Since we at Jack Home Construction have a combined interest in both architecture and in the history of Southern Illinois, we’d like to take a look with you at another historical building of Southern Illinois. Thebes Courthouse was the original courthouse of Alexander County in Thebes, IL. Construction began in 1845, and the building was completed in 1848, making it 172 years old. It sits on a hill, overlooking the Mississippi River.
Image source: Fred Lynch
Architect Henry Barkhausen designed the courthouse in the Greek Revival Style. This style of building mimicked the style of ancient Greek temples, and became extremely popular in the U.S. and across Europe during the late 1700s and early 1800s. In fact, many government buildings were built in this style, including the White House. In the Thebes Courthouse, you can see features of the Greek Revival style in the large columns that span across the porches of both stories, and the triangular shaped area above the second story pillars, called a pediment.
It is said that before the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln visited the Courthouse when he was a lawyer. Also, John A. Logan, after whom the college in Carterville is named, was a prosecutor and used to argue court cases on the second floor. The Thebes Courthouse jail once held Dred Scott, a slave who, at the time he came through Thebes, had filed several freedom suits in hopes of gaining freedom for him and his family.
In 1972, Thebes Courthouse was registered on the National Register of Historic places. This building now serves as the headquarters for the Thebes Historical Society, and is open for public tours.
Read more about Thebes Courthouse, and see more pictures on these sites:
https://www.semissourian.com/gallery/33339
http://genealogytrails.com/ill/alexander/thebeshist.html
https://www.kfvs12.com/2019/01/01/historic-thebes-il-courthouse-undergoing-renovations/
https://www.enjoyillinois.com/explore/listing/doors-open-thebes-courthouse
https://thesouthern.com/news/local/thebes-courthouse-visited-by-lincoln-gets-major-upgrades/article_d912a4c0-140b-518c-b94e-2c63ae808e47.html