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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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