Visitors Guide to the Shadrack Bond State Memorial Evergreen Cemetery Chester, Illinois

Shadrack Bond was born in Frederickstown, Md. on November 24, 1773 and received a common-school education. Bond moved to Kaskaskia, Illinois, then in the Indiana Territory, in 1794 and farmed at New Design. He was a member of the Indiana Territorial Assembly from 1805-1808 where he was instrumental in creating the Illinois and Indiana boundaries. When the Illinois Territory was formed in 1812 Bond was elected to Congress in 1812 as the first territorial delegate from Illinois. He served in both the twelfth and thirteenth Congresses after which he served as receiver of public moneys in the general land office at Kaskaskia until 1818. When Illinois was admitted as a State into the Union Bond was elected its first Governor and served from 1818 to 1822. During his term the State Capitol was moved from Kaskaskia to Vandalia and a banking system was established.

In 1823 Bond was appointed register of the land office for the district of Kaskaskia and served in this capacity until his death in 1832. Shadrack Bond’s grave is located in Evergreen Cemetery in Chester. The monument that marks his gravesite was funded with $1,500 from an 1881 legislative act. Evergreen Cemetery is also the location of the gravesite of U.S. Senator Elias Kent Kane, Illinois' first Secretary of State and architect of the first state constitution.

Visiting the Shadrack Bond State Memorial
There is no charge to visit the Shadrack Bond State Memorial.

Directions: Evergreen Cemetery is located along IL-3 north of downtown Chester.

Learn more about the Chester area.