A young dry goods clerk names John Lathrop made it a personal mission to plant the first trees in the center of town. Around 1840 he convinced a local farmer to let him transplant a few elm and hard maple trees from his property to the center of the city. Others first pooh-poohed the notion but the idea caught on and soon people were lining the streets of the city with trees, especially elms. The trees grew and matured, becoming a very attractive aspect of Jacksonville. In fact, so majestic the trees became that in the early 20th century, Jacksonville became known as "The Elm City".

A University of Illinois survey in 1956 counted 12,000 elms on Jacksonville streets. But by this time, age and weather were beginning to take their toll. A devastating outbreak of Dutch Elm Disease killed off most of the elms in town and in many respects left the landscape nearly as barren as Mr. Lathrop had found it more than a century earlier.

(Text and picture taken from www.jacksonvilleil.com - history page.)

Jacksonville was my home town from 1960-1964, until I went off to the University of Illinois. My mother was born in Woodson, IL, a few miles south of Jacksonville, in 1908, and lived there until she left home at age 18. I have tons of historical information because of her genealogical research.

I remember seeing pictures of the elms overarching State Street and College Avenue, hanging on the walls of the old Elm City Cafe on the square. I'll try to locate a larger picture and post it.