Rushville in Schuyler County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

The Scripps Family

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 7, 2023

1. The Scripps Family Marker

Inscription. This site was the homestead of the Scripps family – pioneer journalists and philanthropists. John Scripps (1785-1868), a Methodist circuit-rider, settled here in 1831. In 1849 he began publishing the Prairie Telegraph, now the Rushville Times. His nephew, John Locke Scripps (1818-1868), co-founded the Chicago Tribune and wrote the first biography of Abraham Lincoln. A great-nephew, Edward Wyllis Scripps (1854-1926), founded United Press and the first newspaper chain in the United States – Scripps Howard. An older brother, James E. Scripps (1835-1906), founded the Detroit Evening News; and their sister, Ellen Browning Scripps (1836-1932), pioneered the concept of the feature article in journalism.

Erected 1977 by Scripps Park Bicentennial Landscaping Committee • Illinois State Historical Society.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Communications • Women. In addition, it is included in the Illinois State Historical Society series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1831.

Location. 40° 6.994′ N, 90° 34.722′ W. Marker is in Rushville, Illinois, in Schuyler County.

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It can be reached from Ellen Scripps Drive south of U.S. 24, on the left when traveling south. Marker is in Scripps Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 100 Ellen Scripps Dr, Rushville IL 62681, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American Midwest

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Union Baptist Church (approx. 0.8 miles away); Militiaman Lincoln (approx. 0.8 miles away); War Memorial (approx. 0.8 miles away); 1812-1900 War Memorial (approx. 0.8 miles away); Lincoln's Reception (approx. 0.8 miles away); Abraham Lincoln in Rushville (approx. 0.9 miles away); Maxwell Kennedy (approx. 0.9 miles away); The Base Line Survey (approx. 6.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Rushville.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 7, 2023

2. The Scripps Family Marker

The Scripps Homestead image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 7, 2023

3. The Scripps Homestead

Front view of the house. The marker is by the chimney of the left side of the house.

John Locke Scripps (1818-1866) image. Click for full size.

from The First Published Life of Abraham Lincoln, John Locke Scripps, via Google Books (Public Domain), 1900

4. John Locke Scripps (1818-1866)

His 1860 biography of Lincoln was financed and published by the latter's presidential campaign as a promotional tool.

Edward Willis "E.W." Scripps (1854-1926) image. Click for full size.

E.W. Scripps Papers, Ohio University via Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain), 1912

5. Edward Willis "E.W." Scripps (1854-1926)

He and his half-sister Ellen Browning Scripps founded the E.W. Scripps Co. and United Press news services, which later became United Press International.

Ellen Browning Scripps (1836-1932) image. Click for full size.

M.J. Conn from Encyclopedia of American Biography, via Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain)

6. Ellen Browning Scripps (1836-1932)

One of the world's wealthiest women, she gave much of her fortune away to the Scrips Research Institute, Scripps College, and organizations seeking to improve women's education and advance democratic principles.

Credits. This page was last revised on November 18, 2024. It was originally submitted on July 31, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 870 times since then and 75 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 31, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on August 1, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.