[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 51 (Monday, May 1, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3182-S3183]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              GOREVILLE, ILLINOIS, CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION

 Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I rise today to honor the great 
people of Goreville, IL, during their centennial celebration. Although 
Goreville was not officially incorporated until 1900, it has been a 
busy settlement since before the Civil War. A post office was 
established as early as 1886, after the Gore family migrated from 
Georgia to settle on the land they had purchased from the government in 
1854. When the Civil War broke out, General John A. Logan visited the 
community to recruit volunteers for his 31st Illinois Volunteer 
Infantry, which rendezvoused at Camp Dunlap in Jacksonville, IL, before 
moving on to Fort Defiance in Cairo, IL.
  When the Chicago and Eastern Illinois railroad went through Johnson 
County in 1889, the village moved its businesses down the road. This 
flexibility proved beneficial to Goreville as the small village 
prospered.
  In April 1900, the village was incorporated, and was formally 
recognized by the State of Illinois in a small ceremony on July 5, 
1900. While Goreville's population has never been extremely large, it 
has gradually grown to 900 people. Goreville is nestled next to Ferne 
Clyffe State Park. In 1923, the State Park was declared ``the most 
beautiful spot in Illinois.''

[[Page S3183]]

  The week of May 7-13 has been designated as the Goreville Centennial 
Celebration. As the people of Goreville hold a series of events to 
celebrate the 100th birthday of the village, I ask my colleagues to 
join me in recognizing the centennial celebration of Goreville, 
IL.

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