Jefferson County, Missouri
Jefferson
County’s 200,000 residents comprise the
largest rural population in the state of Missouri.
To the north is St. Louis County, the Mississippi
River is on the east side, and to the south and west
are Ste. Genevieve County, St. Francois County,
Washington County and Franklin County.
The county was fashioned from parts of Saint Louis
and SainteGenevieve counties on Dec. 8, 1818. It was
named after Thomas Jefferson, the third President of
the United States and father of the Louisiana
Purchase. Herculaneum was the first county seat, but
by 1831, Hillsboro was selected because it was near
a spring, and was a stopping point along the trail
that passed between Potosi and St. Louis. Some of
its cities and towns:
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Antonia
|
Arnold
|
Barnhart
|
Byrnes
Mill
|
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De
Soto
|
Dittmer
|
Cedar
Hill
|
Crystal
City
|
|
Festus
|
Grubville
|
Herculaneum
|
|
|
High
Ridge
|
Hillsboro
|
House
Springs
|
Imperial
|
|
Kimmswick
|
|
Mapaville
|
Otto
|
|
Pevely
|
Scotsdale
|
Ware
|
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Among the many points of interest are several
archaeological sites on the National Register of
Historic Places. Archeologists have found remains of
eight different Indian cultures dating back 10,000
years in the area. European settlement of Jefferson
County began in the late 1700s. Around 1774, John
Hildebrand, from France, set down roots near Saline
Creek in the northeastern part of the county, an
area later known as the Meramec settlement. Other
county sites of historical significance include the
De Soto Historical Society Museum; Fenton History
Museum; Fletcher
House (built by Missouri’s first
native-born governor); Mastodon
State Historic Site (where bones of
American mastodons have been found) and the Missouri
Pacific Historical Society Museum.
In recent years, Jefferson County has planned to
build a casino Barnhart, on a 150-foot bluff
overlooking the Mississippi River. When completed,
the casino is expected to employ more than 1,000
people, making it the largest employer in Jefferson
County.
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