Visit the Mt Vernon (IL) Historical Village

Located next to Cedarhurst Center for the Arts on the north edge of Mt Vernon, IL, the Jefferson County Historical Village is a small preserved community in a wooded setting complete with museum.

The village is just off Richview Road and features an assortment of cabins and other structures that have been moved onto the premises to ensure their survival. Included are an old school, a church building, a general store, print shop, blacksmith shop, medical building, even the old Mt Vernon City Jail, which was built in 1820 at 11th and Main Streets where it was in use for many years.

Quick History of the Village

The land for the village was acquired in 1990 and volunteers have since then put their efforts into putting up the buildings, conducting tours, as well as collecting artifacts from County residents. Further expansion is expected with the recent donation of additional land.

The Cabins and Structures

Just inside the entrance is the welcome cabin and gift shop built in 1991, surrounded by a Walk of Remembrance. Even the welcome cabin which houses the Schweinfurth Museum, taps into local history, being constructed from logs from two cabins, the Correll Cabin, built in 1880 in Rome Township, and from the Etheridge Cabin, built in 1898 in Mt Vernon Township. The Schweinfurth Museum houses a variety of county-related exhibits, including those related to archeology of the area, local civic growth, Abraham Lincoln's visits -- he tried cases in the still-existing appellate court in Mt Vernon, quilts, veterans, African American contributions, the coal mining industry common to the region, and a variety of other subjects.

Set back from the welcome cabin along the Walk of Remembrance is a curving line of cabins. The first is the medical building, built from logs salvaged from two donated cabins. Among other items on display are a variety of medical equipment including a Civil War amputation kit. Then there is the General Store, a replica of a store operated in the 1920's in east Mt Vernon, purchased from a local historian shortly after the village was first established and moved to its present site. Next to it is the Jeffersonian Print Shop, which is in operation, using presses, type, and other equipment in common use from the mid-19th century up through today. Then there is the Blacksmith Shop, a replica of the Thomas Atkins Blacksmith Shop of 1993 in nearby Waltonville with much of the content from the original Atkins shop. It is also home of the Illinois Valley Blacksmith Association.

Built in log cabin style in 1873, the Mt Olive Church was relocated from southeast of Bluford. The small former Mt Vernon city jail with its steel-barred cell, built in 1820, was donated by the Jefferson County Historical Society and was an early acquisition for the village. Built in 1919, the one-room East Hickory Hill School was moved from its original site west of Bluford to the village in 1995. The Clifton cabin (1865) came from Mt Vernon Township and the Koy Cabin (1889) came from Casner Township. The Koy Cabin houses a collection of cook stoves of the 18th and early 19th centuries.

Nature Trails

There are two nature trails, one of which ends at the Old Union Cemetery where early settlers are buried. Whilte that one goes through a wooded area, the other winds through grassland.

Location, Hours, Etc.

The Jefferson County Historical Village is located at 1411 North 27th Street in Mt Vernon, IL. From I-64, motorists take exit 95 onto Illinois Route 15 (Broadway), go east to 27th Street, then left onto 27th across Richview Road to the village.

It is open weekends May-October, Saturdays 10am-4pm, Sundays, 1-4pm. A variety of special events are scheduled during the season including a Black Powder and Tomahawk demonstration, ice cream social, and a season-ending Heritage Festival in October, among others.

For a schedule, consult the website at http://www.jchs.mvn.net/.

Group tours can be arranged year round by appointment. Telephone is 618-246-0033 or email jchsvip@mvn.net.

Admission is free although donations are accepted for upkeep.