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Office: Pope County Sheriff’s Office – 216 E. Decatur Street, Golconda, IL 62938 | (618) 683-4321; Sheriff A.J. Sparks, elected 2010, 40 years in law enforcement. County population approximately 4,000 across 372 square miles. No county-operated jail (per Illinois Sheriffs’ Association).
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: SR-146 serves Golconda, the county seat and largest city, on the Ohio River. Pope County is the southeasternmost county in Illinois and, at 3,763 residents (2020), the second-least populous county in the state.
Notes: Pope County was organized in 1816 from portions of Gallatin and Johnson Counties, named for Nathaniel Pope, a politician and jurist of the Illinois Territory and early statehood era. The first permanent settlement in the future county was established in 1798 at the site of present-day Golconda, then a ferry point across the Ohio River sometimes called Lusk’s Ferry.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Pope County Courthouse – 310 E. Main Street, Golconda, IL (built 1872, the county’s third courthouse, one of Illinois’s oldest buildings still actively serving as a courthouse; part of the Golconda Historic District, National Register of Historic Places since 1976, where it serves as the district’s focal point).
Notes: Golconda was originally named Sarahsville when Pope County organized in 1816, then renamed Golconda on January 24, 1817, after the ancient city of Golkonda in Hyderabad, India – famed in the 19th century for its diamond mines, evoking the town’s own aspirations. Golconda’s First Presbyterian Church (built 1869, congregation organized 1819) is the oldest continuous Presbyterian congregation in Illinois. The 1840 Buel House, now owned by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, is another notable local landmark.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Pope County Veterans Assistance – confirm current contact via county offices.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Golconda Public Library (Golconda) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Golconda Historic District (National Register of Historic Places), the Pope County Courthouse, the historic Buel House, and the First Presbyterian Church are the county’s premier heritage attractions.
Notes: The genuine, evocative naming connection between Golconda, Illinois and the legendary diamond-mining city of Golkonda in India is among the standout local facts covered in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Pope County Assessor’s Office – confirm current contact via county offices.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Confirm current dedicated shelter contact via county offices; Pope County Sheriff’s Office for animal control arrangements.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Pope County Environmental Health – confirm current contact via county offices.
NOTES: Pope County is the sixty-seventh county completed in Illinois’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine, evocative naming connection between Golconda, Illinois and India’s legendary diamond city is among the standout local facts 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 Pope County County
Pope County is one of Illinois’s least populous and most remote counties – almost entirely within the Shawnee National Forest, its sandstone bluffs and forested hollows represent the wildest and most rugged terrain in the state, anchored by Golconda’s Ohio River bluff setting in one of southern Illinois’s most scenic small communities.
Golconda (the county seat, population ~600) is Pope County’s governmental hub on the Ohio River, a small southern Illinois river community whose Shawnee National Forest access, Ohio River views, and Garden of the Gods proximity make it a gateway to some of Illinois’s most spectacular outdoor recreation.
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Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Pope County Supervisor of Assessments at 4 Public Square, Golconda, IL 62938, phone 618-683-4466. IL assessed at 33.33% of market value.
Courts & Legal
Pope County Circuit Court at 4 Public Square, Golconda, IL 62938, phone 618-683-4466, 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)
400 Main St., Golconda, IL 62938
(618) 683-4466
CIRCUIT CLERK (Court Records, Marriage Licenses)
400 Main St., Golconda, IL 62938
(618) 683-4466
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
400 Main St., Golconda, IL 62938
(618) 683-4466
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Pope County Circuit Clerk (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Pope 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
Pope County Circuit Clerk (First Judicial Circuit) 310 East Main Street, Golconda, IL 62938 (618) 683-3941
Pope County is a small, rural county in the Shawnee National Forest region of far southern Illinois, on the Ohio 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 Pope 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 Pope 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
400 Main St., Golconda, IL 62938
(618) 683-2151
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Vital Records, Elections)
400 Main St., Golconda, IL 62938
(618) 683-4466
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
400 Main St., Golconda, IL 62938
(618) 683-4466
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Pope County Health Dept
(618) 683-4812
IL DCFS — Harrisburg
(618) 252-6411
IL Medicaid
(800) 843-6154
Saline County Area Hospital (Harrisburg)
salinehospital.org
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Pope County Health Department – confirm current contact via county offices.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Golconda
Population: 4,200
Area: 371 sq mi
Established: 1816
Public Records
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