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Jersey
County, Illinois
Forty miles
north of St. Louis, then due east of where the great
Mississippi and Illinois rivers meet, lies Jersey
County. About 22,000 people live in the largely rural
county, rich with breathtaking vistas and scenic villages
along the meandering Mississippi. About 8,000 of those
residents dwell in Jerseyville, the county seat. Other cities
include Brighton, Dow, Elsah, Fidelity, Fieldon, Grafton,
and Medora.
 Jersey
County was named after the state from which many of the early
settlers emigrated – New Jersey. However, the first
residents were the Kickapoo, Menomini, Potawatomi, and Illini
Indians. Evidence of their cultures, and that of other tribes,
were found by archaeologists in what is now Illinois’
largest state park, Pere
Marquette State Park in Grafton. There are burial grounds
throughout the park, including one on top of McAdams Peak.
Present-day visitors to the 8,000-acre park will find an ideal
environment for horseback riding, camping, hiking, fishing,
hunting, and boating.
Grafton is also known as the winter home of the American Bald
Eagle, and the town’s historic district extends two blocks
on the north and south side of West Main Street, with historic
Shafer’s Wharf as a focal point. Sixteen structures are
listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The county is also home to America’s newest National Scenic
Byway, The Meeting
of the Great Rivers National Scenic Byway. Other
historically significant sites: the county is the Charles
Brainerd House, a Queen Anne-style brick and slate
structure built in 1881 in Grafton; and The
Hamilton School, the first free and integrated school in
the United States.
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