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.
Illinois County
Randolph County, Illinois
Popeye's Chester birthplace and Fort Kaskaskia's French colonial legacy - from Chester's distinction as the hometown of Popeye the Sailor Man (E.C. Segar - creator of Popeye, Olive Oyl, Wimpy, Bluto, and the entire Thimble Theatre cast - was born and raised in Chester, and a bronze Popeye statue in Segar Memorial Park celebrates the beloved cartoon character's Illinois origins) to Fort Kaskaskia State Historic Site (the earthworks of the French colonial fort that controlled the Mississippi River valley, adjacent to the site of old Kaskaskia - Illinois's original capital, now entirely on the Missouri side of the river after the Mississippi changed course) and the Prairie du Rocher French colonial village.
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.
What do you need to do?
Tell us your goal and we'll guide you step-by-step to the right office, forms, and official resources.
Office: Randolph County Sheriff’s Office – 200 W. Buena Vista Street, Chester, IL 62233 | (618) 826-5484 | Fax (618) 826-4732; Sheriff Jarrod Peters, Chief Deputy Ryan Coffey. Divisions include Detective, Patrol, Victim Advocacy, Courtroom Security, Corrections, and Telecommunications/E-911. Jail Administrator Amy Howell.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: SR-3/150 serve Chester, the county seat, on a bluff above the Mississippi River.
Notes: Randolph County was named for Edmund Randolph, U.S. Attorney General and former Governor of Virginia. The first Frenchmen settled the area around 1685. Randolph County is genuinely where the state of Illinois itself began: on December 3, 1818, the territory of Illinois was formally admitted as a sovereign U.S. state, with the Village of Kaskaskia – located in Randolph County – serving as the very first state capital until it moved to Vandalia in 1820. Kaskaskia remained the Randolph County seat of government until the devastating Flood of 1844 forced its relocation to Chester in 1847. In 1881, the Mississippi River dramatically changed course, cutting a new channel via the Kaskaskia River and leaving the historic village of Kaskaskia isolated as an “island” on the Missouri side of the river – the only part of Illinois located west of the Mississippi.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Randolph County Courthouse – Chester, IL (current building 1972, the latest of several buildings serving Illinois’s oldest county, and the second built in Chester after county government’s 1847 relocation from Kaskaskia).
Notes: Randolph County is genuinely famous as the hometown of Elzie Segar, the Chester-born cartoonist who created Popeye the Sailor Man in 1929; Chester carries the nickname “Home of Popeye” and hosts related tourist attractions. Sparta, within the county, served as the filming location for the 1967 film “In the Heat of the Night,” and Chester itself was referenced in the 1993 film “The Fugitive.” The county is also home to the rebuilt 18th-century French Fort de Chartres, the World Shooting & Recreation Complex in Sparta (host of the Grand American Trapshooting event), and significant German immigration heritage.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Randolph County Veterans Assistance – confirm current contact via randolphcountyil.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Chester Public Library (Chester) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Fort de Chartres (rebuilt French colonial fort, home of the annual Rendezvous), Kaskaskia Island (Illinois’s first capital site), the World Shooting & Recreation Complex, and Popeye-themed sites in Chester are the county’s premier heritage and recreational attractions.
Notes: The genuine, foundational significance of Randolph County as the birthplace of the state of Illinois – combined with its famous connection to Popeye’s creator – makes this among the most historically rich counties covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Randolph County Supervisor of Assessments – confirm current contact via randolphcountyil.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Randolph County Animal Control – confirm current contact via randolphcountyil.gov.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Randolph County Environmental Health – confirm current contact via randolphcountyil.gov.
NOTES: Randolph County is the seventieth county completed in Illinois’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine, foundational significance of Randolph County as the birthplace of the state of Illinois is among the most historically important local facts covered anywhere 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 Randolph County
Randolph County is southwestern Illinois’s French colonial heritage and Popeye county – among Illinois’s oldest counties, whose Mississippi River history spans French colonialism, American statehood, and one of the 20th century’s most beloved cartoon characters.
Chester (the county seat, population ~8,000) is the birthplace of E.C. Segar – creator of the entire Popeye universe. Born 1894, Segar based several Popeye characters on Chester residents he knew as a child. The annual Popeye Picnic draws fans from across the country.
Fort Kaskaskia’s earthworks preserve the outline of the French colonial fort, and the adjacent Kaskaskia Bell State Memorial houses the Liberty Bell of the West – a bronze bell given by Louis XV to the Kaskaskia Mission in 1741, now the oldest relic of French colonial rule in the Mississippi valley.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Randolph County Assessor at 1 Taylor Street, Suite 3, Chester, IL 62233, phone 618-826-5000. IL residential assessed at 33.33% of market value. Appeal to Board of Review.
Courts & Legal
Randolph County Circuit Court at 1 Taylor Street, Chester, IL 62233, phone 618-826-5000, 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)
1 Taylor St., Chester, IL 62233
(618) 826-5000
CIRCUIT CLERK (Court Records, Marriage Licenses)
1 Taylor St., Chester, IL 62233
(618) 826-5000
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
1 Taylor St., Chester, IL 62233
(618) 826-5000
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Randolph County Circuit Clerk (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Chester’s Popeye statue and museum commemorate E.C. Segar, a notable local historical figure.
Local societies
No dedicated Randolph 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
Randolph County Circuit Clerk 1 Taylor Street, Room 302, Chester, IL 62233 (618) 826-5000, ext. 194
Randolph County’s seat, Chester, is the birthplace of Popeye creator E.C. Segar, and hosts the Randolph County State Recreation Area.
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 Randolph 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 Randolph 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
1 Taylor St., Chester, IL 62233
(618) 826-5011
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Vital Records, Elections)
1 Taylor St., Chester, IL 62233
(618) 826-5000
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
1 Taylor St., Chester, IL 62233
(618) 826-5000
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Randolph County Health Dept
(618) 826-5007
IL DCFS — Chester
(618) 826-3002
IL Medicaid
(800) 843-6154
Chester Memorial Hospital
chestermemorialhospital.org (Chester)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Randolph County Health Department – 2515 State Street, Chester, IL | (618) 826-5007 ext. 622.
Editorial independence: CountyOffices maintains strict editorial independence from our affiliate partners. Our content is researched from official government sources. Affiliate relationships do not influence our recommendations or the information we publish.
Editorial Trust
5 official sources cited
Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Chester
Population: 32,000
Area: 576 sq mi
Established: 1795 - one of Illinois's oldest counties
Tier: 3
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Randolph County residents.
