Gallatin

Formed January 1, 1812 (3^rd county)

Gallatin County (4,948), Shawneetown (1,054)

A tan concrete and stone courthouse serving Gallatin County was built in 1939.  It is on Lincoln Street between Townsend and McClernand streets.  Illinois State Highway 13 is three blocks south of the site.  The County Housing Authority provided the Art Deco style designs.  A Liberty Bell replica sits in front and a park mall stretches south.  The county was formed on January 1, 1812 from Randolph County as the 3^rd county.  Shawneetown was the original county seat until 1827 when Equality became the county seat.  Shawneetown assumed the role again in 1848 with a courthouse earlier there in 1858.  Gallatin County is named for local political leader Albert Gallatin.  The county seat is named for the Native American tribe. 

Gallatin County government consists of a sheriff, an attorney, a coroner, a clerk, a treasurer, and an assessor (executive).  It has 5 Board Members (legislative.)  Twenty-one Circuit Court Judges serve Gallatin, Crawford, Edwards, Franklin, Hamilton, Hardin, Jefferson, Lawrence, Richland, Wabash, Wayne, and White counties and a court clerk serves Gallatin County (judicial.) Gallatin County is in southeast Illinois bordering both Indiana and Kentucky.  The Wabash River is the northeast border with Indiana.  The Ohio River is the remaining eastern border with Kentucky.  Evansville, Indiana is east of the county.  The county center is 6.8 miles North-Northwest of Shawneetown nearer Ridgway.  The county is surrounded clockwise by White County and Indiana and Kentucky and Hardin, Saline, and Hamilton counties. 

The area of the county is 322 square miles.  It is 88 out of 102 in the state.  It ranks 98 out of 102 in population in the state.  It has a density of 15.4 persons per square mile making it 101 out of 102 in the state.  Gallatin County has 65.1% of its population in its incorporated areas.  There are no Interstates or United States Highways in the county.  United States Highway 45 cuts the extreme northwest corner of the county from White County to Saline County.  The county is a rectangle for all sides except the wandering eastern border.  Shawneetown is in the southeast quarter of the county.  Shawneetown is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 21.3% of the county population. 

Shawneetown