Jerseyville dates to 1827, and 20% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 91% of U.S. towns · #67 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 49 buildings. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1850.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1835.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Jerseyville’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Jerseyville is more historic than 91% of U.S. towns, #67 of 768 in Illinois. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Jerseyville’s overall grade.
Few Illinois towns list much on the Register (a typical Illinois town has 0.5 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Jerseyville’s 68.5 sits above most of its state (92% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 51 historic buildings outnumber those of 85% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.4 points). Two sources give 1827.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Jerseyville’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
In 1827, James Faulkner, a Pennsylvania native, and his family built a small framed structure that was named the "Little Red House," in the area that is now known as Jerseyville. The "Little Red House" served as the first stagecoach station, first tavern, first school, and first bank in the immediate area. By 1834, the small settlement that grew up around Faulkner's home, then known as Hickory Grove by its residents, was surveyed and platted by three immigrants from New Jersey, John Lott, Edward M. Daly Brandon F. Kennedy, and Mason A. Roberts. Lott and Daly's involvement marked the beginning of a proportionally large number of merchants, businessmen and settlers from New Jersey. A meeting was called in that same year at the "Little Red House" to vote for a town name, so a post office could be established. The name of Jerseyville was chosen to honor the native state of many of its inhab…
Passages that mention Jerseyville, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Jersey County, Illinois1919 · page 407Read the page →
Read the text
RAILROADS 'I In 1865 the Alton & Jacksonville Railroad was extended from White Hall through Jersey Township to the city of Jerseyville, southeastward through the towns 7-11 and 7-10, passing through Delhi to Godfrey in Madison County, where a junction was formed with the original Chicago & Alton Railroad. The road was completed to Godfrey, and the cars were operated from Godfrey to Jacksonville through Jersey¬
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Jersey County, Illinois1919 · page 390Read the page →
Read the text
library, good philosophical and chemical apparatus, and a good mineralogical and geological cabinet ; a school where the sons and daughters of Jersey ville might be sure of having a generous education without leaving home. But is the historian of Jerseyville yet born, who shall be able to say it was founded in his day? If we had in Illinois, or the town of Jerseyville, an efficient and comprehensive system of public schools, such as they have in Massachusetts, New ,York, Pennsylvania and Ohio, and even in some particular towns of our own state, we conld very well
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Jerseyville, 1827 to 1965
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
In 1827, according to Wikidata. Jerseyville’s post office opened in 1835, and the census of 1850 counted 760 people here.
How does Jerseyville rank for history?
Jerseyville is more historic than 91% of U.S. towns, #67 of 768 in Illinois. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Jerseyville?
Three places: the Jersey County Courthouse (listed 1986), the Jerseyville Downtown Historic District (1986) and the Jerseyville First Presbyterian Church (2021).
How old are the homes in Jerseyville?
20% of Jerseyville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.4 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1964.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (4), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
Date?
2022
2008
