Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) System Illinois State Archives

Wabash County

Contact Information
Wabash County Courthouse
401 Market St.
Mt. Carmel, IL 62863
618-262-4561 – County Clerk
618-262-5362 – Circuit Clerk
618-262-4561 – Recorder

IRAD Depository
Booth Library
600 Lincoln Ave.
Eastern Illinois University
Charleston, IL 61920
217-581-6093

Established

• December 27, 1824 (Laws, 1824, p. 25)

Origin of the name of the county

• Named for the Wabash River which forms the eastern boundary of the county and derives its name from the Indian word Oubache (pronounced wáw bash, wáa bash).

Present area, or parts of it, formerly included in

• 1815–1824 – Edwards
• 1812–1815 – Gallatin
• 1809–1812 – Randolph
• 1790–1809 – Knox, Northwest Territory

County Seats

• 1825–1829 – Centreville
• 1829–present – Mt. Carmel

History of county governing board

• 1824–1849 – County Commissioners’ Court
• 1849–1873 – County Court
• 1873–present – Board of County Commissioners

Documented Record Losses

• April 5, 1857 – Fire. Most records lost (1824–1857).

Township Government

• Wabash County has never adopted township form of government. The county has been divided into precincts.

Precinct Names

• Bellmont
• Coffee
• Compton
• Friendsville
• Lancaster
• Lick Prairie
• Mt. Carmel
• Wabash

County Map

Pertinent Databases

• Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales Database
• Illinois Statewide Death Index, 1916–1950
• Illinois Statewide Marriage Index
• Local Governmental Records Database
• Name Index to Illinois Local Governments