#131: Greenville Public Library

The sole cake of Bond County is here in its county seat, Greenville. The question on a lot of people's minds in the cake-hunters: Why is there a cake here? Yes, this is a question by those Missourian cake-hunters. As an Illinoisan, I ask the same question about some of their other far-away towns. See, a lot of people don't really get the point of making the drive all the way to Greenville. It is about 50 miles from downtown St. Louis.

While I'm at it, I'll share what I know about Bond County. First, it was named after an Illinois' first governor, Shadrach Bond. Several ordinary small towns are located in Bond County. Country superstar Gretchen Wilson grew up in Pocahontas (or 'Pokey'), as she has made several references to the village in her songs and interviews. Sorento, surrounded by cornfields, was once the home to In-N-Out Burger co-founder, Esther Snyder (Say....when is St. Louis going to get an In-N-Out Burger???). Keyesport is a popular boating place for people who love to chill at Carlyle Lake. The list goes on and on.

As for Greenville, the city was founded in 1815 (remember, that was 3 years before Illinois became a state). It is the home of Greenville College, a popular religious educational institution. Christian rock band Jars of Clay recorded most of their first album there.

The library

The library was built in 1904, and opened in 1905. At the request of then-Illinois lieutenant governor W.A. Northcott, it received massive funding from steel magnate Andrew Carnegie. It is one of the few Carnegie libraries that is still being used as a hometown library.

Looks like next year (2015) will be Greenville's bi-centennial! Missed with the coincide of this cake by a hair....

NOW: The cake was removed in mid-January 2015. According to a caker (from Greenville), library workers said that the cake may be re-painted for the city's bi-centennial celebration in 2015. The festivities will take place in September. We shall see....

Greenville, IL's Official website

415 W. Main St., GREENVILLE, IL, 62246
Cake artist: Linda Thompson