In the summer of 1799, Reverend David Badgley, a Baptist minister searching for a promising church site, came upon the area now occupied by Edwardsville/Glen Carbon, Illinois.

He came upon a spot on the bluffs where gentle breezes rustled the leaves in a thousand oaks and maples, and the grassland stretching below him waved in harmony in response to the summer breezes. He found water in abundance, a good soil, and a pleasant environment….rolling grasslands fringed with woods. Near the Mississippi, and other rivers, it also had transportation.

Struck by the promise, he labeled it The Land of Goshen….The Land of Milk and Honey.

For the next couple of generations, a pioneer road from Shawneetown, Illinois, on the Wabash River, brought brave souls to the area on "The Goshen Road"….ending right here in Edwardsville/Glen Carbon. Enhanced by the caring citizenship of two centuries, it beautifully grew into what it is today.

In a real way, it's still The Land of Milk and Honey….a premium residential community in some of the finest topography anywhere, with outstanding schools and a wonderful proximity to the inner city, yet neatly insulated by the American Bottoms. It offers some of the finest living in the entire St. Louis area, certainly the whole Midwest. Until recently, it seems to be one of the area's best kept secrets!