Goreville

History

The village is named after John Gore, who bought 40 acres of land in the area from the United States Government in 1854. Gore operated a general store on the property. In 1866 a post office was built on the land and it was named Goreville in honor of him. In 1898 the Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad built a train line about a mile northeast of town. Some of the town's businesses moved closer to the tracks and others formed by the tracks as the town grew. The Village of Goreville officially incorporated on April 18, 1900, with a population of 406.

Geography

Goreville is located in northwestern Johnson County and is bordered to the south by Ferne Clyffe State Park. Illinois Route 37 passes through the village, leading south to Buncombe and north to Interstate 57 at Exit 45, just north of that highway's interchange with Interstate 24. According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Goreville has a total area of , of which (or 99.19%) is land and (or 0.81%) is water.

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,520
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  2,359
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  2,208
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,906
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,895
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  1,873
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,589
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  1,414

Most recent

• M 2.53 — 2024-03-05
  6 km ENE of Pinckneyville, Illinois
• M 3.07 — 2023-12-18
  5 km WNW of Waltonville, Illinois
• M 2.59 — 2023-08-23
  3 km ENE of Wilson City, Missouri
• M 2.52 — 2022-05-17
  6 km NNW of Mount Vernon, Illinois
• M 2.57 — 2022-04-15
  3 km SW of Anniston, Missouri
• M 2.57 — 2022-04-13
  3 km SE of Springerton, Illinois