GRAFTON, ILLINOIS

'Grafton' is the oldest city in Jersey County, Illinois, United States. It is located near the confluence of the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers. The population was 609 at the 2000 census, and the population was 711 at the 2006 unofficial census. Prior to the Great Flood of 1993, Grafton had enjoyed a stable population of nearly 1,000 residents. The city's current mayor is Richard Mosby.
Grafton is a part of the Metro-East region and the St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Contents

Geography

History

Demographics

Education

Interesting Notes

References

External links

Geography

Grafton is located at (38.971115, -90.436818).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.5 km² (4.1 mi²). None of it is covered by water.

History

Founded in 1832 by James Mason, Grafton is the oldest city in Jersey County. Described as having "a post office, one store, one tavern, and a number of families" in 1834, the area was being settled as early as 1812 when a blockhouse was built at the confluence for protection.
Grafton’s population reached its peak at approximately 10,000 in the 1850s with employment opportunities coming from the local stone quarries, boat building and commercial fishing. The local limestone was used to build the Eads Bridge in St. Louis, a railroad bridge in Hannibal, Missouri, and a bridge in Quincy, Illinois. The Shafer’s Wharf Historic District was one of the largest commercial fishing centers along the Mississippi River in the late 1800s. The Old Boatworks, located south of Main Street, once housed a paint house and a machine shop where paddle wheelers and later PT boats were built. Today, the Old Boatworks area hosts many antique and craft stalls and is open on the fourth weekend of each month from May through October Great Flood of 1993 caused significant damage to many of the city's structures.
Grafton’s main industry today is tourism. The city is at the center of the region’s Bald Eagle watching area and proudly calls itself "The Winter Home of The Bald Eagle." Main Street is lined with restaurants, antique and craft shops, wine shops, and other attractions, which makes Grafton a popular stopping place for riders on the Sam Vadalabene Bike Trail or visitors in search of fall color and Bald Eagles. During the warmer months, visitors can take advantage of the two rivers with boating, canoeing and parasailing opportunities. There are two river ferries in the Grafton area that provide transportation to St. Charles County, Missouri and Calhoun County. Five miles west of Grafton is Pere Marquette State Park, which is Illinois' largest and most popular state park.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 609 people, 265 households, and 174 families residing in the city. The population density was 57.9/km² (150.2/mi²). There were 293 housing units at an average density of 27.9/km² (72.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 99.01% White, 0.16% African American, 0.16% Native American, and 0.66% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.99% of the population.
There were 265 households out of which 23.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.7% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.0% were non-families. 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.84.
In the city the population was spread out with 20.0% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 23.3% from 25 to 44, 31.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $34,706, and the median income for a family was $44,250. Males had a median income of $35,000 versus $22,250 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,989. About 9.4% of families and 14.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.3% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Grafton is served by the public K-12 school district Jersey Community Unit District #100. District schools in Grafton include Grafton Elementary School.
Nearby colleges and universities include Principia College, in Elsah, and Lewis and Clark Community College, in Godfrey.

Interesting Notes

The Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Byway passes through Grafton.
Grafton also has seven places that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Grafton Historic District, Grafton Bank, the John and Amelia McClintock House, Ruebel Hotel, the Slaten-LaMarsh House, and the Paris Mason Building were all added in 1994. The Charles Brainerd House was added to the Register in 1998.

References

External links

★ Grafton Chamber of Commerce website