Pulaski

Formed March 3, 1843 (98^th county)

Pulaski County (5,191), Mound City (524), Mounds (658)

A Neo-Classical designed tan brick courthouse was built in 1912.  It replaced a store used as a courthouse.  It is on Illinois and High streets.  Illinois State Highway 37 is two blocks south of the site.  The architect is Solon Willis.  Inside the courthouse is a needle point of the county.  The county was cut from Alexander and Johnson counties on March 3, 1843 as the 98^th county with Caledonia as the county seat.  Mound City assumed the county seat role in 1868.  The county is named for Revolutionary War hero Kazimierz Pulaski.  The county seat is named for the local Native American mounds. 

The area of the county is 199 square miles.  It is 100 out of 102 in the state.  It ranks 97 out of 102 in population in the state.  It has a density of 26.1 persons per square mile making it 83 out of 102 in the state.  Pulaski County has 51.4% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 57 goes north to south through the county from Union County to Alexander County.  United States Highway 51 is joined with Interstate Highway 57 from Union to Alexander counties.  The county is shaped like a fishhook.  The Ohio River dominates its south and east borders.  Mound City is located near the southwest corner of the county.  Mounds is immediately west of the county seat.  Mound City is the county seat and Mounds is the largest city.  Mound City is 10.1% of the county population while Mounds is 12.7% of the county population. 

Pulaski County government consists of a sheriff, an attorney, a coroner, a clerk, a treasurer, and an assessor (executive).  It has 3 Board Members (legislative.)  Twenty-one Circuit Court Judges serve Pulaski, Alexander, Jackson, Johnson, Massac, Pope, Saline, Union, and Williamson counties and a court clerk serves Pulaski County (judicial.) Pulaski County is in far southern Illinois.  Paducah, Kentucky is east of the county.  The county center is 13.8 miles North of Mound City nearer Ullin.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Johnson and Massac counties and Kentucky and Alexander and Union counties.

Ullin