Jersey County is home of both Illinois' largest and smallest  state parks. 

The first bank in Jersey County (circa 1820) was a tin box with money that was collected by local residents.  It was then buried under a large rock in a Jerseyville resident's yard. 

The only Christian Science college in the nation, Principia College, is located in Jersey County. 

Jersey County natives measure distance in "whoops" and "hollars." "Whoops" denote the knife-like ridges on the county's river bluffs.  "Hollars" are the narrow valleys located in-between the "whoops."  Natives can  
still be heard describing a location that is about a mile away as "two whoops and a hollar away." 

The Lillian Brewer Buck House, part of the Principia College, is a Maybeck architectural design.  It is built to stand for 2500 years. 

An 1884 ordinance forbade all animals except for cows to run at large in Jerseyville. 

The Native American settlers of Jersey County had elaborate  trade routes throughout the U.S.  This is evidenced by such artifacts as:  conch shells from the Gulf of Mexico, copper from the upper Great  Lakes area, obsidian from Wyoming, pipestone from Ohio, and mica from the eastern U.S. 

The Pere Marquette State Park Lodge in Grafton was originally built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930's.  It has a 700 ton fireplace in the Great Room Lobby. 

Around Valentine's Day, individuals from all over the area travel to Fidelity, Illinois so that they can have their love letters stamped by the Fidelity Post Office.  

The entire village of Elsah stands on the National Register of Historic Places; it is one of the best preserved 19th Century villages. 

In the 1950's, Principia College was one of the three sites under consideration by the U.S. Air Force for building the Air Force Academy.  However, officials selected the Colorado Springs site, and Principia was able to keep its site on the bluffs of Jersey County! 

The Hazel Dell Mansion, site of the Annual Jersey County Victorian Festival, has been host to Gen. Robert E. Lee, Charles M. Russell,  and even Frank and Jesse James (when the brothers were here on "banking business"). 

In 1871, Mrs. Amelia Hobbs of Elsah was the first woman ever elected to fill the role of Justice of the Peace in Illinois. However, the Illinois Attorney General refused her services, claiming that there was no law that authorized him to issue a certificate of election to a woman. 

The "Old Red House," the first residence in Jerseyville, is embodied in the Cheney Mansion's dining room (N. State St., Jerseyville).  The "Red House" served as a meeting place, a tavern, and an inn.  It was here that the town was named "Jerseyvillle." 

In 1867, Otterville was chartered as a town; it has retained that charter ever since, making it one of the last remaining "towns" in Illinois. 

William Shepherd, the former owner of the 518 S. State St. Mansion (now the 518 South Restaurant) was active in introducing the railroad to Illinois, circa 1860.