Clark County, Illinois

County: Clark

State: Illinois

Lat/Long: 39.3333, -87.8000

The Illinois General Assembly created Clark County in 1819 from Crawford County. Later that year, commissioners appointed for the purpose chose a site for the county seat and named it Aurora. In 1823, county residents successfully petitioned the legislature to move the county seat to different site, which they named Darwin. In 1834 and 1836, Clark County citizens petitioned the General Assembly to relocate the county seat from Darwin. In May 1837, voters decided to relocate the county seat, and in August, chose Marshall over Auburn as the permanent seat of justice for Clark County. County offices moved to Marshall in 1838. Originally comprising about one-fourth of the state, Clark County was reduced to its current size by 1831.

"An Act Forming a New County out of the County of Crawford," 22 March 1819, Laws of the State of Illinois (1819), 166-67; William Henry Perrin, ed., History of Crawford and Clark Counties, Illinois (Chicago: O. L. Baskin, 1883), 238, 240, 242-46; "An Act to Establish the Seat of Justice in Clark County," 31 January 1823, Laws of the State of Illinois (1823), 107-08; A Bill to Move the Seat of Justice of Clark County; An Act to Relocate the Seat of Justice of Clark County; An Act to Relocate the Seat of Justice of Clark County; Newton Bateman and Paul Selby, eds., Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Clark County, ed. by H. C. Bell (Chicago: Middle West, 1907), 627-28.