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Postmaster: Send address changes to: Jersey County Journal, P.O. Box 407, Jerseyville, IL 62052.

The Jersey County Journal is published for the whole of Jersey County. Any worthwhile program that will benefit the county will be backed by the Jersey County Journal.

Jersey County Journal will always be the number one information source about the people, events, and issues of Jersey County, Illinois. We serve the Jersey County community and lead in the efforts to make it a better place to live and work.

Letters to Editor policy:

The Jersey County Journal welcomes letters to the editor. They must be signed, include your address and a daytime phone number. Letters without an individual’s signature will not be published. The Jersey County Journal will accept only letters to the editor that are written in good taste. Libelous remarks will not be published. The editor reserves the right to make the decision of acceptance. Letters may be edited for clarity, brevity and fairness. Letter writers may have only two letters printed per month.

Opinions expressed in columns are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of this newspaper.

“Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.” ~ Thomas Jefferson, 1787

M E M B E R 2 0 1 8

2018

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Meteorite or myth? The urban legend surrounding the Courthouse Boulder

One of Jerseyville’s more enduring urban legends centers around the huge boulder that sits in the southeastern corner of Jersey County’s Courthouse lawn. For years, it has been rumored that the 8-foot by 5-foot rock is a meteorite.

Prior to 1918, the enormous stone was located “south of town” on Isaac Snedeker’s farm. Jerseyville has grown a bit since then, as the Snedeker farm sat where McDonald’s restaurant is located today.

Paul Thatcher, who farmed for Snedeker, had the misfortune of discovering the buried boulder while plowing one day. The hunk of granite suffered little damage; the plow was not so fortunate.

Over the years, as the exposed portion of the boulder grew, so did speculation surrounding the rock’s origins. Professor Pike, supervisor of Jerseyville public schools, hypothesized that the boulder was of meteoric origin, part of a shooting star.

Pike’s speculation became a urban legend that has persisted for more than 100 years. Unfortunately, it’s not true. According to the Meteoritical Society, a group that tracks and records meteorites, Illinois is home to 10 meteors. None are located in this area.

While the gigantic hunk of granite’s origins may not be out of this world, they are out of this country. According to geologists, the stone was originally located in the Hudson Bay area of Canada. It was transported southward via a glacier during the Ice Age. When the earth warmed and glaciers receded northward, the boulder was left behind.

Another rumor regarding the rock was that it marked the location of buried treasure.

Early one morning, Paul Thatcher discovered that someone’s curiosity got the best of them. Although the perpetrator was long gone, someone obviously had tried to dig to the bottom of the boulder under the cover of night. Apparently, the fortune-seeker ran out of steam before he ran out of rock.

So how did the 7-ton boulder end up on the Courthouse lawn? In 1918, a committee was created to plan Jersey County’s 80th anniversary celebration the following year. Arthur Thatcher, Paul’s son, served on that committee and suggested the remarkable rock be moved to the Courthouse lawn and a commemorative plaque attached. The committee agreed.

Moving a behemoth boulder back then was no small feat. A tractor and heavy chains were used to painstakingly unearth the rock. It was then moved, at a snail’s pace, to Courthouse Square via plank runners. There, workmen used a block and tackle to position the rock in its final resting place. ––––––––––––––––––––

Submitted photo Urban Legend of the boulder that sits in the southeastern corner of Jersey County’s Courthouse is a stone that sets historical debates. Questions arise regarding if it’s a meteorite or just a local myth. Guest Column

BY BETH MCGLASSON

Beth McGlasson is a history buff and vice president of the Jersey County Historical Society. This column originally appeared on the Jersey County Historical Society Facebook page.

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Be advised what your children are taught in schools

TO THE EDITOR:

Parents, be advised about what your children are being taught in schools. Some of the things are antifamily and anit-Christian. According to an article in decision magazine ( A publication of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association), our children are being taught Queer theology and Critical Race theory.

Queer theology, as I understand it says that if a child wants to be ge gay, or transgender, that’s ok, there are more than two sexes, and that gender is fluid. God created us male and female, God created two sexes, no more, no less. Genders are not fluid, God made you physically either a man or a woman. When the San Fransico Gay Men’s Chorus posted a video of them singing a song that contained the line about, “coming for your children.” It sounds like this one way that they want to do it.

Critical Race Theory (CRT) states that we are all products of our environment. It is saying that if a black commits a crime, it’s because they are black and live in a ghetto, and whites would never do such a thing. This isn’t true when there are blacks who are honest and God -fearing people and live in the ghettos and not all whites are wealthy.

These theories are detrimental to children. Think of how they feel denying their true gender. Think of the mental and physical anguish they will experience as they defy God. How will they look at someone who is of a different skin color? What is the real motive of the left here?

Get involved and go to school board meetings if you can. Talk to your kids about these things. Talk to their teachers. Pray for our students, teachers and our country. These things are really starting to hit home. Especially with the recent protest at Grace Community Baptist Church.

ROGER NEWBERRY Jerseyville, Ill.

About letters to the editor

The Jersey County Journal welcomes letters to the editor on topics of community interest. Letters should be no more than 300 words long and must be accompanied by the original signature, address and daytime telephone number of the writer. No personal attacks will be printed. Letters should be addressed to the editor and not to an individual. We reserve the right to edit for brevity and fairness and to withhold letters that are determined to be libelous or untrue. Letters to the editor do not reflect the views of the Jersey County Journal. Heres My Card, Cont. Call Pam Roady “for the best move you’ll ever make”!

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