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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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