Grafton, IL

Grafton sits where the Mississippi and Illinois rivers meet, and that junction has always been the town's main fact. James Mason secured a ferry license in 1833, the town was surveyed and incorporated in 1836, and the wharf tied Grafton to river traffic, boat building, and fishing. Limestone quarries later supported work for up to 2,000; stone from the area even went into St. Louis's Eads Bridge. Floods, especially in 1993, helped push the local economy away from heavy manufacturing. Today Main Street's restaurants, antique shops, craft stores, and wine shops work alongside the Sam Vadalabene Bike Trail, which runs toward Alton, and Pere Marquette State Park a few miles west. Grafton's history still reads from the water outward.