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Bond County, Illinois
Just over 17,000 people
live in Bond
County, one of the smallest counties in the
state. Until 1817, Bond County was part of Madison
County. On January 4 of that year, the Illinois
Territorial Legislature voted to establish a new county,
and named it after its territorial governor, Shadrach
Bond. It is located in southwestern Illinois.
Bond County cities include Donnellson, Greenville,
Mulberry Grove, Pierron, Pocahontas, Smithboro and
Sorento. Greenville is the county seat, located about 45
miles east of St. Louis, Mo. Greenville holds its
history close. Downtown, there’s the Bond County
Historical Society at the Hoiles-Davis Museum, and the
Bond County Genealogical Society, which holds thousands
of archived materials at the Greenville Public Library
– also an historic building.
On the campus of Greenville
College, the Bock
Museum houses the works of sculptor Richard
W. Bock, who collaborated with famed architect Frank
Lloyd Wright. Hogue
Hall, also on campus, is listed on the
National Registry of Historic Places.
Despite its size, Bond County is home to parts of some
of the most popular parks in the state. The 1,463-acre
Eagle Creek State Park has several scenic trails that
follow the Lake Shelbyville shoreline. Nearby Wolf
Creek State Park is 2,400 acres, on Lake
Shelbyville’s eastern shore. There’s also Eldon
Hazlet State Park located on Carlyle Lake,
the largest manmade reservoir in the state. Carlyle
Lake is home to South
Shore State Park, where more than 200,000
waterfowl drop by each winter during their migratory
travels north and south.
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