Knox County

Knox county is located in western Illinois just northwest of Peoria and Peoria County. It lies between the Mississippi River and the Illinois River and was formed in 1825 from parts of Pike County and Fulton County.

It is named for Henry Knox, a Major General in the Continental Army and later Secretary of War from 1785 to 1795.

The Abraham Lincoln-Stephen A. Douglas debate series made a stop at "Old Main" on the campus of Knox College in Galesburg in 1858.

Carl Sandburg, world reknowned American poet and author, was born in Galesburg in 1878. He won the Pulitzer Prize for his biographical sketch of Lincoln.

For information on county government, contact the National Association of Counties Web site.

Additional information is available at these pages:

• Illinois Counties
• Illinois Cities