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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