Walnut in Bureau County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Don Marquis

Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 8, 2023

1. Don Marquis Marker

Inscription. Don Marquis, American humorist, dramatist, and poet, was born in Walnut, July 29, 1878. In 1899 he went to Washington, D. C., where he began his career in journalism. He later worked on newspapers in Atlanta and New York City. In Atlanta he also wrote with Joel Chandler Harris for Uncle Remus' Magazine. In a column called the “Sun Dial” which he wrote for the New York Evening Sun from 1913 to 1922, he created fictional characters whose conversations and antics expressed the author's commentaries on the times. The most popular characters were Archy, a literary cockroach, and Mehitabel, rowdy queen of the alley cats. Marquis died in 1937. His principal works number more than twenty-five.

Erected 1972 by The Bryant Club • Walnut Rotary Club • The Illinois State Historical Society.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Communications. In addition, it is included in the Illinois State Historical Society series list. A significant historical date for this entry is July 29, 1878.

Location. 41° 33.595′ N, 89° 35.61′ W. Marker is in Walnut, Illinois, in Bureau County. Marker is at the intersection of West North Street (Illinois Route 92) and North 2nd Street, on the right

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when traveling east on West North Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 103 W North St, Walnut IL 61376, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 11 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Walnut Veterans Memorial Park (approx. 0.2 miles away); Tampico – Birthplace of President Reagan (approx. 11.1 miles away); 119 Main Street (approx. 11.1 miles away); 117 Main Street (approx. 11.1 miles away); 115 Main Street (approx. 11.1 miles away); 113 Main Street (approx. 11.1 miles away); 111 Main Street (approx. 11.1 miles away); 126 Main Street (approx. 11.1 miles away).

Also see . . .
1. Don Marquis: The Tragic Humorist (PDF). He amused his fellow Americans from World War I into the 1930s – becoming the most well-known humorist of his era – and he also wrote some serious works as well. But ironically, his life was marked by one tragedy after another during his later years. (John Hallwas, Illinois Heritage magazine) (Submitted on August 12, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

2. Archy and Mehitabel. Wikipedia entry on two of Marquis' best-known characters, who debuted in his New York Evening Sun column in 1916. (Submitted on August 12, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 8, 2023

2. Don Marquis Marker

Donald Robert Perry Marquis (1878-1937) image. Click for full size.

Bain News Service via Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division (Public Domain), circa 1910/15

3. Donald Robert Perry Marquis (1878-1937)

He wrote columns for the New York Evening Sun (1912-1922) and the New York Herald-Tribune, as well as contributed columns and short stories to the Saturday Evening Post, Harper's, Collier's and Cosmopolitan. Behind his humorous writings was a lifetime of sorrow: his father, a brother, two wives and both of his children died during his lifetime.

Credits. This page was last revised on August 12, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 12, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 71 times since then and 11 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 12, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.