Edwardsville

by Cheryl Eichar Jett

Overview

Edwardsville, named for territorial governor Ninian Edwards, began life as a frontier fort and gateway to settlers. It became the seat of law and government of Madison County, which at that time encompassed much of the Illinois Territory. The town was incorporated shortly after Illinois became a state in 1818. In 1890, industrialist N. O. Nelson began a manufacturing complex and established the model town of Leclaire Village. Edwardsville grew rapidly through the late 1800s and early 1900s. Main Street became a bustling business district while elegant mansions were constructed on St. Louis Street. Take a nostalgic look at Edwardsville 100 years ago with a stroll down Main Street, a walk through City Park, or a glimpse of the weeklong Madison County Centennial festivities.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780738560182
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	09/30/2009
Series:	Postcard History Series
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	6.50(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Cheryl Eichar Jett, a freelance writer and historian, is a lifelong resident of Illinois. She is also the author of Alton. The vintage images in this book are drawn from private postcard collections and the holdings of the Madison County Historical Society.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 6

Introduction 7

1 Main Street 9

2 Body and Spirit 21

3 Courthouses and Public Buildings 37

4 Going to School 51

5 Residential Streets 63

6 Banks, Business, and Industry 73

7 N. O. Nelson and Leclaire Village 89

8 Getting There 97

9 Living the Social Life 109

10 Parks, Monuments, and the Madison County Centennial 117

Bibliography 127

Editorial Reviews

Title: Postcard history

Author: Jennifer K. Hasamear

Publisher: The Telegraph

Date: 11/7/09



Just hearing about a large collection of vintage Edwardsville postcards, author Cheryl Eichar Jett knew what her next pictorial book was going to be before ever laying eyes on the cards themselves.



"I had already started planning the project once I had heard about the postcards," Jett said. "Once I saw them, I knew they were treasures and would contribute to a wonderful book."



As of Oct. 5, "Edwardsville," an Arcadia publication and part of their Postcard History Series, was available for sale. This is Jett's second pictorial book.



In March she published her first book, "Alton," part of Arcadia's Images of America series of vintage and contemporary photos.



"I thoroughly enjoyed doing the book on Alton and was looking for another book," Jett said. She was made aware of the postcard collection from longtime Edwardsville resident June Nealy by members of the Edwardsville Historic Preservation Commission.



The postcard images in the book are from four private collections and the Madison County Historical Society.



"Since this is an image heavy-book series, you have to make sure there are enough images. Close to 200 images were used in the book," Jett said.



After leaving college when she was younger to get married and start a family, Jett re-entered college in 1999 at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville with plans to study music. But a passionate history teacher led her to change her major to history and go on to earn her undergraduate and graduate degrees in history.



"I really enjoy community histories because every town has an interesting story to tell," she said. After college, Jett went on to work at Cahokia Mounds as the museum society director. For the last five years, she has worked as a freelancer.



Jett said she enjoys these pictorial books because the images inspire people to read the rest of the story.



"It is a unique combination of pictures and text because people don't have to sit down and read 300 pages of heavy text about a given place, but rather they can be intrigued by the images and look to the captions for information not explained through the picture itself," she said.



"Edwardsville" is available at several stores in Edwardsville including SIUE Bookstore, AfterWords Bookstore, Piece of Mind Books, Market Basket, Walgreens in downtown Edwardsville, Borders and Galleria Hearth and Home Gifts.



For information about Jett and upcoming signing events, go to www.cheryleicharjett.com.

Title: Edwardsville historian tells city's past through postcards

Author: Associate Press

Publisher: KWQC-TV 6

Date: 10/13/09



A new book from a southern Illinois historian uses the images on vintage postcards to show Edwardsville's growth into a bustling center for Madison County.



The postcards in Cheryl Eichar Jett's book range from their invention at the end of the 1800s until about World War I, as the postcard was falling in popularity.



Jett says her inspiration came when Edwardsville resident June Nealy loaned her collection of about 300 historic postcards to the Madison County Historical Society. Jett calls the postcards "a slice of life" and "a look into another time."



Her book is titled "Edwardsville," and it was published by Arcadia Publishing.

From the Publisher