Governor Bond State Memorial is a granite monument that marks the grave of Shadrach Bond

Shadrach Bond

Shadrach Bond was a representative from Illinois Territory to the United States Congress. In 1818, he was elected the first Governor of Illinois, becoming the new state's first chief executive...

, the first governor of Illinois

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,...

 after it became a state in 1818. Born in Maryland, Bond settled in Monroe County, Illinois

Monroe County, Illinois

Monroe County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 32,957, which is an increase of 19.3% from 27,619 in 2000. Its county seat is Waterloo...

 in 1794, and served as an Illinois Territory

Illinois Territory

The Territory of Illinois was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 1, 1809, until December 3, 1818, when the southern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Illinois. The area was earlier known as "Illinois Country" while under...

 delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives from 1812 to 1814. Erected in 1883, the monument is styled as an obelisk and is maintained by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency

Illinois Historic Preservation Agency

The Illinois Historic Preservation Agency is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of Illinois. It is tasked with the duty of maintaining most State-owned historic sites within Illinois, and maximizing their educational and recreational value to visitors....

 as a state historic site. The monument is located in Evergreen Cemetery, Illinois Route 3 North, in Chester, Illinois

Chester, Illinois

Chester is a city located on the bluffs of the Mississippi River Valley in Randolph County, Illinois, United States. The population was 8,400 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Randolph County and is located south of St. Louis, Missouri.-History:...

, Randolph County

Randolph County, Illinois

Randolph County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 33,476, which is a decrease of 1.2% from 33,893 in 2000. Its county seat is Chester....

, USA.

In September 2008, Governor Bond's obelisk - the tallest and most prominent monument in the cemetery - was toppled by Hurricane Ike

Hurricane Ike

Hurricane Ike was the second-costliest hurricane ever to make landfall in the United States, the costliest hurricane ever to impact Cuba and the second most active hurricane to reach the Canadian mainland in the Great Lakes Region after Hurricane Hazel in 1954...

.

External links

• Governor Bond State Memorial
• Governor Bond Memorial - local guide with photos
• Evergreen Cemetery: Shadrach Bond - photo of monument after the storm