October 27, 2026 • Summer of 1864: The Clingman Gang in Southern Illinois
Bond County Historical Society and Bond County Genealogical Society invite you to attend their annual dinner program including the presentation, “Summer of 1864: The Clingman Gang in Southern Illinois,” Tuesday, October 27, 2026 6pm at the St. Lawrence Catholic Church hall (512 S. Prairie St., Greenville). The meal will be catered by Dirty Dan’s Meats & More and includes dessert. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend. Dinner tickets are $17 and will be available at the door. Historical society officers will also be installed for the 2026-2027 term prior to the dinner.
At 7 PM, local historian Kevin Kaegy will discuss the Clingman Gang, a group of anti-war bushwhackers active in the summer of 1864. This gang, suspected of being Confederate sympathizers, raided farms and abused Union supporters while operating from a camp in Hurricane Creek near Van Burenburg, located between Bond and Montgomery Counties. They caused chaos in five counties until local residents drove them out, with Josiah Woods, known as Captain Clingman, at the forefront.
RSVP to the event on Facebook
PRESS RELEASE: New Carson Donnell Gallery Opens at Bond County Museum (October 5, 2026)
“Bond County History Remembered: Video Legacies”
is Bond County Historical Society’s oral history series
Check out the newest video releases in our YouTube Channel and on our Video Legacies webpage.
2026 Upcoming Events
Bond County Historical Society is planning a full year of Activities, Speakers, Tours, and Events! View the current schedule and check back often for more dates & more details.
Coming Up!
Tue, Oct 27 Annual Dinner Meeting, 6PM at St Lawrence Catholic Church hall (Kevin Kaegy speaks on the Clingman Gang in Summer of 1864),
Tue, Nov 17 2027 Planning Meeting, 7PM at Bond County Museum,
Sat, Nov 28 Come Home For Christmas Celebration Activities TBD
[Last Updated Oct 13, 2026]
Greenville and Bond County Papers on Newspapers.com!
Newspapers.com by Ancestry, which is a subscription site, regularly adds newspapers from across the globe to its stockpile, making it easier than ever to travel back through time from the comfort of your own home.
Newspapers.com just added the following Illinois papers to their online collection in March and April 2026:
Bond County Farmer and Farm Bureau
The Greenville Advocate
The Greenville Item
The Greenville Journal
Illinois Chronicle (Greenville)
The Mulberry Grove News
The News Patriot (Pocahontas)
The Pocahontas Press
Protestant Monitor
The Sorento News
The Twice-A-Week Sun (aka Bond County Democrat)
11 papers. 165,704 pages. Digitized from microfilm of issues published between 1845 and 2014, and e-editions from 2025-2026. Some issues are missing, e.g. The Greenville Advocate 1863 - Jan 1866 & July 2014 - Sept 2025.
Search for obituaries, marriage announcements, birth announcements, social pages, local sports action, advertisements, news articles, and more in the largest online newspaper archive.
Clippings are an easy way to keep track of interesting things you find on Newspapers.com. You can clip an article, a page, a newspaper, a search, or another member’s profile. Once it’s clipped, you can easily find it again, share it with friends, and receive notifications when it is updated.
If you have an interest in history, ancestry, or just like looking at what happened on the day you were born, the full online archive is a vital tool in your arsenal.
We’re Open in 2026
Welcome to Bond County Historical Society’s home, the Bond County Museum, for the 2025-2026 Season. Free admission. Donations accepted.
Come visit us for a self-guided tour Saturdays 10am-noon (& Sundays 1-3pm June, July, August only).
The museum will open for special tours, please call or email to arrange. Check dates the museum facility is Currently Reserved.
Watch our Facebook Page and local media for more information on special events!
Bond County Museum Hours!
- Saturdays: 10am-noon (January—December)
- Sundays: 1pm-3pm (June—August)
Plus special occasions to be announced. Groups welcome.
The museum will also open for special tours, please call or email to arrange.
e-Newsletter
Now you can enjoy reading the semi-annual Bond County Genealogical Society e-Newsletter, published jointly with Bond County Historical Society since 2014!
Officers
Cary Holman
President
Blake Knox
Vice-President
Jane Hopkins
Secretary
John S. Coleman
Treasurer
Kevin Kaegy
Historian
Apply for or Renew Membership here using our downloadable form:
The PDF is “interactive” so you can fill, print, save, & email this PDF.
Business Meetings are generally the fourth Tuesday of each month at 7:00 pm at Bond County Museum. Special Programs, Events or Tours of other locations may move meeting date/time. Please check our Facebook Page, WGEL 101.7FM Radio, The Greenville Advocate newspaper, or official emails from the society.
Museum Phone Number is 618-690-0469
Leave us a voicemail message to schedule a guided group tour, a tour outside regular museum hours, or to get in touch with our society board for any reason. If you are unable to connect with us via phone, please send an email or a message to our Facebook page.
Past Posters Collage - Each October, BCHS hosts our Annual Dinner Meeting Plus Program & Elections
