Menard

Formed January 1, 1839 (76^th county)

Menard County (12,296), Petersburg (2,266)

The nice domed Beaux Arts courthouse was made of red masonry and stone in 1896.  It is situated on a square at Jackson, 7^th, Douglas, and 6th streets.  Illinois State Highway 123 is 6^th Street.  George H. Miller and James E. Fiske are the architects.  The grounds feature veteran memorials.  Sangamon County provided the land for Menard County on January 1, 1839 as the 76^th county with Petersburg as the only county seat.  Lieutenant Governor Pierre Menard is the namesake for the county.  Real estate speculator Peter Lukins planned the city and provided the name. 

Menard County government consists of a sheriff and 5 Commissioners.  Thirteen Circuit Court Judges serve Menard, Adams, Brown, Calhoun, Cass, Mason, Pike, and Schuyler counties.  The county is in central Illinois directly west of Springfield, Illinois.  The Sangamon River forms its northern border.  The county center is 2.4 miles East-Northeast of Petersburg.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Mason, Logan, Sangamon, and Cass counties. 

The area of the county is 314 square miles.  It is 90 out of 102 in the state.  It ranks 83 out of 102 in population in the state.  It has a density of 39.2 persons per square mile making it 60 out of 102 in the state.  Menard County has 46.0% of its population in its incorporated areas.  There are no Interstates or United States Highways in the county.  The county’s shape is very non-descript with a straight-lined western border, stair stepped southern and eastern border, and wandering northern border.  Petersburg is located in the western third of the county.  Petersburg is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 18.4% of the county population.  The county is pronounced MI-NARD.  This county is in the Springfield Metropolitan Statistical Area.