Monroe, Illinois? Never heard of it? Well, there is a good reason. For some reason, Monroe got lost in the dustbin of history along with other things that never happened. In 1938, Mrs. Nannie Gray Parks, based on a tip by Mr. Edward M. Stotlar, researched records at the Franklin County courthouse in Benton, Illinois. Mrs. Parks discovered that the county surveyor in 1837 had laid out a town to be known as Monroe. Continue reading →