Greenville

History

Greenville was founded by George Davidson in 1815 in what was then the Illinois Territory, when he purchased along the bluff overlooking Little Shoal Creek, in what was then still part of Madison County. Davidson built a tavern near the present-day intersection of Main and Sixth streets, and by 1816 he was selling individual lots. The federal government established its first federal post office in Greenville in 1819. It was incorporated as a town in 1855 and as a city in 1872. At one time, it had neighborhoods called New Jerusalem, Piety Hill, Cobtown, and Buzzard Roost. Others say that Greenville was named by early settler Thomas White because it was "so green and nice". A third possibility is that Greenville was named after Green P. Rice, the town's first merchant. Slaves were often spirited from Missouri, sometimes through Carlyle to Bond County. The Greenville Public Library was established as a Carnegie library and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Hogue Hall at Greenville College also appeared on the National Register (it was demolished in 2008). Barack Obama visited Greenville while campaigning for his Senate seat in 2004, in a visit hosted by the Bond County Democrats. While Greenville once hosted three newspapers, The Item, The Sun, and The Advocate, it now has only the twice-weekly Greenville Advocate. The Advocate is the oldest business in Bond County and one of the oldest newspapers in Illinois. Original Advocate owner Jediah Alexander was friends with Abraham Lincoln and instrumental in bringing Lincoln to Greenville for a visit.

Geography

Greenville is located near the center of Bond County. U.S. Route 40 and Interstate 70 pass to the south of downtown, both highways leading west to St. Louis and east to Vandalia. Greenville is also located on Illinois Route 127, which is a major north–south route connecting Southern Illinois to Springfield. The National Road passes through Greenville. East of Greenville it follows Illinois Route 140, and west it follows U.S. Route 40. Its route west of town was the source of a historic controversy. Original plans were to connect Greenville to St. Louis. However, the Illinois General Assembly preferred a route to Alton to favor an Illinois city directly on the Mississippi River. When federal money for the road ran out in 1840 at Vandalia, 19 miles east of Greenville, the State Legislature refused to fund it further. Residents of Greenville, Highland, Troy, and Collinsville paid to complete the road to East St. Louis. The "State Policy" of favoring Alton over St. Louis remained a major political issue in Illinois until the Civil War. According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Greenville has a total area of , all land.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Greenville Elem School
  Elementary · Greenville · 531 students · 13:1 ratio
• Bond Cty Comm Unit 2 High School
  High · Greenville · 504 students · 14.8:1 ratio
• Greenville Jr High School
  Middle · Greenville · 300 students · 13:1 ratio
• Pocahontas Center
  Elementary · Pocahontas · 214 students · 13.4:1 ratio
• Mulberry Grove Elem School
  Elementary · Mulberry Grove · 165 students · 10.3:1 ratio
• Mulberry Grove Sr High School
  High · Mulberry Grove · 111 students · 15.9:1 ratio
• Mulberry Grove Jr High School
  Middle · Mulberry Grove · 78 students · 11.1:1 ratio
• Bond County CUSD 2 ECC
  Other · Greenville · 48 students · 12:1 ratio