Brownsville is a

ghost town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * Ghost Town (1936 film), ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * Ghost Town (1956 film), ''Ghost Town'' ...

in Jackson County,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Brownsville, located close to a salt creek that empties into the

Big Muddy River The Big Muddy River is a river in southern Illinois. It joins the Mississippi River just south of Grand Tower. The Big Muddy has been dammed near Benton, forming Rend Lake. The Big Muddy has a mud bottom for most of its length. Hydrography T ...

, is the former county seat of Jackson County. It is 3.25 miles due west of

Murphysboro Murphysboro is a city in and the county seat of Jackson County, Illinois, United States. The population was 7,093 at the 2020 census. The city is part of the Metro Lakeland area. The mayor of Murphysboro is Will Stephens. The government consi ...

and 0.75 miles south of

Illinois Route 149 Illinois Route 149 is an east–west state road in southern Illinois. It runs from Illinois Route 3 near Grimsby east to Illinois Route 34 in Thompsonville. This is a distance of . Route description Illinois 149 runs east–west throug ...

. It was moved when the courthouse and downtown burned to the ground in 1843, and the county seat was then moved to Murphysboro.Visitors Guide to the Jackson County, Illinois
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References

Geography of Jackson County, Illinois Ghost towns in Illinois Southern Illinois Former county seats in Illinois {{JacksonCountyIL-geo-stub