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Illinois County
Effingham County, Illinois
The Crossroads of America at I-57/I-70 - from Effingham's massive Cross at the Crossroads (198 feet tall, the second-tallest cross in the world, visible for miles across the flat Illinois landscape) to the county's extraordinary strategic position connecting Chicago to Florida and St. Louis to Indiana, and a small agricultural county punching far above its size as a Midwest logistics hub.
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Office: Effingham County Sheriff’s Office – Effingham County Government Center, 120 W. Jefferson Street, Effingham, IL 62401; Sheriff Paul F. Kuhns | Email: [email protected]. Serving 34,668 residents across 482 square miles, divided into 15 townships and 10 incorporated cities/villages.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911. Effingham has a 24-hour police force; Altamont and Teutopolis both maintain part-time police forces alongside county coverage.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-57 and I-70 intersect at Effingham, the county seat, along with SR-32/33/37/40/45 – the city’s official motto is “Crossroads of America.” Effingham County contains roughly 972 miles of roadway, including 51 miles of interstate.
Notes: Effingham County was organized in 1831, named for Thomas Howard, 3rd Earl of Effingham (per Wikipedia; alternately cited as General Edward Effingham), a British officer noted for resigning his military commission in 1775 rather than fight against the American colonies.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Effingham County Courthouse – 101 N. Fourth Street, Effingham, IL, part of the Effingham County Government Center.
Notes: Effingham County’s most famous landmark is the Cross at the Crossroads, a 198-foot steel cross visible from both interstates, which has become an iconic regional symbol. The Effingham County Cultural Center and Museum, located on the town square, preserves local history across the county’s diverse communities, which include the city of Altamont and villages such as Teutopolis (reflecting the area’s German heritage), Beecher City, Dieterich, Edgewood, Montrose, Shumway, and Watson, plus 47 local cemeteries. The Effingham County Sheriff’s Office traces to its first sheriff, John Dasher, who served 1852-1863; historical records for several successors serving between 1864 and 1937 remain incomplete, an active area of local historical research.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Effingham County Veterans Assistance – confirm current contact via effinghamcountyil.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Effingham Public Library (Effingham) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Cross at the Crossroads, Lake Sara (boating, fishing, camping), and the Effingham County Cultural Center and Museum are the county’s premier heritage and recreational attractions.
Notes: The genuine, iconic 198-foot Cross at the Crossroads – one of the tallest crosses in the country and visible from two major interstates – is among the standout local landmarks covered in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Effingham County Assessor’s Office – 101 N. Fourth Street, Effingham, IL.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Confirm current dedicated shelter contact via effinghamcountyil.gov; Effingham County Sheriff’s Office for animal control arrangements.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Effingham County Environmental Health – confirm current contact via effinghamcountyil.gov.
NOTES: Effingham County is the twenty-fifth county completed in Illinois’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine, iconic 198-foot Cross at the Crossroads is among the standout local landmarks covered in this project. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of early August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Effingham County
Effingham (county seat, population ~12,500) is one of the most strategically positioned small cities in the Midwest – the intersection of I-57 (Chicago to Memphis) and I-70 (St. Louis to Indianapolis) creates an extraordinary logistics hub that has attracted warehousing, trucking, and distribution operations well beyond what the county’s population would suggest. The Cross at the Crossroads – a 198-foot illuminated cross visible for miles – is one of the most prominent Christian landmarks in the United States. Teutopolis (population ~1,600) reflects the county’s strong German Catholic heritage.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Effingham County Supervisor of Assessments at 101 N. Fourth Street, Effingham, IL 62401, phone 217-342-6711. Circuit Court at same address handles probate.
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Vital Records, Elections)
101 N. Fourth St., Effingham, IL 62401
(217) 342-6535
CIRCUIT CLERK (Court Records, Marriage Licenses)
101 N. Fourth St., Effingham, IL 62401
(217) 342-4065
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
101 N. Fourth St., Effingham, IL 62401
(217) 342-6535
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Effingham County Circuit Clerk (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Effingham County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Effingham County Circuit Clerk (Fourth Judicial Circuit) 100 East Jefferson Street, Effingham, IL 62401 (217) 342-4065
Effingham sits at the crossroads of I-57 and I-70, a major transportation hub in south-central Illinois. The Fourth Judicial Circuit also includes Christian, Clay, Clinton, Fayette, Jasper, Marion, Montgomery, and Shelby Counties.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Illinois has NOT adopted the Uniform Probate Code and is not a community property state – it follows common law property principles. Illinois probate is governed by the Probate Act of 1975 (755 ILCS 5/). Two main paths:
Small Estate Affidavit – for estates where personal property (excluding real estate) is valued at $150,000 or less (raised from $100,000 effective August 15, 2025), with no unresolved debts or claims and no real estate involved. No formal court probate is required.
Formal Probate (Independent or Supervised Administration) – required when the estate doesn’t qualify for the small estate affidavit. Most Illinois probate cases proceed under Independent Administration, letting the estate representative act without prior court approval for most routine actions.
Step 2: filing for formal probate
File the decedent’s original will (if one exists) with the Effingham County Circuit Clerk, where the decedent resided at death.
Petition the court to open the estate and appoint an executor (if there’s a will) or an administrator (if intestate).
The court issues Letters of Office (Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration) appointing the representative.
Publish notice to creditors and unknown heirs as required by Illinois law.
Under Independent Administration, the representative marshals assets, pays valid debts and taxes, and distributes the remaining estate without needing court approval for each step.
File a final accounting or closing documents to formally close the estate.
What it costs
Illinois imposes its own state estate tax on estates valued above $4 million, with rates up to 16%. There is no Illinois inheritance tax.
Filing fees vary by county – confirm current amounts with the Effingham County Circuit Clerk.
Most uncontested probate proceedings in Illinois can be completed within about a year.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
1501 W. Effingham St., Effingham, IL 62401
(217) 342-2131
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Vital Records, Elections)
101 N. Fourth St., Effingham, IL 62401
(217) 342-6535
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
101 N. Fourth St., Effingham, IL 62401
(217) 342-6535
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Effingham County Health Dept
(217) 342-9237
IL DCFS — Effingham
(217) 342-2711
IL Medicaid
(800) 843-6154
HSHS St. Anthony's Memorial Hospital (Effingham)
hshs.org/st-anthonys-effingham
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Effingham County Health Department – confirm current contact via effinghamcountyil.gov. HSHS St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital is the county’s largest healthcare provider.
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Editorial Trust
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Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Effingham
Population: 34,000
Area: 479 mi²
Established: 1831
Tier: 3
Public Records
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