Tazewell County Bicentennial Celebration
Tazewell County was formed from parts of Peoria County by the Illinois State Legislature on January 31st, 1827. Originally proposed to be named Mackinaw County, prominent Pekin businessman Gideon Rupert lobbied the legislature to have the new county named Tazewell County in honor of Virginia Governor Littleton Tazewell. Tazewell County as established in 1827 included all of current day Woodford County, over half of McLean County and Mason County, and smaller parts of Livingston County, Dewitt County, and Logan County.
199 years ago, April 10th, 1827, in Hopedale the first meeting of the new Tazewell County Government took place at the home of William Orendorff. The first County Board Members were James Lotta, Benjamin Briggs, and George Hittle. The only business at this first meeting was the appointment of Mordecai Mobley to be the first County Clerk. Thus, the Tazewell County Clerk & Recorder of Deeds Office was established as the first of the County Officers.
The next meeting of Tazewell County Government would take place on April 25th, 1827, at the homestead of Ephraim Stout in Stout’s Grove just east of the current Village of Lilly during which time the office of Tazewell County Sheriff (William H. Hodge), Tazewell County Coroner (Thomas Orendorff), and Tazewell County Treasurer (John Benson) was established.
Finally, during the third Tazewell County Government Meeting on April 26th, 1827, also in Stout’s Grove, Sheriff William H. Hodge and County Clerk Mordecai Mobley were ordered to survey and sell lots for the new Town of Mackinaw by the second Monday of June 1827, which would serve as the County-Seat.
During their February 2026 Tazewell County Board Meeting, the Tazewell County Board officially established the attached “Tazewell County Bicentennial Logo” to be utilized for this historic celebration. Thank you to Liz Walsh at Screen Graphics in Pekin for designing this Tazewell County Bicentennial Logo!