Exhibit 31.1


                    CERTIFICATION OF CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
            PURSUANT TO SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002



I, Van A. Dukeman, Chief Executive Officer of the Company, certify that:

1.   I have reviewed this annual report on Form 10-K of Main Street Trust, Inc.;

2.   Based on my  knowledge,  this  annual  report  does not  contain any untrue
     statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact  necessary to
     make the statements  made, in light of the  circumstances  under which such
     statements  were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by
     this report;

3.   Based on my  knowledge,  the  financial  statements,  and  other  financial
     information  included  in  this  report,  fairly  present  in all  material
     respects the financial  condition,  results of operations and cash flows of
     the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

4.   The  registrant's  other  certifying  officer  and  I are  responsible  for
     establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined
     in Exchange Act Rules  13a-15(f) and 15d-15(e))  and internal  control over
     financial  reporting  (as  defined  in  Exchange  Act Rules  13a-15(f)  and
     15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:

     a.   designed  such  disclosure  controls  and  procedures,  or caused such
          disclosure   controls  and   procedures  to  be  designed   under  our
          supervision,  to ensure  that  material  information  relating  to the
          registrant,  including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to
          us by others within those entities,  particularly during the period in
          which this is being prepared;

     b.   designed such internal  control over  financial  reporting,  or caused
          such internal  control over  financial  reporting to be designed under
          our  supervision,   to  provide  reasonable  assurance  regarding  the
          reliability  of financial  reporting and the  preparation of financial
          statements for external purpose in accordance with generally  accepted
          accounting principals;

     c.   evaluated the  effectiveness of the registrant's  disclosure  controls
          and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions  about the
          effectiveness of the disclosure  controls and procedures as of the end
          of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

     d.   disclosed  in this  report  any  change in the  registrant's  internal
          control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant's
          most recent fiscal  quarter (the  registrant's  fourth  quarter in the
          case  of  an  annual  report)  that  has  materially  affected,  or is
          reasonably  likely to materially  affect,  the  registrant's  internal
          control over financial reporting; and

5.   The registrant's  other certifying  officer and I have disclosed,  based on
     our most evaluation of internal  control over financial  reporting,  to the
     registrant's  auditors  and the audit  committee of  registrant's  board of
     directors (or persons performing the equivalent function):

     a.   All significant  deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or
          operation  of internal  control  over  financial  reporting  which are
          reasonably  likely to  adversely  affect the  registrant's  ability to
          record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

     b.   any fraud, whether or not material,  that involves management or other
          employees who have a  significant  role in the  registrant's  internal
          control over financial reporting.


Date:  March 15, 2005

/s/  Van A. Dukeman
-----------------------
Van A. Dukeman
Chief Executive Officer

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