remember your time here. Forget the boring souvenir shops and the generic mugs; consider one of these fantastically rated small corner stores to get some items that will always remind you of the windy city.

Finding the perfect gift: Unique Shops Around Chicago

Chicago is chock-full of restaurants with delicious, high-calorie foods that while worth devouring, aren't exactly healthy for you. Luckily, the Windy City has plenty of health-conscious restaurants to balance out your meals. Here are the best ones in the city that will make you feel proud to be eating something so healthy.

Best Health-Conscious Restaurants

Bubble Tea is that colorful drink you see quite often on your Instagram feed. They are a Taiwanese tea-based drink that tends to be very sugar but delicious. There are a lot of bubble tea cafés to be found around Chicago but here are the best ones.

Best Bubble Tea Cafés

If you're looking for a party, River North is the place to be.

River North Night Clubs

Chicago has more than 7,300 restaurants to choose from and some are certainly more popular than others. That doesn't mean, though, that the less commonly known places to eat aren't good, they are just harder to find. On your next lunch break, check out these places to grab a meal.

A Better Lunch Break (Less commonly known restaurants)

Lakeview knows how to keep you entertained each night with a variety of nightclubs, restaurants, and fun things to do with your friends.

Top Nightlife Places in Lakeview

“The Insider's Guide” Of Where To Go And What To Do In Chicago

Marshall's Lexington

George C. Marshall Statue

George C. Marshall Statue

Marshall's Barracks Room Door

Marshall's Barracks Room Door

VMI Limits Gate

VMI Limits Gate

Room 202 VMI Barracks

Room 202 VMI Barracks

George C. Marshall Museum & Library

George C. Marshall Museum & Library

George C. Marshall weds Elizabeth Coles

George C. Marshall weds Elizabeth Coles

VMI Historic Marker

VMI Historic Marker

Lexington Train Station

Lexington Train Station

H.O. Dold's

H.O. Dold's

Marshall Arch

Marshall Arch

Download our app to experience the content you're previewing right now.

Watch, Listen, and Learn

Stories happen here

Find your inspiration