HR0130 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0130 LRB099 05816 MST 25860 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to recognize the City of Greenville on the occasion of its 200th anniversary in 2015; and

WHEREAS, The City of Greenville was founded in 1815 by George Davidson, 3 years before Illinois' statehood; in 1817, Bond County was formed, and, in 1820, Greenville became the county seat; and

WHEREAS, While the United States grew westward in the 1800s, important new transportation routes came through Greenville; in the 1840s, local citizens completed the National Road from Vandalia to St. Louis; intersecting with the National Road at Greenville was the Black Diamond Trail, later known as Route 127, which connected Southern Illinois with Springfield; 1870 saw the completion of the St. Louis, Vandalia, and Terre Haute Railroad, which passed through Greenville, sustaining Greenville as a prominent industrial town; in the 1930s, the building of present US Route 40, then one of the longest roads in the nation, started in the area; in 1968, the exit for Interstate 70, one of the busiest highways in the country, opened at Greenville; and

WHEREAS, In the 1840s, many Greenville homes were secretly included as stops along the Underground Railroad, helping former slaves escape north to freedom; many men in Greenville and Bond County served in State regiments during the Civil War, including parts of the Illinois 130th, which fought in the Battle of Vicksburg; and

WHEREAS, When Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas gave speeches during their 1858 race for the United States Senate, Douglas stated: "Ladies and Gentlemen it gives me great and supreme gratification and pleasure to see this vast concord of people assembled to hear me upon my first visit to Old Bond."; 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"; and

WHEREAS, Greenville has continuously attracted industry since the 1890s, beginning with DeMoulin Brothers, makers of lodge initiation devices and uniforms, and Helvetia Milk Condensing, which eventually became Pet Milk Company; throughout the 20th century, many more businesses followed, including the Model Glove Company, Coates Steel Products, and the Nevco Scoreboard Company; in the 1980s, Carlisle Syntec, Peterson Spring, and United Stationers opened facilities in Greenville's 2 industrial parks; Donnewald Distributing Company is the most recent enterprise to join the community; and

WHEREAS, Greenville has a strong historical connection to education, including the decision in the 1860s to institute a first-through-twelfth grade public education system, becoming one of the earliest schools in Illinois to do so; also in that decade, Almira College began as an all-women's school; in 1892, it became the co-educational Greenville College; in 1905, thanks to a grant from Andrew Carnegie, the Ladies Social Circle opened the Greenville Public Library, now included in the National Register of Historic Places; and

WHEREAS, 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; following the trip, the Liberty Bell returned to Pennsylvania, never to be moved again; and

WHEREAS, Ronald Reagan visited Greenville on the campaign trail for President in 1980 and gave a speech on the street in front of the courthouse; his time there is commemorated by a plaque; Barack Obama, elected President in November of 2008, also visited Greenville while campaigning for the Senate in 2004; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize the City of Greenville on its rich 200 years of history and wish them success and prosperity in the future; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the City of Greenville as a symbol of our esteem and respect.