Elkhart in Elkhart County, Indiana — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Emma Molloy

1839-1907

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 1, 2025

1. Emma Molloy Marker, side one

Inscription. Activist and evangelist Emma Molloy was born in South Bend. As editor of the city's National Union in the 1860s, she advocated for women's rights and their entrance into the public sphere. Molloy moved to Elkhart, where she co-founded the Observer in 1872. Here, she grew into a prolific political reformer and public speaker, advancing temperance and women's liberation.

Molloy lobbied for temperance and liberalized divorce laws as a means to reduce financial hardship and abuse endured by wives. Realizing the ballot was necessary to effect this change, she advocated for women’s suffrage. Her speeches catapulted her to an international stage, as she lectured in England and spoke at National Woman Suffrage Association conventions.

Erected by Indiana Historical Bureau • Elkhart County Historical Society and Museum • Indiana Women's Suffrage Centennial Commission • Indiana Historical Society. (Marker Number 20.2023.1.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Civil Rights • Communications • Women. In addition, it is included in the Indiana Historical Bureau Markers series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1872.

Location. 41° 41.093′ N, 85° 58.404′

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W. Marker is in Elkhart, Indiana, in Elkhart County. It is at the intersection of West High Street and South 2nd Street, on the right when traveling east on West High Street. Marker is in front of the Elkhart Public Library. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 300 S 2nd St, Elkhart IN 46516, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Northern Indiana

and in Greater South Bend.

It is also 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 walking distance of this marker: Elkhart Carnegie Public Library (within shouting distance of this marker); Charles Gordone (within shouting distance of this marker); Elkhart County Revolutionary Soldiers Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); Elkhart High School (within shouting distance of this marker); E. Hill Turnock (within shouting distance of this marker); Young Women's Christian Association Building (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Power of Water in Elkhart (approx. 0.2 miles away); Elkhart's Early Industrial Power (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Elkhart.

More about this marker. Complete inscription obtained from Indiana Historical Bureau.

Also see . . . Overlooked—Emma Molloy: “God Made Me So Radical”. Emma Molloy was not your average reformer. Her advocacy of women’s suffrage, women in the workplace, temperance, and prison reform was so radical that women’s and reform groups ostracized

Emma Molloy Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 1, 2025

2. Emma Molloy Marker

her. (Nicole Poletika, Untold Indiana blog, Indiana Historical Bureau) (Submitted on November 18, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Emma Barrett Molloy (1839-1907) image. Click for full size.

Digitized by Michiana Women Leaders Project; via Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

3. Emma Barrett Molloy (1839-1907)

She became an evangelical preacher in the Pacific Northwest and continued to spread her ideas on prohibition and women's suffrage well into her final years.

Credits. This page was last revised on November 18, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 18, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 40 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 18, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Editor’s want-list for this marker. Closeup photo of side two of the marker • Can you help?