Edwardsville, the county seat of Madison County, Illinois, was first incorporated in 1818. In 1890, a local industrialist chose an area south of the city to build plumbing factories. N. O. Nelson also built a workers' cooperative village that he named Leclaire, after the famed French economist. His company's workers were offered reasonable hours at fair wages, a share of the profits, and better quality of life than most other workers' villages at the time. In 1939, Leclaire was incorporated into the City of Edwardsville. This addition included a park, a baseball field, and several factory buildings, which were renovated and repurposed for use as the N. O. Nelson Campus of Lewis and Clark Community College.
A neighborly sort of city, Edwardsville and its next-door neighbor, Glen Carbon, have been ranked as the number one and two best cities in their county to raise a family. Glen Carbon is one of the fastest-growing areas in the state, with Edwardsville not far behind. The city has produced many people of influence. On the top of the list of successful people to come from Edwardsville are not one or two, but five Illinois governors, starting with Ninian Edwards, the city's namesake and friend of Thomas Kirkpatrick, the first European settler to arrive here and ultimately start a community. The list of those who consider themselves lucky to call Edwardsville their hometown also includes politicians, Supreme Court Justices, and professional athletes from several different sports. From NFL players AJ Epinesa to MLB pitchers Lee Wheat and Jason Isringhausen, the town claims more professional players than the average city.
Edwardsville has the distinction of having two film credits on its resume. Several scenes for the movie Stingray, starring Christopher Mitchum, and a few scenes for The Lucky Ones starring Tim Robbins and Rachel McAdams were filmed in the downtown sector in 2007. The lone tv credit the city has is a single episode of House Hunters, starring a local couple who grew up and went to school there. Singer-songwriter from the '60s and '70s, Jackson Browne, recorded two songs for his album "Running On Empty" in Room 124 of the local Holiday Inn.
The Three Mile House is a known haunted house said to have been a stop on the Underground Railroad. It is believed to be the final home of the spirits of children and adults who couldn't cross over. A seance was performed here, which determined that the spirits' leader is a former slave named Tom, who was murdered after escaping and accidentally killing a woman while on the run.
While Edwardsville is known for having some beautiful homes, unfortunately, many critters love nice houses as much as the people who own them. For over 25 years, Veteran's Pride Wildlife Control has been Edwardsville and the surrounding area's top-rated company for commercial and residential wildlife and pest control issues. With fast and personal service, we specialize in capturing and removing many different potential nuisance animals like raccoons, opossums and skunks, attic and insulation removal, and dead animal removal. We can also take care of ants, roaches, flies, and other insect infestations. Call Veteran's Pride Wildlife Control today to discuss the options and for all of your animal or insect problems.