Jerseyville, Illinois facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jerseyville
City
Jersey County Courthouse, downtown
Location of Jerseyville in Jersey County, Illinois.
Location of Illinois in the United States
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Jersey
Township	Jersey
Founded	1827
Incorporated Town	July 21, 1837
City Charter	February 21, 1867
Government
• Type	City commission
Area
• Total	5.24 sq mi (13.57 km2)
• Land	5.24 sq mi (13.56 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	656 ft (200 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	8,337
• Density	1,591.94/sq mi (614.64/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP Code	62052
Area code(s)	618
FIPS code	17-38414
GNIS feature ID	2395467

Jerseyville is the biggest city in Jersey County, Illinois, United States. It is also the county seat, which means it's where the main government offices for the county are located. In 2020, about 8,337 people lived there.

Jerseyville is part of Southern Illinois and the St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area. This means it's close to the bigger city of St. Louis.

History of Jerseyville

In 1827, a man named James Faulkner and his family built a small wooden house. They called it the "Little Red House." This house was very important! It was the first place for stagecoaches to stop, the first restaurant (tavern), the first school, and even the first bank in the area.

How Jerseyville Got Its Name

By 1834, more people had moved near Faulkner's home. They called the area Hickory Grove. Two people from New Jersey, John Lott and Edward M. Daly, helped plan the town. Many other people from New Jersey also moved there. A meeting was held at the "Little Red House" to pick a name for the town. They chose Jerseyville to honor the state of New Jersey, where many residents came from. In 1839, Jersey County was created, and Jerseyville became its main city.

Jerseyville and the Underground Railroad

Before and during the American Civil War, Jerseyville was a small but important stop on the Underground Railroad. This was a secret network that helped enslaved people escape to freedom. The "Little Red House" and other homes had hidden rooms or cellars. These secret spots were used to hide people seeking freedom until the war ended.

Growth and Development

After the Civil War, Jerseyville grew a lot. This happened when the Alton & Chicago Railroad was built. The city saw a big boost in businesses, factories, and new buildings between 1880 and 1916. Many of the shops and buildings you see in the Downtown Historic District today were built during this time.

The beautiful Jersey County Courthouse was also built then, finished in 1893. It's a tall, two-story building with a special design called Romanesque Revival. Other old buildings in the city have Victorian styles like Queen Anne and Italianate. Many of these old buildings have been fixed up recently.

Modern Jerseyville

Since the 1990s, Jerseyville has continued to grow. New homes and shopping centers have been built, especially in the southern and southwestern parts of the city. Today, the Downtown Historic District has antique shops, gift stores, clothing shops, a pharmacy, a library, and local restaurants.

Jerseyville is also important in farming science. Bayer (which used to be Monsanto) has a special facility south of the city. In 1987, this was where the world's first field tests for special tomatoes and soybeans happened. They also tested a new type of corn here in 1998. The facility has grown and now includes many greenhouses and lots of land for testing new crops.

Geography and Climate

Jerseyville is located at 39°7′15″N 90°19′39″W / 39.12083°N 90.32750°W / 39.12083; -90.32750. The city covers about 5.08 square miles (13.16 square kilometers) of land.

Weather in Jerseyville

Jerseyville's weather is like many cities in the Midwestern United States. It has four distinct seasons.

• Spring is the wettest season. It can bring strong storms, including tornadoes, snow, or ice.
• Summers are hot and humid. The humidity can make it feel much hotter than 100°F (38°C).
• Fall is usually mild with less humidity. Sometimes there are heavy rains, and the first snow might fall in late November.
• Winters can be cold. There is usually light snow, and temperatures often drop below freezing.

The average temperature in January is about 19.2°F (-7.1°C), and in July, it's about 86.5°F (30.3°C). The coldest temperature ever recorded was -25°F (-31.7°C) in January 1977. The hottest was 112°F (44.4°C) in July 1954. The city gets the most rain in May.

Nearby cities, towns and villages

	Eldred / Kampsville	Kane / Carrollton	Fidelity / Medora
	Fieldon / Hardin		Piasa / Shipman
		Jerseyville
	Otterville / Grafton	Elsah / Godfrey / Alton	Brighton

People of Jerseyville

Location of Jerseyville within Jersey County

In 2000, there were 7,984 people living in Jerseyville. This included 3,260 households and 2,089 families. The city had about 1,818 people per square mile. Most people (98.85%) were White.

About 31.5% of households had children under 18. About half (49.1%) were married couples. The average household had 2.35 people, and the average family had 2.97 people.

The median age in the city was 38 years old. This means half the people were younger than 38, and half were older. About 24.4% of the population was under 18.

Culture and Fun in Jerseyville

Historic Places to Visit

Jerseyville has five important places listed on the National Register of Historic Places. These places are special because they are historically important.

• The Jersey County Courthouse and the Jerseyville Downtown Historic District were added in 1986.
• The Col. William H. Fulkerson Farmstead was added in 1998.
• The Fisher-Chapman Farmstead was added in 2012.
• The Jerseyville First Presbyterian Church was added in 2021.

Local News and Radio

You can find out what's happening in Jerseyville through local news.

• The Telegraph is a daily newspaper from Alton that also covers Jerseyville.
• The Jersey County Journal is a weekly newspaper that comes out every Thursday.
• The Jersey County Advantage is a weekly paper with classified ads.
• You can listen to WJBM radio at 1480 AM and 104.7 FM for talk radio and country music.
• KXI70 is a NOAA Weather Radio station that gives weather updates.

Parks and Recreation

The Jerseyville Parks and Recreation Department takes care of seven parks for everyone to enjoy:

• Blackorby Athletic Field
• Dolan Park
• Lions Club Park
• Northmoor Park
• Rotary Club Centennial Park
• Wittman Park
• Wock Family Lake

The Donald W. Snyders Community Sports Complex is a great place for sports. It has two baseball fields, two softball fields, a football field, and an outdoor track. This complex is used by Jersey Community Unit School District 100.

Education in Jerseyville

Jerseyville has both public and private schools. The public schools are part of Jersey Community Unit School District 100.

Elementary Schools

• East Elementary School (Grades 3-5)
• West Elementary School (Grades Pre-K-2)
• Holy Ghost School (Grades Pre-K-4)

Middle Schools

• Jersey Community Middle School (Grades 5-7)
• St. Francis Xavier School (Grades 5-8)

High School

• Jersey Community High School (Grades 8-12)

Holy Ghost and St. Francis Xavier Schools are private Roman Catholic schools. In total, about 2,720 students attend schools in Jerseyville.

For higher education, nearby colleges include Principia College in Elsah and Lewis and Clark Community College in Godfrey.

Religious Organizations

Jerseyville has many different churches and religious groups. Here are some of them:

City Services and Transportation

Getting Around Jerseyville

Two main highways pass through Jerseyville. US Highway 67 runs north and south, and Illinois Route 16 runs west and east. Illinois Route 109 also ends in Jerseyville at US Highway 67.

There are plans to make US Highway 67 a four-lane road, including a bypass around the eastern part of Jerseyville. This will help traffic flow better. Part of this larger project was completed in nearby Delhi in 2021.

Utilities and Services

Different companies provide services to Jerseyville:

• Ameren provides natural gas and electricity.
• Grafton Technologies and Frontier Communications offer landline phone and internet services.
• Sparklight provides cable television.
• Illinois American Water manages water and sewer services.

Notable People from Jerseyville

Many interesting people have connections to Jerseyville:

• Kathie Conway: A member of the Missouri House of Representatives.
• Hugh W. Cross (1896-1972): A former Lieutenant Governor of Illinois.
• Russell E. Dunham (1920-2009): A World War II veteran who received the Medal of Honor. He lived in Jerseyville.
• Brent Hawkins: A former football player for the Saskatchewan Roughriders (CFL) and Jacksonville Jaguars (NFL).
• Arthur Scott King (1876–1957): A famous physicist and astrophysicist.
• Anthony L. Knapp (1828–1881): A US congressman and Illinois senator.
• Robert M. Knapp (1831–1889): A US congressman and a former mayor of Jerseyville.
• Stan McGarvey: A former NCAA Division II head football coach.
• Tom Roady: A world-famous drummer.
• Thomas J. Selby (1840–1917): A congressman and a former mayor of Jerseyville.
• Jim Watson: A former member of the Illinois House of Representatives.

Images for kids

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  Jersey County Courthouse, downtown

• 

  Location of Jerseyville in Jersey County, Illinois.

• 

  Location of Illinois in the United States

See also

In Spanish: Jerseyville (Illinois) para niños