Marsland? Yes, There Really Is Such A Place In Nebraska!

Unless you are in my family circle, I’d bet you a whole nickle, as my grandpa Archie would say,  that you’ve never heard of Marsland, much less know where on earth it is. So you might imagine my surprise when during an insomnia induced fit of late night random Googling, I found myself at this page on  ghost towns. Even more surprising, I found myself looking at a photo of my own great grandparent’s home.

Tollman Family Home in Marsland, NE.
J.M.Tollman home in Marsland, Nebraska. Built in 1912.

My great grandparents were James Mundy Tollman and Flora Caroline Maika. They built this home in 1912 of cement blocks made on site. This was their second home in Marsland, the first being on a homestead nearby. This photo was taken just after its completion and the farm eventually expanded to include a large barn, cattle pens, a smoke house, an ice house, huge garden area, silo, and hog pen. A family letter written by one of the children, James Perry Tollman, written in his retirement details life in Marsland and on the family farm in vivid memories. One of the amusing comments is that the neighbors were always stopping by to check on the building progress and they were quite perplexed by the modern bathroom that was being installed…apparently one of the first in the county…especially since there was a perfectly good two holer not far from the kitchen door!

Marsland is located in western Nebraska in Dawes County. It’s pretty remote. In its heyday, the population was about 800, according the the Nebraska Historical Society Virtual Nebraska. The nearest large town is Chadron.

The Tollman home in the 1980's.
The Tollman home in the 1980’s.

Today, Marsland is just a shadow of itself, perhaps deserving of the ghost town designation to the outside world. Not for me, a woman who hears the whispers of long gone ancestors. And apparently not for the Nebraska Historical Society; shortly after seeing the house on the ghost town site, I came across it again while doing genealogical research on a Tollman aunt. The Nebraska Historical Society has done an excellent job incorporating the internet with their holdings and I found the house listed in a survey of historic buildings in Nebraska, shown as an unknown home. Since it wasn’t identified, I contacted them was not identified,  offering details should they be interested.

A very enthusiastic response followed the next day and I’ve sent them several photos and other bits of family information to help them document and preserve this part of Nebraska history. The Tollman family has deep roots in Nebraska and although it is scattered across the USA today, family reunions are still held in western Nebraska and always include a stop at the old house. The old house may not last forever, but it sure feels great to have helped it become a part of Nebraska history.
UPDATE:  Another big surprise! The Tollman home was included in a New York Times photo essay in December 2013 called Life Along the 100th Meridian that captures the essence of life in Nebraska’s far west panhandle. 

11 thoughts on “Marsland? Yes, There Really Is Such A Place In Nebraska!”

  1. I have always loved that old house. I do not know why. Thank you for sharing. I love it even more now.

  2. Keal Rising family was one of the last ones to live in the house. I remember one time our family stopped buy to visit. Us kids were playing upstairs and Randy the youngest of the Rising boys asked me if I ever had a Charlie Horse? Not knowing what was about to happen I said no. He hit the inside of my thy with his fist and you guessed it….instant Charlie Horse!!! He was an honery bugger!! Keal and Velma have both passed on but some of the Risings are still in the area.

  3. I am the granddaughter of Carl and Helen Clara Pierce Tollman and have childhood memories of Marsland and the surrounding country. I was born in Alliance on the same day as my cousin Buzz Tollman in the same hospital. Very interesting info on the house.

  4. Oh, I remember Marsland and great memories. I remember the Tollmans. My mother taught there for many years, Dolores Curtis and she taught with Mrs. Tagert. Loved that school and the train rides from there to Crawford to the old fish hatchery. Thanks for sharing

  5. I love this house!! I live near Marsland, we run cattle on pasture land there. Every time I drive by I wonder about the history of the house, wishing it was still habitable. If these walls could talk…..

  6. I see this house almost everyday as I pass it on the railroad. Would you happen to have any interior photos of the house? or maybe some photos of Marsland, specifically the rail road yard. I have a Facebook group called “Butte subdivision history” and this house is on that subdivision. Thank you.

  7. What a special house. I notice it on trip through Marsland a few years ago. I still can’t get it off of my mind. Do you know who owns this house today?

    1. Hi Clayton,
      The house is still in the family. It’s been vandalized so much that it is no longer safe to enter. My 80 year old mother clearly remembers all sorts of details about the house (her grandparents) and I keep trying to jot them down. Recently she remembered that there was a shuffleboard court that her grandpa added after falling in love with shuffleboard on a trip to Florida. Thanks for stopping by!

      1. Thanks for the reply. I have contacted Buzz Tollman said he owns this house and yes it has been vandalized many times. I am going to get back with him to see if I could a tour and more pictures.

        1. I’d love to see any photos you may be able to get! There is something hypnotic about this house to me too. I have a family letter written by James Perry Tollman, who grew up in the house, that tells a bit about it’s construction. Maybe I’ll post it too.

    2. My parents do! I was raised on that ranch, played pool in the upstairs bedroom, n hide n seek was great in that old stone house. I just hope the hoodlums who have taken pieces of the house rot in hell! It’s not theirs to be taking.
      Lanna Tollman Hummermeier

Leave a Reply to Matthew Bowman Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *