Ripley, IL

Ripley began as Centerville, was incorporated on July 20, 1837, and reincorporated on April 10, 1874. The Brown County village sits along the La Moine River, whose spring high water once allowed local potters to ship wares downstream. In the 1850s Ripley was known as Jug Town, with 18 potteries employing more than 200 workers; production continued into the 1880s before competitors near railroads and larger waterways took the trade. Little physical trace of the kilns remains, so the river and the compact village grid now carry most of the visible connection to Ripley's industrial past.