Bond County, Illinois

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Bond County, Illinois
Bond County Courthouse in Greenville
Map of Illinois highlighting Bond County
Location in the state of Illinois
Map of the United States highlighting Illinois
Illinois's location in the U.S.
Founded 1817
Seat Greenville
Largest city Greenville
Area
 • Total 382.76 sq mi (991 km2)
 • Land 380.28 sq mi (985 km2)
 • Water 2.48 sq mi (6 km2), 0.65%
Population
 • (2010) 17,768
 • Density 46/sq mi (18/km²)
Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5

Bond County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is part of the St. Louis Metro Area. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 17,768, which is an increase of 0.8% from 17,633 in 2000.[1] Its county seat is Greenville, Illinois.[2]

History

Bond County was formed in 1817 out of Madison County. It was named for Shadrach Bond, who was then the delegate from the Illinois Territory to the United States Congress, and who thereupon became the first governor of Illinois, serving from 1818 to 1822.[3]

The county's primary city, Greenville, had a post office from 1819 and was incorporated as a town in 1855 and as a city in 1872.[3] A few possible reasons have been put forth for the naming of the town. Some think the town was named after Greenville, North Carolina, which had been named after Revolutionary War general Nathanael Greene. 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.[3]

In 1824, a vote taken on slavery in Bond County had received 240 votes against and 63 votes for slavery.[4] While Illinois was not a slave state, it was adjacent to slave states, Missouri and Kentucky, and did allow the continued use of "indentured servants," a process many slaveowners used to keep their slaves even in a free state.[4]

In Bond County, at one point 14 slaves were registered to eight owners.[4] One slave, Silas Register, took his last name from the act of being registered at the county clerk's office. Register was the last known Bond County slave to survive; he died in 1872 at the age of 76.[4] A few of the slaves are buried in the county with the families they were indentured to.[4] One former slave, Fanny, was free after her owners moved out of the state and worked in the town so that she could buy her husband, Stephen, at auction in Missouri.[4]

During the 1840s, Bond County played host to a few people conducting slaves to freedom on the Underground Railroad.[4] Teacher T.A. Jones lived in Reno and in 2008, a letter in which he told of his Underground Railroad activities was discovered in a staircase in Sparta.[4] Slaves were often spirited from Missouri, sometimes through Carlyle to Bond County.[4] Rev. John Leeper was able to disguise his Underground Railroad activities due to his milling business.[4] Dr. Henry Perrine practiced medicine near Greenville and helped with the secret railroad activities.[4] Rev. George Denny's house was found in the 1930s to conceal a secret chamber that had been used in the Railroad.[4]

Greenville College was founded as Almira College in 1855. In 1941, college president H.J. Long "declared the founding of Almira and Greenville ran parallel, for both were founded on prayer."[3]

When Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas gave speeches in Greenville in 1858 during a campaign for the United States Senate, Douglas said: "Ladies and gentlemen it gives me great and supreme gratification and pleasure to see this vast concourse of people assembled to hear me upon this my first visit to Old Bond."[3] The Illinois State Register reported of the occasion: "I've seen many gatherings in Old Bond county but I never saw anything equal to this and I never expect to."[3]

On November 21, 1915, the Liberty Bell passed through Greenville on its nationwide tour returning to Pennsylvania from the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. After that trip, the Liberty Bell returned to Pennsylvania and will not be moved again.[3][5]

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 appears on the National Register.[3]

On April 18, 1934, during the Great Depression, a group of 500 protesters marched to the Illinois Emergency Relief Commission to lodge complaints about the delivery of emergency supplies from the state and federal governments.[3]

Ronald Reagan visited Greenville on the campaign trail in the 1980s and gave a speech on the courthouse lawn. Barack Obama, the junior Senator from Illinois elected as President in November 2008, also visited Greenville while campaigning for his Senate seat in 2004, in a visit hosted by the Bond County Democrats.[6] Women in Bond County could vote for the first time in 1914.[3]

  • Bond County at the time of its creation, extending north to Lake Superior.

  • Bond County between 1821 and 1824

  • Bond between 1824 and 1843

  • Bond county was enlarged slightly to its current size in 1843.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 382.76 square miles (991.3 km2), of which 380.28 square miles (984.9 km2) (or 99.35%) is land and 2.48 square miles (6.4 km2) (or 0.65%) is water.[7]

Adjacent counties

Major highways

Cities and towns

Townships

Bond County is divided into these nine townships:

School districts

Political districts

  • Illinois' 19th congressional district
  • State House District 102
  • State Senate District 51

Demographics

2000 census age pyramid for Bond County.
Historical population
Census Pop. %±
18202,931
—
18303,1246.6%
18405,06062.0%
18506,14421.4%
18609,81559.7%
187013,15234.0%
188014,86613.0%
189014,550−2.1%
190016,07810.5%
191017,0756.2%
192016,045−6.0%
193014,406−10.2%
194014,5400.9%
195014,157−2.6%
196014,060−0.7%
197014,012−0.3%
198016,22415.8%
199014,991−7.6%
200017,63317.6%
201017,7680.8%
Est. 201217,644−0.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]
2012 Estimate[9]

As of the census[10] of 2000, there were 17,633 people, 6,155 households, and 4,345 families residing in the county. The population density was 46 people per square mile (18/km²). There were 6,690 housing units at an average density of 18 per square mile (7/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 90.74% White, 7.41% Black or African American, 0.46% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.37% from other races, and 0.72% from two or more races. 1.43% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 37.0% were of German, 14.5% American, 11.0% English and 8.6% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000. 97.2% spoke English and 2.3% Spanish as their first language.

There were 6,155 households out of which 32.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.10% were married couples living together, 8.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.40% were non-families. 25.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the county the population was spread out with 21.90% under the age of 18, 11.60% from 18 to 24, 29.40% from 25 to 44, 22.40% from 45 to 64, and 14.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 116.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 119.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $37,680, and the median income for a family was $45,413. Males had a median income of $31,849 versus $21,295 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,947. About 6.70% of families and 9.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.70% of those under age 18 and 8.60% of those age 65 or over.

See also

  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Bond County, Illinois

Climate and weather

Greenville, Illinois
Climate chart (explanation)
JFMAMJJASOND
 
 
2.2
 
37
21
 
 
2
 
44
26
 
 
3.6
 
56
35
 
 
4.2
 
68
45
 
 
4.3
 
78
55
 
 
4.1
 
87
64
 
 
3.5
 
91
68
 
 
3.5
 
89
66
 
 
3.2
 
82
58
 
 
2.9
 
71
47
 
 
3.8
 
55
37
 
 
3
 
42
26
Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation totals in inches
Source: The Weather Channel[11]

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Greenville have ranged from a low of 21 °F (−6 °C) in January to a high of 91 °F (33 °C) in July, although a record low of −22 °F (−30 °C) was recorded in February 1905 and a record high of 114 °F (46 °C) was recorded in July 1954. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.00 inches (51 mm) in February to 4.31 inches (109 mm) in May.[11]

Coordinates: 38°53′N 89°26′W / 38.88°N 89.44°W / 38.88; -89.44

References

  1. ↑ "Bond County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2011-11-05. 
  2. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 Allan H. Keith, Historical Stories: About Greenville and Bond County, IL. Consulted on August 15, 2007.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9 4.10 4.11 "Several Stops On 'Underground Railroad' In Bond County". Greenville Advocate. November 11, 2008. 
  5. ↑ "Liberty Bell Attracts Crowd in Greenville During 1915 Stop". Greenville Advocate. July 3, 2007. 
  6. ↑ "Obama Visited Cafe in 2004". Greenville Advocate. November 11, 2008. 
  7. ↑ "Census 2010 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. Retrieved 2011-11-05. 
  8. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". Census.gov. Retrieved July 26, 2013. 
  9. ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012". Census.gov. Retrieved July 26, 2013. 
  10. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Monthly Averages for Greenville, Illinois". The Weather Channel. Retrieved 2011-01-27. 

External links

 Montgomery County
Madison County Fayette County
   Bond County, Illinois  
Clinton County
Municipalities and communities of Bond County, Illinois, United States
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