County and Town History for Greene County, IL

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Greene County, IL History
Source: "Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois" ©1901
TRANSCRIBED BY K. TORP FROM THE ORIGINAL BOOK

Greene County - cut off from Madison and separately organized in 1821; has an area of 544 square miles; Population in 1900, 23,402; named for Gen. Nathaniel Greene, a Revolutionary soldier. The soil and climate are varied and adapted to a diversity of products, wheat and fruit being among the principal. Building stone and clay are abundant. Probably the first English-speaking settlers were David Stockton and James Whiteside, who located south of Macoupin Creek in June, 1817. Samuel Thomas and others (among them Gen. Jacob Fry) followed soon afterward. The Indians were numerous and aggressive, and had destroyed not a few of the monuments of the Government surveys, erected some years before. Immigration of the whites, however, was rapid, and it was not long before the nucleus of a village was established at Carrollton, where General Fry erected the first house and made the first coffin needed in the settlement. This town, the county-seat and most important place in the county, was laid off by Thomas Carlin in 1821. Other flourishing towns are Whitehall (Population, 1,961), and Roodhouse (an important railroad center) with a population of 2,360.

CARROLLTON - the county-seat of Greene County, situated on the west branch of the Chicago & Alton and the Quincy, Carrollton & St. Louis Railroads, 33 miles north-northwest of Alton, and 34 miles south by west from Jacksonville. The town has a foundry, carriage and wagon factory, two machine shops, two flour mills, two banks, six churches, a high school and two weekly newspapers. Population in 1890 was 2,258; in 1900, 2,355.

GREENFIELD - a city in the eastern part of Greene County, on the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy and the Quincy, Carrollton & St. Louis Railways, 12 miles east of Carrollton and 55 miles north of St. Louis; is an agricultural, coal-mining and stock-raising region. The city has several churches, public schools, a seminary, electric light plant, steam flouring mill, and one weekly paper. It is an important shipping point for cattle, horses, swine, corn, grain and produce. Population in 1890, 1,131; in 1900, 1085.

KANE - a village of Green County, on the Jacksonville Division of the Chicago & Alton Railway, 40 miles south of Jacksonville. It has a bank and a weekly paper. Population in 1880 was 408; 1890, 551; 1900, 588

ROODHOUSE - a city in Green County, 21 miles south of Jacksonville, and at junction of three divisions of the Chicago & Alton Railroad; is in fertile agricultural and coal-mining region; city contains a flouring mill, grain-elevator, stockyards, railway shops, water-works, electric light plant, two private banks, fine opera house, good school buildings, one daily and two weekly papers. Population in 1890 was 2,360; 1900. 2,351.

WHITEHALL - a city in Greene County, at the intersection of the Chicago & Alton and the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroads, 65 miles north of St. Louis and 24 miles south-southwest of Jacksonville; in rich farming region; has stoneware and sewer-pipe factories, foundry and machine shop, flour mill, elevators, wagon shops, creamery, water system, sanitarium, heating, electric light and power system, nurseries and fruit-supply houses, and two poultry packing houses; also has five churches, a graded school, two banks and three newspapers -one daily. Population in 1890 was 1,961. 1900, 2,030.