Putnam county, located in north central Illinois and named for Israel Putnam, a Major General during the Revolutionary War, was formed in 1825 from parts of Peoria County. The original boundaries included all the land from north of the Illinois River and the south fork of the Kankakee River, including the area surrounding Chicago. The county's final boundaries were set in 1839.
Today, it is the smallest of Illinois' 102 counties. It covers an area of only 166 square miles. The county seat is Hennepin and the County Courthouse, built in 1839, is Illinois' oldest.
County population on July 1, 1999, was 5,853, an increase of 123 over the 1990 census.
For information on county government, contact the National Association of Counties Web site.
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