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Edwardsville is a city in Madison County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2005 census, the city population was 24,047, it is the county seat of Madison County and is the third oldest city in the State of Illinois. The city was named in honor of Ninian Edwards, Governor of Illinois. It is a community that is rich in history and full of beautiful homes and neighborhoods. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, the Edwardsville Journal, the Madison County Record and the Edwardsville Intelligencer are located here. Edwardsville is a part of Metro-East and the St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area. It neighbors with Glen Carbon, IL. It is part of the Edwardsville School District No. 7, which also includes the villages of Glen Carbon, Hamel and Moro, as well as the unincorporated areas around them. Culture - Arts in the Park: held at the Edwardsville's City Park during the summer months, "Arts in the Park"
 consists of Friday night concerts featuring an array of music concerts and art classes for children on Saturday mornings.
- Edwardsville Municipal Band: For more than 120 years, the Edwardsville Municipal Band has played summer concerts every Thursday night at 8 pm in the City Park. The concerts are an Edwardsville tradition and are attended each week by hundreds.
- Edwardsville Children's Museum: Located in the former Leclaire Academy, this interactive playground for the mind and body is educational, enriching and entertaining.
- ArtEAST: Explore more than 30 art galleries, studios and other venues in the Edwardsville area during the Edwardsville-Alton Studio Tour and see some of the best of local artist's work. Event is held in October.
- 1820 Colonel Benjamin Stephenson House: Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this home is the oldest brick house in Madison County and one of the oldest homes in the state of Illinois. Reenactors act as 19th century docents and serves as guides to the restored home.
- University Theater: Southern Illinois University Edwardsville students perform a variety of works from Shakespeare to modern.
- Arts & Issues: Southern Illinois University Edwardsville hosts authors, musicians, politicians, philosophers, and media celebrities on campus.
- Sculpture Walk: this walk consists of large sculptures by Southern Illinois University Edwardsville students near Dunham Hall.
Nature /Recreation - MCT Trails: Madison County Transit has developed more than 85 miles (137 km) of scenic bikeways that
 weave throughout the communities of Edwardsville and nearby Glen Carbon and beyond. The trails are mostly asphalt and maps of the trails, which connect to neighborhoods, schools, business districts, SIUE, parks and more can be found on kiosks throughout the trail system, or online at www.mcttrails.org.
- Watershed Nature Center: 46 acre wildlife preserve. See native Illinois plants and animals and learn about our environment at the interpretive center. Programming for children and adults available.
- SIUE Campus: Located on 2,660 acres (11 km²), the SIUE campus is the largest campus landwise in the United States. The campus has rolling hills, acres of forests, and endless fields.
- Edwardsville Parks: Glik Park, City Park, Edwardsville Township Park, Leclaire Park, Lusk Park
History Edwardsville was originally incorporated in 1818, making it the third oldest city in Illinois. The first settler was Thomas Kirkpatrick who came in 1805, laid out a community and served as the Justice of the Peace. He named the community after his friend Ninian Edwards who was territorial governor of Illinois at the time. (Illinois did not become a state until 1818.) In 1890, industrialist N.O. Nelson chose a tract of land just south of Edwardsville to locate his plumbing manufacturing company. He would also create a model "utopian" village here called Leclaire, where everyone had their own home, access to schools, parks, lectures, recreation and employment. Nelson believed in profit-sharing and all employees had a stake in the company. The village is similar to Pullman, Illinois near Chicago. Nelson was a visionary and is considered to be a renaissance man, years ahead of his time. Today, the Village of Leclaire has been incorporated into the City of Edwardsville. It remains a vibrant area with a beautiful lake and park, baseball field, the Edwardsville Children's Museum that is located in the former Leclaire Academy, and the factory buildings that are now the home of Lewis and Clark Community College. Each year in October, the "Friends of Leclaire" host an annual Parkfest with food, live music, activities, a tractor parade, pony rides, a book sale, and much more. |
