Why Marvin's Newest Park Carries the Houston and Ross Names

By 1898, Marvin's Black community had put up its first bush arbor for worship on land along New Town Road that belonged to the Ross family. In 1901, the Ross family deeded that land to the church for $1 and provided more property across the road for a two-room school. That church is now Marvin A.M.E. Zion. This fall, more than 125 years after the bush arbor, the Village of Marvin opened a park beside Village Hall named for the people behind that gift.

Houston-Ross Park had its ribbon cutting on Saturday, September 26. Attendees rode shuttles from the Marvin AME Zion Church Annex at 9422 New Town Road. That made the church the starting point for the day, and the timing matters. The park opened in the same year Marvin's calendar lost its three best-known events.

The Same Retreat That Canceled Marvin Day Named the Park

At its annual retreat on January 14, 2026, the Village Council had to decide whether to hold community events at all this year. Staff brought figures on what each event cost and how much staff time it took. The events up next were the Easter Egg Hunt, Marvin Day and the Marvin 5K. On the retreat's second day, the minutes record that the Council "agreed to cancel the Easter Egg Hunt, Marvin Day, and the 5K for 2026."

The same meeting gave the village's newest public space its name. The park under construction behind Village Hall had been called Village Hall Park. The Council voted unanimously to rename it "Houston-Ross Park" in remembrance of Mittie Bell Houston and the Ross sisters "and their role in the history of Marvin."

So the village cut back its one-day festivals and finished a permanent place in the same year, and it chose a name that points back to the community's beginnings. Staff were then asked to set a timeline for the ribbon cutting, signage and a proclamation.

Who Mittie Bell Houston and the Ross Sisters Were

The Marvin Historical Society and the church's own history together tell how one household shaped the land around New Town Road over most of a century.

• Around 1875: Susan Ross took in Bob, the son of Rosa Howie, to live and work with the Ross family. When Susan Ross died in 1886, Bob stayed on with her daughters, Maggie and Sallie Ross.
• September 24, 1887: Bob and Alice Ross had a daughter, Mittie Bell. She was sent to live with Maggie, Sallie and Dennis Ross, and she later attended Livingstone College.
• 1898 to 1901: The bush arbor went up on Ross land along New Town Road. The Ross family then deeded that land to the church for $1 and set aside property across the road for a school.
• November 20, 1907: Not long after Mittie Bell married Tom Houston, the Ross sisters wrote a will leaving Bob and Mittie Bell much of their estate. That included 800 acres of farmland, the organ from their parlor and their brother's gold watch.
• 1908: Tom and Mittie Houston built a large house near today's Marvin A.M.E. Zion Church.
• 1917: The bush arbor was replaced by a white wood-framed church. Bob and Alice Ross and Tom and Mittie Bell Houston were among the families who built it.
• 1920s: Under Maggie Ross's will, Bob and Mittie inherited the homeplace of the Ross sisters' grandfather, Jonathan Burleyson. Two juries upheld the will.
• 1952: Mittie divided her land among her six children and kept living in the house.
• September 4, 1976: When she died, the Historical Society counts six children, 37 grandchildren, 98 great-grandchildren and 32 great-great-grandchildren.

With a family that size, it makes sense that descendants were part of the planning. According to Citizen Portal's summary of the September 1 parks board meeting, the board talked about coordinating with them and the mayor ahead of the ceremony.

What the Village Built Beside Village Hall

The park sits on the Village Hall campus at 10006 Marvin School Road. Its funding came from several sources. A state PARTF grant required a $500,000 match from the village, and a separate $250,000 OSBM grant covered half of that match. The village's FY2026–2030 capital plan describes Phase 1 as a roughly $1 million project and notes that the grant requires completion by December 2026. With a September opening, the park finished ahead of that deadline.

The design called for a rain garden, a walking loop, an event lawn, covered seating, a water feature and pedestrian lights. The same Citizen Portal summary reports that by the end of August, staff told the parks board the water feature and signage were in place and that public works crews had done the grading in-house to finish faster. A pergola and three benches had been ordered earlier that month, Citizen Portal reported from the August board meeting.

Some work remains. In that late-August meeting, board members asked whether the plans included a direct accessible sidewalk to the restrooms. Staff estimated a standalone ramp at about $25,000 and said it might need capital funding. A second phase was part of the January parks goals, but it was later removed from the capital plan adjustments. That leaves the park as built for now.

The turnout showed how much interest there was. At the October 5 Village Council meeting, council members and staff described the ribbon cutting as well attended. Citizen Portal's recap of that meeting puts it at about 200 people and quotes a council member who said "several 100." They also thanked volunteers, public works crews, descendants and the Marvin Historical Society. Marvin canceled its biggest annual day this year, and a park dedication still drew a crowd in the hundreds.

The Fall Calendar That Remains

The village still has events this season. They are smaller, spread out and mostly free, and most of them happen at Marvin Efird Park on New Town Road or at Village Hall. Here is what's left on the village's community events page as of this week:

Efird Park is still where the village holds its bigger occasions. It has playgrounds, community gardens, a nine-hole disc golf course, restrooms, picnic areas and walking trails. October hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. The village has not yet posted separate hours or parking details for Houston-Ross Park. Check the village site before planning a visit around it.

What Could Come Next at Houston-Ross

The January retreat named possible uses for the new park without scheduling any of them. Staff said the village could start a concert series at the park, and they listed a farmers market among the parks department's goals. Neither has a date. The event lawn and covered seating in the design would suit both, and those are the kinds of recurring gatherings that could fill gaps left by the canceled annual events.

Trail work nearby is also moving. In August, according to Citizen Portal's recap of the parks board meeting, Council approved a quote from Blue Ridge Trail Works to build the rest of the Heritage at Marvin Trail as a five-foot natural-surface path, with work tentatively set for October or November depending on scheduling. The Marvin Loop Greenway Extension is a proposed 0.95-mile shared-use path toward New Town Road, and its project page now lists it as under review.

Village Hall has a new administrator too. Brian T. Lee started as Village Manager on Monday, October 19, so decisions about the park's programming, the ramp and the 2027 event calendar will come up during his first months.

To reach the ribbon cutting, attendees left from a church on New Town Road whose first land came from the Ross family in 1901, for a single dollar.

Some of my favorite conversations about Marvin are about how a village of winding roads and large lots keeps its sense of community, and Houston-Ross Park is a big part of that story right now. If you'd like to talk through what's changing around Village Hall, or anything else on your mind about the area, Rhonda Taylor would be glad to hear from you. Let's Connect.