Chrisman

History

Chrisman was founded on land originally owned by a man named Abraham Smith, who moved to Ross Township in 1840. In 1851, Smith sold his farmland to John Chrisman who then built his home on the land where the Nazarene Church currently stands. Chrisman lived in this house until his death in 1870. Upon his death, the property, including the 800 acres of farmland, was inherited by his son, Mathias Chrisman. It is believed that at this time, around 20 other families were also living in the area. Two years later, a county surveyor visited the area looking to identify a location for a new town. John Chrisman along with Charles Caraway and William Kenton assisted the surveyor. Kenton suggested that the new town should be named “Chrisman” in honor of the current landowner. The town was established on 100 acres of land and, for a few months, was known as “Dolly Varden”. Ultimately, it was renamed to Chrisman and has remained that way ever since.

Geography

Chrisman is located on U.S. Route 150 less than a mile north of its intersection with U.S. Route 36. Two railroad lines intersect in Chrisman, both operated by CSX Transportation. According to the 2010 census, Chrisman has a total area of , all land.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  114
• Killdeer

  Charadrius vociferus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  107
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  103
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  99
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  83
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  65
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  61
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  61

Largest nearby schools

• Shiloh High School
  High · Hume · 198 students · 11.6:1 ratio
• Shiloh Elementary School
  Elementary · Hume · 173 students · 13.3:1 ratio
• Chrisman Elem School
  Elementary · Chrisman · 129 students · 12.9:1 ratio
• Chrisman High School
  High · Chrisman · 97 students · 8.8:1 ratio
• Chrisman-Scottland Jr High School
  Middle · Chrisman · 69 students · 11.5:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 3.26 — 2025-05-13
  7 km SSW of Lerna, Illinois
• M 2.5 — 2023-10-31
  7 km ESE of Linden, Indiana
• M 3.82 — 2021-06-17
  Illinois-Indiana border region
• M 2.5 — 2007-11-28
  5 km S of Hutsonville, Illinois