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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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