The Goshen Road - Mount Vernon, IL - Wagon Roads and Trails on Waymarking.com

County of marker: Jefferson County
location of marker: N. 27th St. @ Caroline St., Jefferson County Historical Society parking lot, Mount Vernon

Marker Text:

GOSHEN ROAD The Goshen Road was one of the main arteries of travel in the early 1800's, when Illinois was frontier country. The road ran in a Northwesterly direction from Shawneetown to Edwardsville - A distance of more than 150 miles. Shawneetown and Edwardsville were two of the leading commercial towns in Illinois. In the vast area between these towns most of the early settlements were along the Goshen Road, which was three miles east of this point in Jefferson County. In 1821, after the county was organized, an alternate road was surveyed in order to pass through Mt. Vernon, the county seat.

Road of Trail Name: The Goshen Road State: Illinois County: Jefferson County Historical Significance: Before the Interstate and highway systems were built, most locations were connected by a series of trails. Some are well known, such as the Oregon Trail, while others have been less popularized, like our own Goshen Trail. The Goshen Trail connected Shawneetown, Illinois, an Ohio River crossing point, with the growing city of St. Louis, Missouri, as men and families advanced west in search of new land and adventure. The trail ran northwest across the state, and interestingly, right alongside the east border of our property, where the road is known locally as the Old Goshen Trail. Comparing our trail map of 1810 with a new map of today, it is easy to see the areas where the trail has been replaced and re-routed, and where portions of the trail remain. Oddly, the only portion of the approximately 150 mile trail that is still distinguishable is the 25 mile stretch from our farm to the city of Mt. Vernon, Illinois Years in use: 50 How you discovered it: Looking for Illinois State Histoeica markers, and this is one. Book on Wagon Road or Trial: History of Jefferson County, Illinois William Henry Perrin Globe Publishing Company, Historical Publishers, 1883 - Jefferson County (Ill.) - 419 pages Website Explination: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goshen_Road http://historicjeffersoncountyil.com/images/Coloring-Book---.pdf Why?: Meandering along the east side of Providence Prairie is a long forgotten slice of history known as the “Old Goshen Trail.” In the early 1800’s, this path was the main east/west route in Illinois allowing passage from the Cumberland Gap to the St. Louis area. As settlers crossed the Ohio River into the town now known as Old Shawneetown, they traveled in a North West direction establishing settlements along the way. The pathway continued for 150 to 200 miles, avoiding large streams by following much of the Ohio and Mississippi River watershed divide, ending at a settlement just north of St Louis called Goshen. Settlers could then travel by boat down the Mississippi River to St. Louis if they desired. Directions: West out of downtown Mt. Vernon, and ask every where (there are no signs) for the Historical Society village...the sign is there.

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