Goshen Settlement
Encyclopedia
The Goshen Settlement was an early American pioneer settlement in what is now Illinois
, USA, located to the east of St. Louis, Missouri
. The settlement was located about one mile (1.6 km) southwest of modern Glen Carbon, Illinois
, at the point where Judy's Creek emerges from the bluffs into the American Bottoms, on its way to the Mississippi River
.
In 1799, David Bagley, a Virginia Baptist minister passed through the area and determined that it was a land of such expanse and luxuriant vegetation that he compared it to the Biblical Land of Goshen
. References to this Land of Goshen have persisted since that time.
In 1801, Col. Samuel Judy received a military grant of 100 acre (0.404686 km²) near the base of the bluffs, just north of Judy's Creek, and became the first permanent settler of Madison County
. The area became known as the Goshen Settlement, and, while its boundaries were never clearly outlined, it was centered on the Judy property at the junction of Judy's Creek and present day Illinois Route 157
.
In 1808, the Goshen Road
was built as a wagon road across Illinois, from the Goshen Settlement to the salt works near Old Shawneetown, Illinois
. The trail crossed the state diagonally following a route from Peter's Station to the north and west of Glen Carbon, east to Troy, Illinois
, and then in a southeasterly direction, eventually ending at Shawneetown on the Ohio River
. The existing Goshen Road running from Route 159
to the intersection of Route 143
, south of Edwardsville
, is part of the original road.
Today the Goshen Settlement is mostly remembered by a line of short road segments named "Goshen Road", across Illinois, and many places named "Goshen" that were once adjacent to this long lost road to a long lost place. These names are all the more confusing because the modern towns of Goshen, Illinois and Goshen, Indiana
are nowhere close to the old settlement.
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, USA, located to the east of St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. The settlement was located about one mile (1.6 km) southwest of modern Glen Carbon, Illinois
Glen Carbon, Illinois
Glen Carbon is a village in Madison County, Illinois, United States, 23 km northeast of St. Louis. The population was 12,934 at the 2010 census.-History:...
, at the point where Judy's Creek emerges from the bluffs into the American Bottoms, on its way to the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
.
In 1799, David Bagley, a Virginia Baptist minister passed through the area and determined that it was a land of such expanse and luxuriant vegetation that he compared it to the Biblical Land of Goshen
Land of Goshen
The Land of Goshen is named in the bible as the place in Egypt given to the Hebrews by the pharaoh of Joseph, and the land from which they later left Egypt at the time of the Exodus...
. References to this Land of Goshen have persisted since that time.
In 1801, Col. Samuel Judy received a military grant of 100 acre (0.404686 km²) near the base of the bluffs, just north of Judy's Creek, and became the first permanent settler of Madison County
Madison County, Illinois
Madison County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. Madison County is part of the Metro-East region of the St. Louis Metro Area. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 269,282, which is an increase of 4.0% from 258,941 in 2000. The county seat is Edwardsville, home to...
. The area became known as the Goshen Settlement, and, while its boundaries were never clearly outlined, it was centered on the Judy property at the junction of Judy's Creek and present day Illinois Route 157
Illinois Route 157
Illinois Route 157 is a north–south highway in southwestern Illinois. Its southern terminus is at Illinois Route 3 at Cahokia, Illinois and its northern terminus at Illinois Route 140 in Hamel. This is a distance of .- Route description :...
.
In 1808, the Goshen Road
Goshen Road
The Goshen Road was an early road that ran from Old Shawneetown, Illinois, on the Ohio River, northwest to the Goshen Settlement, near Glen Carbon, Illinois, near the Mississippi River. In the early 19th century, this was the main east/west road in Illinois....
was built as a wagon road across Illinois, from the Goshen Settlement to the salt works near Old Shawneetown, Illinois
Old Shawneetown, Illinois
Old Shawneetown is a village in Gallatin County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 193. Located along the Ohio River, Shawneetown served as an important United States government administrative center for the Northwest Territory. The village was...
. The trail crossed the state diagonally following a route from Peter's Station to the north and west of Glen Carbon, east to Troy, Illinois
Troy, Illinois
Troy is a city in Madison County, Illinois, United States. The population was 8,524 at the 2000 census.Troy is part of the St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, and then in a southeasterly direction, eventually ending at Shawneetown on the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
. The existing Goshen Road running from Route 159
Illinois Route 159
Illinois Route 159 is a north–south state road in southwestern Illinois. Its southern terminus is at Illinois Route 3 and Illinois Route 154 in Red Bud and its northern terminus at Illinois Route 16 in Royal Lakes. This is a distance of ....
to the intersection of Route 143
Illinois Route 143
Illinois Route 143 is an east–west state highway in southwestern Illinois. Its western terminus is at U.S. Route 67 in Alton. Its eastern terminus at Illinois Route 127 at a rural intersection west of Tamalco...
, south of Edwardsville
Edwardsville, Illinois
Edwardsville is a city in Madison County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 24,293. 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, then Governor of the Illinois...
, is part of the original road.
Today the Goshen Settlement is mostly remembered by a line of short road segments named "Goshen Road", across Illinois, and many places named "Goshen" that were once adjacent to this long lost road to a long lost place. These names are all the more confusing because the modern towns of Goshen, Illinois and Goshen, Indiana
Goshen, Indiana
Goshen is a city in and the county seat of Elkhart County, Indiana, United States. It is the smaller of the two principal cities of the Elkhart-Goshen Metropolitan Statistical Area, which in turn is part of the South Bend-Elkhart-Mishawaka Combined Statistical Area. It is located in the northern...
are nowhere close to the old settlement.