Wabash County, IL
History
Wabash County was formed in 1824 when it was separated form Edwards
County after a "dispute" over the county seat.
Mt. Carmel is the county seat largest city in Wabash County.
Some public records have been destroyed by a series of events in the mid-1800's. The first courthouse was in Centerville, town that was created to serve as the county seat. Within a few years, the county seat was moved to Mt. Carmel and a new courthouse was built in 1831. This building burned in 1857, destroying all of the courthouse records exect for a log of commissioners minutes. Some documents were recreated from personal records; however, the third courthouse, built in 1857, was destroyed by a tornado in 1877. The fourth courthouse was built with state relief aid in 1881 and remained in use until it was "rebuilt" in 1959 and 1963 (i.e. the front part was torn down and a new wing built then the rest was torn down and the new building was completed).