University of Illinois Extension serving Christian, Jersey, Macoupin and Montgomery Counties

Christian/Jersey/Macoupin/Montgomery Unit (Main Office)

From West - Traveling East on Illinois Route 16 – Follow Route 16 into Hillsboro. Turn left at stoplight intersection of IL Rt. 16 and IL Rt, 127, continuing on Rt. 16 for approx. 1.1 miles (Veteran's Memorial on corner). Turn left on Industrial Park Dr. before going through the train underpass.

Macoupin County Office

From North – Traveling south on Illinois Route 4, turn left on Wilson St. (first street in Carlinville going left). Go three blocks and turn left into Carlinville Plaza.

From South – Traveling north on Illinois Route 4, follow Route 4 through Carlinville to Wilson St. Turn right on Wilson (before the railroad viaduct). Go three blocks and turn left into Carlinville Plaza.

From West – Traveling east on Illinois Route 108, follow Route 108 to the Carlinville City square. At the city square, go north on Route 4, and follow Route 4 to Wilson St. Turn right on Wilson (before the railroad viaduct). Go three blocks and turn left into Carlinville Plaza.

Jersey County Office

Jersey County Office:

200 N. Lafayette St., Jerseyville

From the intersection of Route 16 and 67

• Head north along State Street (Route 67) to Exchange St.
• Turn left on Exchange St. and go two blocks
• The Jersey County Government Building will be located on your left
• Office is located on the second floor, just off the auditorium

Christian County Office

Directions from Champaign-Urbana:

1. Take I-72 west from Champaign, heading toward Decatur.
2. Continue traveling on I-72 through Decatur, heading west toward Springfield where you will come first to the community of Niantic and then Illiopolis.
3. Take the Illiopolis exit and turn left (heading south) at the stop sign at the top of the exit ramp.
4. You'll make a sweeping curve past a few new homes and once the curve straightens out you'll notice a small sign pointing south (left) to "Mt. Auburn." There area couple of taverns on the left.
5. Turn left and continue heading south two to three miles through the river bottoms to a stop sign outside of Mt. Auburn.
6. Continue heading south past Mt. Auburn through two s-curves that lie about 10 miles apart. This is county road #22.
7. After the second s-curve, you'll be heading south again into Taylorville on the Mt. Auburn hard road. At the edge of town, the Mt. Auburn hard road becomes Webster St.
8. The U of I Extension office is the first building (a brown ranch-style building) sitting close to the road on the left. The address is 1120 N. Webster St., Taylorville.
9. If you come to a stop sign, you've gone too far.
10. I usually allow an hour and 45 minutes for the 86-mile trip.
11. The easiest way to get back to Champaign is to take Webster St. in front of the Extension office straight north (turn right out of the parking lot) back up the Mt. Auburn hard road to the Illiopolis ramp onto I-72 and head east to Champaign.

If you wander off the trail, call the office at 287-7246.

Directions from Springfield:

1. From I-55 in Springfield, take the Taylorville/Rt. 29 exit.
2. Heading southeast toward Taylorville, you'll travel through the towns of Rochester, Edinburg and Taylorville.
3. Near Taylorville (about 20 miles from Springfield), continue heading east to the fourth stoplight (the intersection of Webster St. and Rt. 29).
4. At the fourth stop light, turn left and take an immediate left again onto North Webster St. The U of I Extension office, a brown ranch-style building, is located at 1120 N. Webster St., approximately 1/4 mile north, and is the last building close to the road on the right.

Directions from Decatur on Illinois Route 48:

1. Take Illinois Route 48 south from Decatur through Boody, Blue Mound, Stonington and Willeys Station.
2. At the exempt ADM plant just north of Taylorville take the right turn lane around the curve to the first stop sign. The State of Illinois Driver's License office is straight ahead.
3. Turn right and continue heading west on IL-Route 29 (Park Street) under the viaduct to the third stoplight at the intersection of Rte. 29 and Webster St. Jensen's Furniture (the old Walmart store) will be on your right, Subway is on the left.
4. Turn right again, heading north on Webster St. past KFC, Wendy's and Long John Silver's.
5. At the next stoplight, turn right again and take an immediate left heading north on Webster St.
6. The U of I Extension office, a brown ranch-style building, is located at 1120 N. Webster St., approximately 1/4 mile north, and is the last building close to the road on the right.

Directions from Decatur on I-72:

1. Take I-72 around Decatur, heading west toward Springfield
2. Take the Illiopolis exit and turn left heading south at the stop sign.
3. Continue heading south around a curve (about 1 mile from the interstate) until you come to the first opportunity to turn left. A tavern (now closed) will be on your left and there is a very small sign pointing south to Mt. Auburn on your right.
4. Turn left heading south to Mt. Auburn through the river bottoms across two bridges to a stop sign.
5. Continue heading south to Taylorville through two s-curves to the edge of Taylorville (about 10 miles). The U of I Extension office, a brown ranch-style building, will be the first building close to the road on your left. It is just south of the Taylorville Christian Church, which is set back from the road.