Blog · October 14, 2026 · Illinois
The Effingham County Plat Book and the online parcel map
For a home near Funkhouser, plat books show ownership by township; the parcel viewer shows it today.
Main page: Effingham County, IL GIS & Parcel Viewer (official map link, county facts and neighboring maps).
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Looking for an Effingham County plat book? These atlases map who owns rural land, page by page, popular with hunters, farmers and buyers near Heartville. Covered here for this county: how the atlas is organized, where to look for printed copies, and the free online map that stays current around Beecher City.
The Effingham County plat book: start here
Small lots in Edgewood or Elliottstown rarely get names on the page, so the online map is better for those.
Getting to the right map
Lots and tracts near Heartville can be looked up on the Effingham County ArcGIS parcel map, which opens without registering. Without an address in hand, follow the nearest road on the aerial and select the outline, which applies near Beecher City as much as anywhere. With a lot near Montrose, copy the parcel ID while you have it open; every records desk in the county uses it to find the file.
Offices that can help
If the acreage or value on a parcel near Elliottstown looks off go to the Supervisor of Assessments, working with township assessors, which maintains the tax roll. Building or septic questions for a lot near Elliottstown need the planning or permitting office, depending on whether the land is inside town limits.
Editions and availability
Not every county has a current edition, so ask at the courthouse, extension office or a local library near Gilmore.
Why people still buy them
Farmers, hunters and appraisers near Mason use plat books to see ownership across many tracts at once.
Using the parcel viewer instead
Between printed editions, the Effingham County ArcGIS parcel map shows current owners, across the county.
Printing your own
Screenshot each section of the viewer around Heartville to build your own up-to-date atlas.
A quick look at the area
Effingham holds the county offices, which is where the courthouse records live. Other places on the map include Altamont, Mason, Beecher City, and Dieterich. Around 34,331 people live in Effingham County (Census Bureau estimate, 2023) on roughly 479 square miles. Effingham County dates to 1831, so old deeds can run back a long way.
Taking the map into the field
Most viewers work in a phone browser, useful out on a road near Edgewood, but coverage can be spotty out of town. A printout of the tract near Gilmore helps when you meet an owner or agent.
Atlas or legal document
Don't confuse the atlas with a recorded subdivision plat: recorded plats near Dieterich are filed with the county Recorder of Deeds (in many counties the County Clerk and Recorder), while the atlas is a reference.
Where the recorded documents are
The map is an index, not the title: recorded deeds, plats and easements covering ground around Beecher City sit with the county Recorder of Deeds (in many counties the County Clerk and Recorder). Long-held tracts around Funkhouser can sit on several deeds, and a title company is worth hiring on a real sale.
Land on the county line
Effingham County meets Clay County, Cumberland County, Fayette County, Jasper County, and Shelby County; every one of them runs a separate parcel map. Acreage along the edge near Beecher City can be split across two assessors' files, so open the adjacent map too. In and around Beecher City, the Platbookmapper state page lists each bordering county map for Illinois.
Reading the legal description
Illinois follows the Public Land Survey System, so deeds around Beecher City reference sections and townships. Each section is nominally a mile square, about 640 acres, and a township holds 36 of them, though sections near Altamont can be irregular. Copy the legal description from the record for the parcel near Funkhouser for any title or survey request.
Limits of the parcel data
Parcel lines are drawn for taxes, not measured on the ground, so a tree line near Dieterich often sits some distance off the line on screen. Near Dieterich, records update in batches, so a deed recorded last month might lag behind.
Quick answers
Why does the plat book differ from the deed around Dieterich?
In most cases, atlas drawings near Beecher City are simplified; they're good for orientation.
Where can I buy a plat book for land near Funkhouser?
The extension office or courthouse near Heartville usually knows; ask local offices.
How do I research old landowners for land near Altamont?
Short answer: state archives near Dexter may have copies; availability varies.
Should I use the Effingham County ArcGIS parcel map instead?
For most people, the viewer covers town lots near Heartville too; many people use both.
Does the parcel map work on a phone around Elliottstown?
For a parcel near Edgewood, most viewers run in a mobile browser; screenshots help offline.
Open the official Effingham County, IL parcel map See it in the Platbookmapper directory
Not a survey. County GIS and tax parcel maps are assessment and planning layers. They are not a substitute for a recorded plat, deed, or licensed survey, especially for fences, setbacks, or boundary disputes.