On 1st Street north of Stewart Street, on the right when traveling north.
The music for this song was composed by Jonathan Edwards Spilman in 1836. He entered the ministry in 1858 and became pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in 1881. This church had been organized by his brother Benjamin F. Spilman on November 25, . . . — — Map (db m177871) HM
On South Main Cross Street, on the right when traveling east.
This house was built by early settler John Craw prior to 1817. In 1835 it was purchased by John M. Robinson, U.S. Senator (1831-43) and Illinois Supreme Court Justice (1843). The house was later occupied by his daughter Mrs. Robert Stewart and his . . . — — Map (db m177875) HM
On West Main Street (Illinois Route 1) south of Rice Street, on the right when traveling south.
Colonel Everton J. Conger, who commanded the troops capturing, Abraham Lincoln's assassin, John Wilkes Booth, built this house in 1871. He practiced law in Carmi, became a Federal judge in Montana Territory, and later moved to Hawaii where he was an . . . — — Map (db m177874) HM
On East Main Street (Illinois Route 1) north of South Walnut Street, on the right when traveling north.
This building was erected in 1828 by James Ratcliff, nicknamed "Old Beaver" because of his energy. He was a founder of Carmi (1816), an inn-keeper, merchant, and postmaster, and White County's first Clerk, Recorder and Probate Judge. Abraham Lincoln . . . — — Map (db m177869) HM
On East Main Street west of Sacramento Street, on the left when traveling west.
Alma mater of United States Senators William E. Borah, Idaho, and Wesley L. Jones, Washington. This educational institution was chartered by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church (1873). From the 1890's until 1935 it was a public school. It was . . . — — Map (db m177845) HM
On U.S. 45 south of County Road 1100 North, on the right when traveling north.
In 1816 the Reverend James McGready of Kentucky organized Sharon, the first Presbyterian church in Illinois, with Peter Miller, James Mayes and James Rutledge as ruling elders. Three miles northeast of this site B.F. Spilman, active Presbyterian . . . — — Map (db m154623) HM
On County Road 1450 East (County Route 7) at County Road 1175, on the right when traveling north on County Road 1450 East.
This church was the cradle of Methodism in White County. Early pioneers risked Indian raids to worship in the cabins of Robert Land and John Hanna. In 1812 presiding elder Peter Cartwright sent circuit rider John Smith to this settlement. This . . . — — Map (db m177839) HM
On County Road 1450 East (County Route 7) at County Road 1175 N, on the right when traveling north on County Road 1450 East.
Founded in 1812 while this part of the country was still a wilderness, and before Illinois was a state, Big Prairie Church was one of the oldest Methodist churches in Illinois at the time it was closed in December 2017. Early settlers Robert Land, . . . — — Map (db m177843) HM
On Main Street at North Street, on the left when traveling north on Main Street.
The first trading post was established here in 1830 by James Gray and Robert Walden. A post office was opened here in 1836. Later, a two-story frame building was erected here by the Empire Milling Company and this corner was known as 'Empire . . . — — Map (db m61809) HM
On North Court Street (Illinois Route 1) south of East Mill Street, on the right when traveling north.
This home was built by the Gray Family, the family that gave Grayville it's name. When completed in 1896, it was the finest home in this area and one of the first to have electric lights, running water, and steam heat. Slave quarters and a stable . . . — — Map (db m177850) HM
On North Street at Middle Street, on the left when traveling east on North Street.
This building was erected in 1895 by the Gray Family for their Gray Bank on the bottom floor and the Gray Opera house on the second floor. The Opera House was the center of entertainment for many years. — — Map (db m61785) HM
On Main Street at North Street, on the right when traveling north on Main Street.
In the 1830's, James Gray's Stables and Slave Quarters were located here. Later, he donated the barn to the city to use as a city hall and police station. In 1866, the city built a two story building with a jail in the basement. The second story was . . . — — Map (db m61788) HM
On South Main Street at East South Street, on the right when traveling north on South Main Street.
On this corner was located the roughest, toughest saloon in the history of Grayville. It was opened after the Civil War by Mike Smith, who made a fortune in illegal whiskey and gambling. The saloon was torched in 1881 and re-built and was finally . . . — — Map (db m177852) HM
On Court Street (Illinois Route 1) near South Street, on the right when traveling south.
The first Presbyterian Church in Grayville was organized in 1850 under the leadership of Mrs. Thomasann Gray. In 1868 the members built a small wooden Church on this corner of the cemetery, a gift from a member of the Gray Family.
It was . . . — — Map (db m61781) HM
On South Street west of Court Street (Illinois Route 1), on the left when traveling west.
Established by James R. Gray
First Internment - 1831
Obelisk Erected - 1901
Church Plaza Constructed - 2005
Memorial Plaza and Fountain Dedicated - 2007 — — Map (db m61782) HM
On Court Street (Illinois Route 1) at North Street (County Road 20), on the right when traveling south on Court Street.
On this site was the home of Thomasanne Payne, Authoress of the Song 'Sleep Soldier Sleep' which she wrote in honor of James Bethel Gresham from Evansville, Indiana. He was the first American Soldier to die in World War I. The song was accepted . . . — — Map (db m61784) HM WM
On East Main Street west of Illinois Route 1, on the right when traveling west.
Before the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and entry of the United States into World War II, 95 percent of the crude oil delivered to east coast oil refineries was transported by tanker ships with 90 percent of that oil from Texas oil . . . — — Map (db m154609) HM
