County of town: Wayne County
Location of courthouse: 109 Walnut Street Greenville
Location of city: Dead center in county; crossroads of US-67 & MO-E
Named after: Fort Greene Ville (now Greenville), Ohio
Elevation: 407 ft (124 m)
Population: 485 (2017)
"Greenville: The county seat of Wayne County, until recently in the central part of St. Francois Township; since the Wappapello Dam (q.v.) was built, Greenville has been moved two and a half miles north. The removal was completed in July, 1943, when the courthouse was moved. Greenville was laid out in 1819 as the county seat of Wayne County by David Logan and Elijah Bettis at a place on St. Francois River known as Bettis' Ford. It is believed that the first plan was to locate the seat of justice on the southern side of the river, but Bettis, being a commissioner, took the opportunity for enhancing the value of his land on the north side of the river by placing the town there. The town is said to have been laid out in a cornfield with the streets following the rows of corn. It was named Greenville for the town in Ohio where General Anthony Wayne (for whom the county was named) concluded a treaty with the Indians in 1795. Greenville, Ohio was named by General Anthony Wayne, when he established it as Fort Greenville in 1793, for his friend General Nathaniel Greene (1742-1786), who started General Wayne on his successful military career. Since the moving of Greenville to the new site it is spoken of as the New Town or New Greenville, in contrast to Old Greenville, where the old courthouse remained in use until July, 1943. Possibly these designations Old and New will disappear when the last remaining traces of the original town are obliterated by the lake which is to be formed by Wappapelo Dam." ~ The State of Missouri, 1904, Walter Williams; Templeton, M.H.R. 24
"Greeneville was laid out as the seat of justice for Wayne County, in 1819 upon the bank of St. Francois River, on Spanish Grant No. 787 ... A store was opened there as early as 1824 by Van Horn T. Wheeler in a little log house ... Other early day merchants were: William Creath, Lysander Flynn, Zenas Smith, and others ... The town is situated on level ground, and in 1826, it was inundated to the depth of several feet by an overflow of the St. Francois River." ~ History of Southeast Missouri, 1889, Goodspeed, p. 458.
"When the town was laid out its site was a cornfield, and the streets were laid out according to the rows of corn.
"Formerly there was a Greenville in Saline County, but it later was named Miami." ~ Encyclopedia of Hisotry of Missouri, 1901, Conrad, Vol. 3 p. 117 & Vol. 4, p. 374.