Moultrie

Formed January 1, 1843 (95^th county)

Moultrie County (14,523), Sullivan (4,413)

A city square holds this 1904 Beaux Arts classic red brick and stone courthouse.  It is at Main, Harrison, Washington, and Jefferson streets.  Illinois State Highway 32 is two blocks west of the location.  The architects were Deal and Ginzel.  The building features a working clock dome and veteran memorials and a canon are on the grounds.  Shelby and Coles counties provided the land for Moultrie County on January 1, 1843 as the 95^th county.  After housing the courts in a home, East Nelson became the county seat in 1844 followed by Sullivan in 1845.  Revolutionary War General William Moultrie provided his name to the county.  Revolutionary War General John Sullivan is the source for the county seat. 

Moultrie County government consists of a sheriff, an attorney, a coroner, a clerk, a treasurer, and an assessor (executive).  It has 9 Board Members (legislative.)  Eleven Circuit Court Judges serve Moultrie, Champaign, DeWitt, Douglas, Macon, and Piatt counties and a court clerk serves Moultrie County (judicial.) The county is in eastern Illinois east of Springfield, Illinois and south of Champaign, Illinois.  The county center is 3.1 miles North-Northwest of Sullivan.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Piatt, Douglas, Coles, Shelby, and Macon counties. 

The area of the county is 335 square miles.  It is 86 out of 102 in the state.  It ranks 74 out of 102 in population in the state.  It has a density of 43.4 persons per square mile making it 55 out of 102 in the state.  Moultrie County has 57.6% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 36 tops the northern part of the county east to west from Douglas County to Macon County.  The county is overall rectangular except for its southwest corner which is stair stepped cut away.  Sullivan is located near the center although it appears to be close to the western border.  Sullivan is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 30.4% of the county population.  The county is pronounced MUL-TREE.

Arthur