Historical souvenir of Greenville, Illinois : being a ... - University Library

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Historical Souvenir of Greenville, Illinois.
Dr. W. a. Allen, Deceased,
Who came to Greenville in 1855, and formed a partnership with
Dr. T. S. Brooks. At the time of his death, March, 1891, he
•w&s Mayor of Greenville, President of the Board of Education,
and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Congregational
Church.
ment and services at the church
were dismissed, while people rushed
frantically about searching for their
loved ones, and finding all safe, although
some were bruised. Several
years later when Mt. Vernon was
visited by a cyclone Greenville sent
$257.30 to the sufferers of that
city.
This was a good year for wheat,
for the local papers tell us that in
one week the last of July ISSO, two
Greenville banks paid out $84,245
for wheat and this did not include
the business of the mills and small
buyers.
Gncnxnllc in the JVtnctica.
THE opening of this decade marks
a new era in the history of
Greenville. It is chiefly the industrial
spirit that predominates in
the nineties, and, in fact, up to the
present time. It was in the period
of the nineties that nearly all of
Greenville's present thriving industries
were launched.
As early as March, 1890, the business
men organized and subscribed
money for the purpose of a'lvertising
Greenville in the eastern papers.
Up to this time the growth had been
slow but steady. After the Vandalia
Line had been safely launched,
the people sank back on their
laurels and the usual course of
business was allowed to run smoothly
and without interruption. And
there was really no especially marked
advancement until the industrial
period of a few years ago swept
over the city and the era of factories
dawned in Greenville. Since then
the advancement has been by rapid
strides and the city is eagerly seeking
the rolling lands to the northeast,
east, southeast, and south,
where modern homes are almost
daily being built.
In 1890 the Postal Telegraph
came, and the same fall, when dingy
street lamps cost the city $250 a
year, the agitation for electric lights
commenced, nor did it cease until
June 1, 1895, when the first electric
lights were turned on in the streets
of Greenville.
The telephone exchange came in
189 4. The factory of DeMoulin and
Brother was established in 1896
and the Helvetia Milk Condensing
Company came in 1898. The Greenville
Milk Condensing Company
commenced operations in 1902, but
all these have enlarged and are
still enlarging and their history in
detail is given elsewhere In this volume.
The growth of Greenville has not
been of the mushroom character, nor
has it been by fits and starts but
rather its evolution from the log
cabin in 1815 to the growing city
of today, has been the result of
carefully laid plans and persistent
execution of those plans.
AND
6rccn\nUc of "Coday.
now we come to the Greenville
of 1905, with its popu-
lation of at least 3,000, and with its
prosperous business houses and
hundreds of happy homes. In the
institutions of this city and in the
many channels of business are each
day seen evidences of increasing
opportunities for intellectual, moral,
financial and spiritual gain and
growth.
We all know what Greenville of
the present day is and we will use
no space in telling present day history,
for, as has been truthfully
said, the history of any community,
is the history of its men and women,
and in the pages which follow there
is portrayed by pen and picture
what Greenville is today.
Cbc Civic Ristory of 6rccnvtUc.
GREENVILLE was one of the
first towns in the state to take
advantage of the laws to incorporate
under special charter. Just fifty
years ago, to be exact February 15,
1855, Greenville was incorporated
by special act of the Illinois Legislature.
The special act incorporating
the village clearly indicated
that the town of Greenville was already
in existence, as a municipality,
incorporated under the general
laws in force at that time. Section
2, of the act of 1855, provided that
"the boundaries of said incorporation
shall be those as established
Dr. T. S. Brooks, Deceased.
K Greenville practitioner for 40
years; a Yale graduate.