FIRST TOWN TO HONOR 'OLD HICKORY'; JACKSON HAS BRIGHT PAST

This monument to Confederate "Swamp Ranger" leader W.L. Jeffers was erected in the Jackson Cemetery in 1908. Jackson USA Signal/Mark Evans

The Jones Drug Store is said to be the first brick building west of the Mississippi to be moved and rotated. Teams of horses turned the brick building to make the construction of Court Street possible, about 1908. Jackson USA Signal/Mark Evans

Many boasts made by historic communities are either hard to substantiate or can be proven to be downright inaccurate. Jackson's claim to have been the first town named after Andrew Jackson, though, seems to be beyond challenge.

The town's founding has been set as 1814 by some and 1815 by others. The 1815 date seemed likely, since it would have fallen after Jackson's dramatic victory in the Battle of New Orleans that January. The rout of the British made "Old Hickory" a national hero.

Goodspeed's 1888 History of Southeast Missouri was among the sources that indicate such a time frame.

Dr. Alberta Dougan, head of the Southeast Missouri State History Department and Jackson native, however, found evidence that the name was in use prior to the Battle of New Orleans. Deeds in the county's Warranty Deed Book D show land purchased in the Jackson name on Dec. 17, 1814.

Jackson settlers were a step ahead of the nation at large, in recognizing the greatness of Jackson. Dougan speculates that settlers from Tennessee, familiar with Jackson's military, political and legal record there, pushed for the name.

By 1818 the young community had grown to some 300 people. While the advent of riverboat commerce that decade clinched Cape Girardeau's spot at the largest city in the region, Jackson continued to flourish on its own.

Jackson was not an East Coast Mecca of refinement.

"Society was in a rather chaotic state, and some of the restraint and much of the refinement of older communities were lacking," Goodspeed wrote, yet many of the early residents were people of intelligence, whose influence was not bounded by county lines."

According to Goodspeed, a Mr. Eckhardt, from Virginia, opened the first store in Jackson, selling out later to Cliffton and Charles Mothershead. David Armour, John Juden, Nathan Vanhorn, Dr. Thomas Neale and Col. William McGuire, a former state legislator, were among the most noteworthy early citizens, according to Goodspeed.

Deadly epidemics of cholera broke out in 1833 and 1852. Jackson lost 128 to the first attack. In the second, Goodspeed reported, "nearly every person able to do so had fled" by the third week of the epidemic.

The Goodspeed book, incidentally, was published in Chicago, "in response to the prevailing and popular demand for the preservation of local history and biography." The editors credited the renowned Louis Houck as one source of information, as well as Judge Wilson of Cape Girardeau and Linus Sanford of Jackson.

Although much of Jackson's male population saw action during the Civil War, only a few minor skirmishes represented the only action here. Due to its location, though, the city was thought to be a Confederate intelligence outpost by many Union strategists.

A monument was dedicated to W. L. Jeffers, founder and leader of the famed Confederate "Swamp Rangers," was dedicated at the first Homecomers celebration in 1908 -- five years after his death. It still stands proudly at the cemetery entrance.

Commerce rapidly increased between the end of the Civil War and the publication of the Goodspeed history in 1888.

"It now contains two large flouring mills, one of which has a capacity of 300 to 400 barrels per day, and gives employment to some 75 men," Goodspeed reported. In Oct., 1884, the now familiar name of the St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern Railroad completed a branch from Jackson to Allenville. During this period the town was well-presented in Jefferson City, with State Senator Robert Burett Oliver serving as chairman of the state senate's judiciary committee. His wife, Marie Watkins Oliver, designed the Missouri state flag, still in use today. The Oliver House has since been restored to an 1880s look by the Jackson Heritage Association.

The Jackson School District was established in 1867 and the first true school building built in 1882. Until then it had met in the old Jackson Academy building, constructed in 1839. A black school was also initiated in 1870. As of 1888, five teachers were employed in the white schools and one in the black school.

High school classes were moved into the aging Academy building in 1909, where they were held until the old wing of the current JHS was opened in 1920, according to Dougan.

The 1890s saw business continue to grow. The E. Milde Bottling Works (later the Milde Coca-Cola Bottling Company) opened in 1894 by Emanuel Milde, Sr., while Kasten Clay Products were founded by R.C. Kasten in 1895. Telephone service was added in 1897.

The idea for Homecomers is credited to Probate Judge Edward Hays, who began planning for the first event in 1903. The first Homecomers was held Sept. 24-26, 1908, with Governor Joseph W. Folk speaking and the new courthouse being dedicated. The courthouse replaced the 1872 brick structure, which was torn down before 1910.

The new courthouse also led to a redesigning of downtown streets, to create a courthouse square. Jones Drug Store was slated for demolition until owner Henry L. Jones had the brick building moved and rotated by horses, for face the new Court Street.

According to Dougan, "This became the first brick building west of the Mississippi to be moved and turned in another direction." Jones Drug Store still operates out of the 19th century brick structure.

Farming continued to be the biggest industry in eh area. According to the 1910 census, 329,867 of Cape County's 371,200 acres was farmland. By 1939 the county's population was 33,203, with 14,010 of those souls living on farms. There were 2,806 farms in the county in 1939. About 1,600 of them sold milk or cream. The figure was down to just 450 farmers with five of more cows in 1962 and just 103 farms with dairy herds by 1987.

While the Roaring Twenties brought the Jackson Municipal Band (founded in 1921 by A.W. Roloff), it saw the traditional Homecomers celebration scrapped for more than 10 years. The event was not held 1923-35 and again 1942-1947.

Missouri's Centennial Road Law of 1921, to "Get Missouri Out of the Mud," affected Jackson as well as hundreds of other towns across the state. By the end of the decade, the town was connected by concrete road, not only to Cape Girardeau, but also St. Louis. The 1928 Mississippi River bridge in Cape also made Illinois easily accessible for Jacksonians.

When the final link of I-55 went into place in 1972, Jackson was further connected to its out-state neighbors. Heavy industry has increased greatly since that time.

Cape County has remained an agricultural region -- but not as markedly so. From 329,867 of 371,200 acres being farmed in 1910, the figure dropped to 266,557 of 371,200 by 1986. The 17 percent drop was probably considerably less than the state average during that 76 year period. Only 671 individuals were registered as farmers by that time, though, owing to the increased mechanization of modern farming.

In recent decades factories like Lee Rowan and Procter & Gamble have provided numerous jobs, helping the population continue to grow. The Jackson R-2 School District, meanwhile, continued to grow in stature and in time became a chief selling point for the community.

The high school itself -- which has outgrown its historic graveyard campus and sprouted buildings all over town -- has long been a community focal point. The JHS Indians and Lady Indians sports teams drew greater and greater support as time went by. Today the local sports teams provide an important bonding agent for the rapidly-growing town.

An appreciation for its history has gradually grown in the community. The city celebrated its sesquicentennial in 1964, with a gala celebration. Another big event ensued in 1989, with the 175th anniversary gala. Sara MacPherosn, curator of research at Andrew Jackson's famed Tennessee home, The Hermitage, and a direct descendant of Jackson, Mrs. Charles Guy, were among the speakers. The city, meanwhile, adopted the moniker "City of Beautiful Homes, Churches and Schools."

The resurrection of the St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern Railway as a tourist steam train operation in 1985 and the restorations in the 1930s and 1970s of Old McKendree Chapel gave the community its first taste of heritage tourism. The history of Jackson, people were beginning to learn, could be of interest not only to locals, but to visitors as well.