Maeystown

History

The history of the tract of land where what is now Maeystown is situated, began sometime after 1782, when a soldier of the American Revolution, one James McRoberts, staked a claim of (Survey 704; Claim 316). He subsequently left the Illinois Territory for Tennessee, where he married Mary Fletcher-Harris, and returned in 1797, adding another to his holdings. It was on this second tract that he built his home, from cedar logs, and here he raised his family. McRoberts fathered ten children, the eldest, Samuel McRoberts, being the first native-born Illinoisan to serve in the United States Senate. Maeystown may be said to have begun its growth as a town in the year 1852, when Jacob Maeys built a sawmill on what had become known as McRoberts Meadow, which he purchased in 1848. For a year after its construction the mill remained idle, on account of there not being sufficient water to drive it. Steam engines were then put in place, and the mill successfully operated. The first store was opened in 1858 by Jacob Maeys in partnership with Judge Abraham Poston. By this time some half a dozen houses had been erected in the place. A town had been surveyed and laid off in 1856 by Maeys, and called "Maeysville". A post office was established in 1860, which changed the name to Maeystown, with Jacob Maeys appointed as first postmaster. The entire village, save for a small strip of land on the northeast side, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Maeystown Historic District.

Geography

Maeystown is located southwest of the center of Monroe County. It is southwest of Waterloo, the county seat. It sits in the valley of Maeystown Creek, which flows into the floodplain of the Mississippi River to the southwest. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , of which , or 0.67%, are water.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,731
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  2,278
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,086
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,079
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  2,054
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,995
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  1,944
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  1,770

Largest nearby schools

• Waterloo High School
  High · Waterloo · 895 students · 17.5:1 ratio
• Waterloo Junior High School
  Middle · Waterloo · 619 students · 17.2:1 ratio
• W J Zahnow Elem School
  Elementary · Waterloo · 488 students · 15.3:1 ratio
• Gardner Elementary School
  Elementary · Waterloo · 399 students · 16:1 ratio
• Rogers Elem School
  Elementary · Waterloo · 367 students · 14.7:1 ratio
• Valmeyer Elementary School
  Elementary · Valmeyer · 151 students · 11.6:1 ratio
• Valmeyer High School
  High · Valmeyer · 118 students · 13.1:1 ratio
• Valmeyer Jr High
  Middle · Valmeyer · 86 students · 12.3:1 ratio