Rush is a classic example of rural small-town America. The East Rush hamlet, now known as simply Rush, was first named Webster's Mills. Although not the first settler in the area, John Webster, who purchased the land in 1810, soon began building a town--first a sawmill and a gristmill, followed by a general store, a hotel, and a school. Other businesses followed, and more families arrived. East Rush was the primary hamlet and, along with West Rush and North Rush, comprised a hardworking, close-knit, rural farming community. By the late 1800s, it was a thriving and self-sufficient community. And, like any town, it is the individuals who built it and lived here that bring Rush's past to life. Years later, the strong family and agricultural base continues, but the bustling activity that centered around the trains and mills has quieted.