Marion

Formed December 15, 1826 (30^th county)

Marion County (28,527), Palmyra (3,618), Hannibal (17,114)

The classic tan brick and rock Romanesque courthouse was built in 1900.  It is located on a square at Main, Main Cross, Lafayette, and Dickerson streets.  United States Highway 61 Business is Main Street in the town.  The courthouse features a tower and the grounds have memorial statues and slabs.  William N. Bowman provided the designs.  There were 1832 and 1853 courthouses earlier in Palmyra, the only county seat.  An augmenting 1901 courthouse is located in Hannibal.  The county was established on December 15, 1826 from Native American Territory as the 30^th county.  Revolutionary War hero General Francis Marion provided the inspiration for the county’s name.  The county seat is named for the Biblical city. 

Marion County government consists of a sheriff and 3 Commissioners.  One Circuit Court Judge serves Marion, Monroe, and Ralls counties and One County Court Judge serves Marion County.  The county is in the northeast part of the state on the Mississippi River border with Illinois.  Saint Louis, Missouri is southeast and Kansas City, Missouri is southwest of the county.  The county center is 8.3 miles Northwest of Palmyra.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Lewis County and Illinois and Ralls, Monroe, and Shelby counties. 

The area of the county is 438 square miles.  It is 97 out of 115 in the state.  It ranks 39 out of 115 in population in the state.  It has a density of 65.1 persons per square mile making it 28 out of 115 in the state.  Marion County has 73.5% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 24 enters the county from the northeast, Illinois, and exits to the southwest, Monroe County.  United States Highway 36 goes east to west from Illinois, drifts south into Ralls County, reenters and finally exits west into Shelby County.  United States Highway 61 travels north to south from Lewis County to Ralls County.  Marion County looks like a locomotive.  Palmyra is in the southeast quarter of the county.  Hannibal is in the southeast corner of the county and extends into Ralls County.  Palmyra is the county seat and Hannibal is the largest city.  Palmyra is 12.7% of the county population while Hannibal is 60.0% of the county population.  The county seat is pronounced PALL-MIE-RA.  The largest city is pronounced HAN-I-BUL.  This county is in the Hannibal Micropolitan Statistical Area.