IF NOT FOR THE REPUTATION OF `OLD HICKORY', JACKSON MAY HAVE BEEN ASHLEY, LORIMONT

JACKSON CELEBRATES FIRST HOMECOMERS: The backdrop of this first Jackson Homecomers celebration Sept. 24-26, 1908, at left, are the two Cape Girardeau County courthouses. On the right, is the old courthouse, which was razed. To its immediate left, is the "new" courthouse, which is still in use today. Construction of the St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern Railroad's Jackson Branch Line from Allenville to Jackson was a boon to local flour mills and other industries. The branch line carried freight and passengers between Jackson and Allenville, to connect with the Iron Mountain Railroad's mainline, Belmont Branch Line to St. Louis. Below, this view of the Iron Mountain Railroad Depot in Jackson is looking west toward Main Street. (JACKSON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE)

JACKSON Had it not been for the reputation of "Old Hickory," Gen. Andrew Jackson, the city of Jackson might today be called Ashley or Lorimont. There was strong support for both names when the town was founded in 1814.

Some residents of the new town thought it should be named after the family on whose land the town was laid out. Others felt it should be named after Louis Lorimier, who founded Cape Girardeau.

But the popularity of Andrew Jackson won out, making Jackson the first town in the early United States to be named after the famous general who later served as the nation's seventh president.

Since its founding 179 years ago, Jackson has grown from a small settlement of wooden cabins and dirt roads to a modern community known as the "City of Beautiful Homes, Churches and Schools."

The history of Jackson is closely intertwined with that of its neighboring city, Cape Girardeau. In fact, had it not been for legal problems concerning Louis Lorimier's Spanish land grant, Cape Girardeau might have remained the county seat of Cape Girardeau County, according to Alberta Dougan of the history faculty at Southeast Missouri State University.

Dougan has done extensive research into the history of Jackson. Her work was contained in the town's 175th anniversary celebration handbook that was published in 1989.

Dougan says Jackson was founded as a result of Missouri being named a territory. "Although Lorimier had been awarded the original site (Cape Girardeau) for a seat of justice in the district, a new seat of justice was created for Cape Girardeau County in 1813 by the territorial governor, William Clark," she explained.

"Thus, the seat of justice was moved from Cape Girardeau to Jackson, partly because of the creation of the new Court of Common Pleas, which replaced the older court structure, and partly because of problems with Lorimier's land grant and the legal difficulties associated with probating the Lorimier will following his death in 1812."

Dougan said the legal problem in Cape Girardeau concerning the validity of Lorimier's land grant brought the growth of the town to a standstill because no clear title to the land could be obtained. "It was apparently decided to move the county seat to an area exhibiting population growth and to which a clear title to land could be obtained," she said. That was the new town of Jackson.

Jackson grew quickly. The first of several courthouses was built. There are differing accounts of the first courthouse. Some accounts say the first courthouse was a log cabin. Other accounts mention a "frame" structure that was built in 1818.

In 1837, a two-story brick and stone building with a cupola was completed. The building burned in 1870 and was replaced with a brick structure built in 1871-72. By the turn of the century, the old courthouse had become too small and county residents approved a bond issue to build a new courthouse. The new courthouse was dedicated in 1906, but not completed until 1908.

According to Dougan, newspaper accounts said the old courthouse was allowed to stand side by side with the new courthouse until after the first Jackson Homecomers celebration in 1908 in order to handle the large crowds.

With Cape Girardeau still mired in the legal quicksand of the Lorimier Spanish land grant dispute, Jackson continued to grow in size and population. By 1818, Jackson's population stood at 300. By 1820, Jackson was considered one of the largest towns in the state after St. Louis and St. Charles.

But that changed with the arrival of the first steamboat at Cape Girardeau, and the resolution of the Lorimier Spanish land grant problem in 1826. As a result of these developments, Cape Girardeau began to grow rapidly, but the county seat remained in Jackson.

Jackson was first incorporated as a city in 1819. In a special election in 1884, the town voted to incorporated as a fourth class city.

The period between 1904-1907 were years of real growth for Jackson, according to accounts in the Southeast Missourian. In 1904, Jackson's population was 1,980. By 1906, it was 2,189.

In the 1990 census, Jackson was one of the few communities in Southeast Missouri to show an increase in population over the 1980 census. The 1990 census was 9,256, which compares with 7,827 in the 1980 census, and 5,896 in the 1970 census.

As Cape Girardeau County has changed during the past 179 years, so has the city of Jackson. Dougan says that for much of its existence, Jackson served as a marketing and supply center for the rural farms and communities that surround it.

The development of roads and railroads played an important role in the growth and commercial development of Jackson. The construction of the Jackson Branch of the St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern Railway from Jackson to Allenville, where it connected with the Iron Mountain's Belmont Branch, proved to a major development for Jackson.

With the opening of the Iron Mountain's Jackson branch line, several flour mills in and near Jackson could ship their flour to national and foreign markets.

By the 1880s, Jackson had two large flour mills producing 300-400 barrels per day, and employing about 75 men.

In 1904, Louis Houck extended his Cape Girardeau and Northern Railroad northwest into Jackson. One year later, the rail line extended from the Thebes, Ill., railroad bridge to Jackson, and northward to Oak Ridge and Perryville, where there was a connection with the Frisco Railroad to Chester, Ill.

During the 1850s and 1860s, construction of roads and highways further increased commerce and business

The outbreak of the Civil War slowed the growth of Jackson, as it did in most other towns in Missouri. Many of its citizens served in either the Confederate or Union armies. Some of the early settlers of Jackson and Cape Girardeau County were Southern sympathizers. But the large influx of German settlers into the county in the early and mid-1800s strongly supported the Union cause.

Dougan says Jackson's role in the Civil War was slight. But its location on the major transportation routes made it a perfect place for Confederate spies to watch troop movements.

After the war, the growth resumed, along with an increase in population.

In recent times, Jackson has experienced rapid growth. During the 1980s, Highway 61 was widened from Cape Girardeau to Jackson. The final section of the five-lane highway (East Jackson Boulevard) was completed two years ago.

No longer is farming the main occupation of most of the residents of Jackson and surrounding communities. In addition to its growing uptown and East and West Jackson Boulevard business districts, the city now has two industrial parks that employ a large number of city and area residents.

Because of the reputation of its school district, more families are moving to Jackson. Robbie Roberts, city building inspector, says he receives inquiries each day from people interested in moving to Jackson.

That has resulted in a sharp increase in new home construction. Roberts says over the past several years, an average of 43 new homes have been built annually. In 1991, that number jumped to 65. Last year, 62 new homes were built.

Jackson Mayor Carlton Meyer says there are several reasons why people and families want to move to Jackson. "Our school system is the biggest draw. We have a real good school system in Jackson," Meyer explained. "There is also a wonderful hometown atmosphere and quality-of-life about Jackson that attracts new residents. People like to live in a city where they feel safe and have a good place to raise their children. We offer them both."

The growth of Jackson can be seen in its school system. From a humble beginning in 1867, the Jackson R-2 School District is now the largest in the county and one of the largest districts in Southeast Missouri, covering over 550 square miles. Because of the growth, the district has had to build a new elementary school during the past five years, and is now making plans to construct a middle school to handle the projected increase in student population by the year 2000.