|
 Randolph County Courthouse - Chester, Illinois Posted by:  iconions
N 37° 54.242 W 089° 49.689
16S E 251347 N 4198939
This two-story stucco building is located at 1 Taylor Street in Chester, Illinois.
Waymark Code: WMWB16
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 08/05/2017
Views: 1
The Randolph County Courthouse is a government building in central Chester, the county seat of Randolph County, Illinois, United States. Built in 1972, it is the latest of several buildings to serve as the seat of government in Illinois' oldest county, and the second erected in Chester after the relocation of county government from Kaskaskia in 1847 after a devastating flood.
The first Frenchmen settled in present-day Randolph County circa 1685, and for the colony's first several decades, there was no formal local government: the missionary priests at Kaskaskia settled disputes and dispensed justice among both white men and Indians in the nascent French colony. Conflict with Spain prompted the construction of Fort de Chartres, beginning in 1718, and for many years it was the seat of government in the area, even after Great Britain conquered the region in the Seven Years War.[1]:28 However, the fort's location along the Mississippi River left it vulnerable to floods that carried away many walls and towers over the years, and the severity of the flood of 1772 prompted its abandonment and the removal of government to Kaskaskia.
Randolph County was organized in 1795 when Illinois was still part of the Northwest Territory, although an earlier courthouse, built for an early regional territorial court, predated the county by sixteen years. In the earliest years, three justices of the peace, acting collegiately, served the purposes of a county court; the first regular county court met in 1810 at the tavern of one Thomas Cox. No courthouse was built during the territorial period; Cox and other Kaskaskia tavern-keepers hosted the county government until 1812, in which year the county purchased a house in Kaskaskia. The first purpose-built courthouse was completed in 1821 after eighteen months of construction, and the former house sold to become a tavern; a two-story brick structure, the new courthouse cost $4,750.
Disaster struck Kaskaskia in the form of the Great Flood of 1844; the highest waters in living memory forced the residents to flee to nearby bluffs, and the town itself was virtually destroyed. Even the avulsion of 1881, in which the Mississippi River cut off the bend in which Kaskaskia lies and left it attached to Missouri, was much less significant. The devastation of 1844 prompted calls for the removal of the county seat, and a fiercely contested election, featuring widespread electoral fraud and the involvement in the courts, resulted in the movement of the county seat to Chester in late 1847. Officials occupied the community's schoolhouse pending the construction of a new courthouse; built and equipped at private expense, the new building opened in 1850.
The 1850 courthouse lasted well over a century, but it was replaced with the current structure in 1972. A modernist structure with large areas of exterior concrete, its main entrance is situated in a recess at the center of the facade, atop a flight of steps. Above the entrance, a panelled wall features the words "Randolph County Court House" and the county seal. Because the building is set into a river bluff, an observation deck was constructed at the rear to overlook the river, and the interior is five stories tall. A grand spiral staircase, set above a fountain, connects the floors.
- Wikipedia Entry
Chester is situated on the Mississippi River on the Great River Road and is the county seat of Randolph County. The earliest known European settler to the area was John McFerron who purchased 47 acres that included a ferry landing from the government in 1816. Samuel Smith, however, is considered the founder of Chester, which was originally known as Smith’s Landing. Smith built a dwelling, a mill, and established a ferry in 1829. Smith’s wife, Jane, was from Chester, England, and the name of her hometown was given to the new settlement.
In the 1830’s Chester expanded and along the riverfront were an iron foundry, machine shop, several large stores, and steamboats found chopped wood for fuel. Chester’s earliest industry was the production of castor oil, which was used as a lubricant for railways and industrial machinery. Chester incorporated in 1835 and in its early days was located entirely below the bluffs. The Flood of 1844 caused the county seat to move from Kaskaskia to Chester where the courthouse was temporarily located in a schoolhouse until a new courthouse was completed in 1848. The stone annex, now the Archives Building, was built in 1863 and today houses the Randolph County Museum. The museum contains Kaskaskia Manuscripts, Native American artifacts, and an old electric chair that was last used to execute a woman who had killed her brother. Next door is the Randolph County Court House with an observation deck on the fifth floor for a great view of the Mississippi River and Missouri farmlands in the flood plain.
As the town grew and began to occupy the tops of the bluffs, access to the riverfront was made by what became known as the “city steps,” a stairway of more than 100 steps. Chester became a river port in the mid 19th century and exported locally produced castor oil, flour, and meat. Chester was also a favorite stopping place for the steamboats and their passengers. Charles Dickens and his wife stayed here in 1842 and Mark Twain supposedly stayed at the Cliff House, which was a noted river hotel. The buildings of the original town along the river no longer exist but a number of homes on the bluffs overlooking the river, such as the Cohen Home, give visitors a sense of the architectural style of a 19th century river town.
Chester is the birthplace and early home of Elzie C. Segar, the creator of Popeye. Segar is said to have modeled many of the Popeye characters after real residents of Chester. In 1977 a 6-foot bronze Popeye statue was dedicated in Segar Memorial Park, located near the Chester Bridge that crosses the Mississippi River. In September Chester hosts its popular annual Popeye Picnic with events located at numerous locations throughout the town.
- Great River Road Visit Instructions:
To post a visit log to this waymark you need to visit and write about the actual physical location. Any pictures you take at the location would be great, as well.
|