Branch Rickey, a pivotal figure in the history of baseball, was raised in this house with his brothers, Orla and Frank. He started baseball's farm team system while he was president, vice president, and manager of the St. Louis Cardinals from 1917-1942. As president of the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1942-1950, he signed Jackie Robinson to a major league contract, which resulted in the desegregation of baseball. Known as "The Mahatma," he also ran the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1950-1955. His career in major league baseball began in 1904 as a Cincinnati Red, and later he played with the St. Louis Browns and the New York Highlanders, now known as the Yankees. Born in 1881 and died in 1965, he was posthumously inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1967. His grave is located approximately one mile southeast of this site on the eastern edge of Rush Township Cemetery.