Marston was incorporated in 1893 by Seth Barnes, he named the community after his mother's maiden name.  Barnes had his new town laid out in nine blocks that took up forty acres of land.  Most of the industry that was in Marston was related to timber and by 1900 there were over 1000 residents.  Barnes built a railroad line from Paw Paw Junction (near Lilbourn) to Hayti that he later sold to the Frisco Railroad Company.  Another line was later built that connected the town with New Madrid.  

The early sections of town were called Tent Town and Rug Town because of the primitive way they homes were constructed.  As the town grew it built a school and went through the normal expansion that a fourth class city does at that time.  In 1917 the lumber had all been cut and the town transformed into a gin center for cotton.