JACKSONVILLE, Ill., city and county seat of Morgan County; situated on the Mau vaisterre Creek, a branch of the Illinois River, about 34 miles southwest of Springfield, State Capitol, and 88 miles north of Saint Louis, Mis souri; on the Wabash, Chicago and Alton, Bur lington and a branch of the Chicago, Peoria and Saint Louis railroads. Jacksonville was laid out as early as 1825, about seven years after the admission of the State of Illinois into the union, established as a town in 1840, incorpo rated as a city in 1867. It was made the county-seat of Morgan County in 1825. The origin of the name of the city is somewhat un certain, but the most probable tradition seems to indicate that it was named in honor of Andrew Jackson, who was a prominent presi dential candidate, at the time the town was founded. Jacksonville is noted for its institu, tions of learning, its wide, prettily elm-shaded streets, and its handsome residences. It is the seat of Illinois College, the oldest college in the State, founded through the efforts of local residents and a band of students from Yale College. Originally non-sectarion, the college has recently become Presbyterian, has absorbed the Jacksonville Female Academy and become affiliated with the University of Illinois. The Illinois Woman's College was established in 1847, under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal Church and it is one of the largest woman's college in the West. The Illinois Woman's Academy and the College of Music are affiliated with the Illinois Woman's Col. lege. Among other institutions are the Jack sonville Business College, the home school of the chain of Brown's Business Colleges; Routt College, the largest free tuition Catholic college in the West ; the State School for the Blind; the State School for the Deaf and Dumb; the State Central Hospital for the Insane; Our Saviour's Hospital in charge of the sisters of Holy Cross; the Passavant Memorial Hospital; a Carnegie free public library; the Conserva tory of Music and Whipple Academy, a prepara tory school. The last two are connected with
Illinois College. The city hall, the county court house, the high school, the David Prince School and the Ayers National Bank are the most promilmit puplic builtEngs. Besides these there are numerous church edifices, the most attractive of which are the Gr.ice Methodist Episcopal; the Christian and the Westminster Presbyterian. The most important industrial establishments of the city are woolen mills, J. Capps and Sons, established in 1839 (the largest concern in the United States manufacturing high grade men's clothing from the raw wool) ; the Illinois Steel Bridge Works; the Jacksonville Railway and Light Company (McKinley System) and the car shops of the Chicago, Peoria and Saint Louis Railroad. Other manufactures include cigars, meat and creamery products, machine shop products, bricks, candy, novelty fixtures for department stores, paper and flour. The city has been under the commission form of government since 1911 • it was one of the first cities to adopt this 'form of government. Jacksonville owns and operates its electric-light plant and waterworks, and maintains about 250 acres of beautiful parks and playgrounds. Pop. 16,638.