Cairo Custom House Museum - Cairo, IL - History Museums on Waymarking.com

County of museum: Alexander County
Location of museum: 1400 Washington Ave. (US 51), Cairo
Building built: 1872
Museum phone: 618-734-9632

"In the meantime, Cairo continued to grow due to the high river traffic. In fact, there was so much river traffic that the Federal Government designated Cairo as a Port of Delivery and began to make plans to build a United States Customs House. The building was designed by Alfred Mullett, who also designed the San Francisco Mint, the US Treasury Building, and old State Department building in Washington, D.C.

"Opened in 1872, the building also held a U.S. Post Office on the first floor, which became third in importance in the nation at that time because of its mail connections to and from the emerging West. The second floor housed various government agencies, and a Federal courtroom was on the third floor. Called the “Old Custom House” today, it continues to stand as a museum and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is located at 1400 Washington Avenue." ~ Legends of America

Theme: Many interesting displays are shown in the museum including Civil War memorabilia, a replica of the U.S.S. Cairo gunboat, an 1865 Cairo Fire Department hand-operated pumper, and an exhibit on the 1937 flood in Cairo. Information regarding the Custom House architect and a Civil War-era desk used by Ulysses S. Grant when he was in Cairo are also on display. Street Address: 1400 Washington Ave. (US 51) Cairo, IL 62914 Food Court: no Hours of Operation: Tuesday - Friday: 10 am - 12 pm and 1 pm - 3 pm Other tours by appointment. Call Louise Ogg, 618-776-5407 or Monica Smith at Cairo Public Library (across street) 618-734-1840 Cost: 0.00 (listed in local currency) Museum Size: Medium Relevant Web Site: [Web Link] Gift Shop: Not Listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   12/04/2020 BONSAIRAD visited it 03/18/2012 iconions visited it

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