Goreville, IL

Goreville is a Johnson County village in southern Illinois, set along Illinois Route 37 a mile north of Ferne Clyffe State Park and near the Lake of Egypt. The 2020 census counted 1,068 residents. Village Park, locally owned shops and restaurants, Goreville Community Unit School District 1, and the Route 37 corridor make up the everyday center, while I-57 and I-24 connect the village to Marion and the wider Southern Illinois road network.

ATTRMike Steele / CC BY 2.0

The village took its name from John Gore, who bought forty acres from the federal government in 1854 and operated a general store there. Ferne Clyffe's 2,470 acres bring hiking, camping, and park traffic to the edge of town, and Lake of Egypt adds fishing and boating to the local mix. Goreville's calendar includes a spring market, farmers market, Freedom Fest, and fall festival; the July parade runs past the schools and down Main Street before the evening fireworks in Village Park. The result is a place where a small village business district, a school community, and Shawnee country recreation all meet along one highway.