*Edwardsville was originally incorporated in 1818, making it the 3rd oldest city in Illinois. The first settler was Thomas Kirkpatrick who came in 1805, laid out a community and served as the Justice of the Peace. He named the community after his friend Ninian Edwards who was territorial governor of Illinois at the time. (Illinois did not become a state until 1818. *In 1890, industrialist N.O. Nelson chose a tract of land just south of Edwardsville to locate his plumbing manufacturing company. He would also create a model "utopian" village here called 'Leclaire', where everyone had their own home, access to schools, parks, lectures, recreation and employment. Nelson believed in profit-sharing and all employees had a stake in the company. The beautiful village is similar to Pullman, IL near Chicago. Nelson was a visionary and is considered to be a renaissance man, years ahead of his time. Today, the Village of Leclaire has been incorporated into the City of Edwardsville. It remains a vibrant area, with a beautiful lake and park, a baseball field, the Edwardsville Children's Museum is located in the former Leclaire Academy, and the factory buildings are now the home of Lewis & Clark Community College. Each year in October, the "Friends of Leclaire" host an annual Parkfest, with food, live music, activities, a tractor parade, pony rides, a book sale, and much more. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwardsville%2C_Illinois