Jersey County, Illinois – Grafton, Pere Marquette State Park, Great Rivers National Scenic Byway

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, Illinois 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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