Lawrence

Formed January 1, 1821 (23^rd county)

Lawrence County (15,283), Lawrenceville (4,170)                

The dark red brick and stone building with a working clock tower was constructed in 1889 and remodeled in 1910.  It is located on a square at State, 11^th, Dubois, and 12^th streets.  United States Highway 50 Business is State Street.  The designer was McDonald Brothers in Second Empire style.  The grounds feature a gazebo and veteran memorials.  Lawrence County was created on January 1, 1821 from Edwards and Crawford counties as the 23^rd county.  Centreville was the first county seat followed by Lawrenceville in 1829.  War of 1812 hero Captain James Lawrence is the namesake for the county and county seat. 

Lawrence County government consists of a sheriff and 7 Commissioners.  Twenty-one Circuit Court Judges serve Lawrence, Crawford, Edwards, Franklin, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Jefferson, Richland, Wabash, Wayne, and White counties.  The county is located in southeast Illinois on the border with Indiana.  The Wabash River is the eastern border.  Evansville, Indiana is south and Terre Haute, Indiana is northeast of the county.  The county center is 5.3 miles West-Southwest of Lawrenceville nearer Bridgeport.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Crawford County and Indiana and Wabash and Richland counties. 

The area of the county is 372 square miles.  It is 80 out of 102 in the state.  It ranks 72 out of 102 in population in the state.  It has a density of 41.1 persons per square mile making it 58 out of 102 in the state.  Lawrence County has 60.7% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 50 crosses the county east to west from Indiana to Richland County.  The county is rectangular except for the wandering eastern border.  Lawrenceville is located near the center of the county.  Lawrenceville is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 27.3% of the county population.