Greenville’s history is
mostly unwritten
The public archives hold only 2 old photos of Greenville. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗Greenville was founded by George Davidson in 1815 in what was then the Illinois Territory, when he purchased 160 acres (65 ha) along the bluff overlooking Little Shoal Creek, in what was then still part of Madison County. Davidson built a tavern near the present-day intersection of Main and Sixth streets, and by 1816 he was selling individual lots. The federal government established its first federal post office in Greenville in 1819. It was incorporated as a town in 1855 and as a city in 1872. At one time, it had neighborhoods called New Jerusalem, Piety Hill, Cobtown, and Buzzard Roost. 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 n…
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowStart Greenville’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Greenville’s history is told.
1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🗓️Date a photo1 archive item has no date+2 🔁Retake an old viewDORCAS ROSEBROUGH DENNY Official …, 1902: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Greenville
See all 13 →
Greenville, decade by decade
1990s
unknown1 item
2 historic places in Greenville
2 places in Greenville are on the National Register of Historic Places, the country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
Where they are
When they were listed
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as DORCAS ROSEBROUGH DENNY Official directory of the women's clubs of Chicago (1902) (1902) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (8). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.