Shelby County is situated near the eastern border of Missouri on U.S Highway 54 stretching from Hannibal to Anabelle . This rural region has 18 townships covering an area of 654 square miles while it's major cities Shelbyville , Bethel & Clarence house majority 40 thousand citizens . Shelby provides various outdoor activities like camping ,hunting alongside it's scenic sights like shelby Lake where visitors can enjoy fishing daybreak or wildlife watching late night moonlight .