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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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