Rushville is a city in Rushville Township, Rush County, Indiana, United States. It, like the county, was named in honor of Dr. Benjamin Rush, who signed the Declaration of Independence.

History

Rush County was formed from the unorganized Delaware County April 1, 1822. On July 29 town lots were sold and the town started to form. A school had already been started in 1821 by Dr. W.B. Laughlin, who was a member of the Legislature when the county was formed, and is considered the founding father of the town. A jail was built, Charles Veeder, was the first postmaster in 1822, and a courthouse was built in 1823. The Dog Fennel Gazette was published in 1823. The railroad was built in 1850 and after that a bank, factories, mills, and grain elevators sprang up.

The Rushville post office has been in operation since 1822.

Rushville was the campaign headquarters for Wendell Willkie's 1940 presidential campaign against Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Willkie is buried in the city's East Hill Cemetery.

The Durbin Hotel, John K. Gowdy House, Melodeon Hall, Rush County Courthouse, Rushville Commercial Historic District, St. Paul Methodist Episcopal Church, Booker T. Washington School, and Wendell Lewis Willkie House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

Rushville is located along the Flatrock River.

According to the 2010 census, Rushville has a total area of , all land.

Climate

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Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Rushville had a population of 6,208. The median age was 40.0 years. 22.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 89.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 84.5 males age 18 and over.

99.5% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.5% lived in rural areas.

There were 2,587 households in Rushville, of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 38.7% were married-couple households, 18.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 33.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

Notable people

  • Samuel Bigger, governor of Indiana
  • Carmelita Geraghty, silent film actress
  • Gerald Geraghty, screenwriter
  • Maurice Geraghty, screenwriter
  • Thomas J. Geraghty, screenwriter
  • Janet Gray Hayes, 60th mayor of San Jose, California
  • Joe Hogsett, politician, 49th and incumbent mayor of Indianapolis, Indiana, and lawyer
  • Leonidas Sexton, 19th-century politician
  • Knowles Shaw, author and composer
  • Tony Stewart, NASCAR/NHRA driver, owner
  • Frazier Thomas, television personality
  • James E. Watson, U.S. senator from Indiana
  • Philip Willkie, politician and businessman
  • Wendell Willkie, presidential candidate, lawyer, businessman
  • Edward H. Wolfe, Union Army general

References

  • City of Rushville website
  • "Wendell Willkie, Presidential Contender" from C-SPAN's The Contenders, broadcast from Rushville