Thebes Courthouse -Thebes, Illinois
Posted by: 
BruceS
N 37° 13.179 W 089° 27.590
16S E 281746 N 4122074
Historic former county courthouse high on the bluff overlooking the Mississippi River in Thebes, Illinois.
Waymark Code: WM6AZQ
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 05/05/2009
Views: 8
"Alexander County was established on March 4, 1819. The first county seat was the Village of America. Shifting of the Mississippi River, several destructive fires and an epidemic prompted the movement of the county seat from America to Unity ins 1833.
In 1845, Thebes was selected as a successor to the county seat in Unity. The first court held at Thebes was held 1845 i the out-of-doors under the shade of a large elm tree.
In September 1845, L.I. Lightner was appointed to draw plans and ascertain the probable cost of the courthouse. Lightner was appointed agent for the erection of the building and later became the first judge to hold court in the courthouse.
Lightner contracted with Ernstt Barkhausen to construct the courthouse for $4,400. The courthouse was to be constructed on lad which had been deeded to the county by Mr. & Mrs. George Sparhawk in 1845
The courthouse was completed in 1848 and served as the county seat until 1860 when the location of the county jail and county courthouse was moved to Cairo.
Thebes Courthouse is significant to Illinois because it is one of the earliest Courthouses in the state. It is one of the few remaining buildings of its style in southern Illinois.
Few places in southern Illinois remain which point out so precisely the kind of grandiose plans held by the early settlers of the region. It lends historical flavor to an area which has lost many of its old landmarks." - National Register Nomination Form
The courthouse was restored in 1976.