Cass

Formed January 1, 1837 (69^th county)

Cass County (13,044), Virginia (1,517), Beardstown (5,956)                

The dark red brick structure was built in 1872 and enlarged in 1913 and 1939.  The courthouse was remodeled in 2012.  It sits on a square at Springfield, Main, Beardstown, and Front streets.  Illinois State Highway 78 is Main Street in the town.  T. J. Kemper and Butler and Sandmyer and Company provided the designs.  A gazebo sits on the courthouse grounds.  The county was formed on January 1, 1837 from Morgan County as the 69^th county with Virginia as the county seat.  Beardstown had the 1844 courthouse with Virginia reassuming the county seat in 1872.  Cass County is named for War of 1812 General Lewis Cass.  The county seat is presumably named for a settler.  

Cass County government consists of a sheriff, an attorney, a coroner, a clerk, a treasurer, and an assessor (executive).  It has 12 Board Members (legislative.)  Thirteen Circuit Court Judges serve Cass, Adams, Brown, Calhoun, Mason, Menard, Pike, and Schuyler counties and a court clerk serves Cass County (judicial.) Cass County is in western Illinois.  The Illinois River forms its western border.  Springfield, Illinois is southeast and Peoria, Illinois is northeast of the county.  The county center is 3.4 miles Northwest of Virginia.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Mason, Menard, Sangamon, Morgan, Brown, and Schuyler counties. 

The area of the county is 375 square miles.  It is 79 out of 102 in the state.  It ranks 82 out of 102 in population in the state.  It has a density of 34.8 persons per square mile making it 69 out of 102 in the state.  Cass County has 73.5% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 67 enters from the northwest, Schuyler County, and exits to the south, Morgan County.  The county is shaped like the State of Minnesota lying on its west side.  Virginia is in the southeast quarter of the county.  Beardstown is located near the western border.  Virginia is the county seat and Beardstown is the largest city.  Virginia is 11.6% of the county population while Beardstown is 45.7% of the county population.