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Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
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Office: Marshall County Sheriff’s Office – 520 6th Street, Lacon, IL 61540 | (309) 246-2115; Sheriff Wayne H. Strawn II. Hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM-4 PM (after-hours entry via buzzer at north entrance). Jail capacity 16 beds, visitation Tuesday through Saturday. Houses the county’s 911 Communications Center.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911. Sheriff Strawn awards $500 Illinois Sheriff’s Association scholarships each spring.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: SR-17/26 serve Lacon, the county seat, part of the Peoria metropolitan area; Henry is the county’s largest city.
Notes: Marshall County was formed January 19, 1839, from Putnam County, named for John Marshall, longtime Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (who died in 1835), also a Revolutionary War soldier, statesman, Ambassador to France, Congressman from Virginia, and Secretary of State.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Marshall County Courthouse – 122 North Prairie Street, Lacon, IL (built 1853-1854, Georgian Revival, cost $7,352 exclusive of later additions).
Notes: Confirm current contact for county offices via marshallcountyillinois.gov.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Marshall County Veterans Assistance – confirm current contact via marshallcountyillinois.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Lacon Public Library District – 205 Sixth Street, Lacon, IL | (309) 246-2855 | Email: [email protected].
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Marshall County Courthouse (Georgian Revival) and the Lacon Bridge, a local landmark spanning the Illinois River at the county seat, are the county’s premier heritage attractions.
Notes: Marshall County Historical Society, P.O. Box 314, Lacon, IL | (309) 246-2349 | Email: [email protected] – a resource for further local history.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Marshall County Assessor’s Office – confirm current contact via marshallcountyillinois.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Confirm current dedicated shelter contact via marshallcountyillinois.gov; Marshall County Sheriff’s Office for animal control arrangements.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Marshall County Environmental Health – confirm current contact via marshallcountyillinois.gov.
NOTES: Marshall County is the fifty-ninth county completed in Illinois’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for 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 Marshall County County
Marshall County is central Illinois’s Illinois River valley agricultural county – the river’s productive bottomland corridor and the rolling corn and soybean farming landscape define a small county where Lacon serves the surrounding agricultural communities in the Illinois River valley between Peoria and Starved Rock.
Lacon (the county seat, population ~1,700) is Marshall County’s governmental hub on the Illinois River, a small central Illinois river community on IL-17 whose river access, agricultural service role, and Illinois River valley setting anchor its identity.
All Services
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Marshall County Supervisor of Assessments at 122 N. Prairie Street, Lacon, IL 61540, phone 309-246-6401. IL assessed at 33.33% of market value.
Courts & Legal
Marshall County Circuit Court at 122 N. Prairie Street, Lacon, IL 61540, phone 309-246-6435, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Vital Records, Elections)
122 N. Prairie St., Lacon, IL 61540
(309) 246-6325
CIRCUIT CLERK (Court Records, Marriage Licenses)
122 N. Prairie St., Lacon, IL 61540
(309) 246-6435
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
122 N. Prairie St., Lacon, IL 61540
(309) 246-6325
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Marshall County Circuit Clerk (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Marshall 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
Marshall County Circuit Clerk 122 North Prairie Street, Lacon, IL 61540 (309) 246-6435 Marshall County is a small, rural county in north-central Illinois along the Illinois River.
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 Marshall 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 Marshall 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
122 N. Prairie St., Lacon, IL 61540
(309) 246-2174
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Vital Records, Elections)
122 N. Prairie St., Lacon, IL 61540
(309) 246-6325
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
122 N. Prairie St., Lacon, IL 61540
(309) 246-6325
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Marshall County Health Dept
(309) 246-2180
IL DCFS — Peoria
(309) 671-7900
IL Medicaid
(800) 843-6154
OSF Saint Francis Medical Center (Peoria)
osfhealthcare.org
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Marshall County Health Department – confirm current contact via marshallcountyillinois.gov.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Lacon
Population: 11,500
Area: 386 sq mi
Established: 1839
Public Records
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