The Alexander County Courthouse is a government building in central Cairo, the county seat of Alexander County, Illinois, United States. Built in the 1960s, it is the latest in a series of courthouses erected in four towns across Alexander County.
The Alexander County Courthouse is a government building in central Cairo, the county seat of Alexander County, Illinois, United States. Built in the 1960s, it is the latest in a series of courthouses erected in four towns across Alexander County.
Alexander County was created out of Union County in March 1819, [1] : 454 and it was named for one William M. Alexander, an early settler who served in the House of Representatives from 1820 to 1824 and was chosen Speaker in 1822. The law creating the county ordered that the courts meet at Alexander's home in the community of America until a county seat should be chosen, [1] : 455 and America was designated the seat in April 1819. [1] : 460 Alexander oversaw the construction of a brick courthouse. [1] : 451 However, America's prosperity was short-lived: an epidemic prompted most of the residents to flee, and while its location along the Ohio River was convenient for flatboats, nearby sandbars prevented newly developed steamboats from landing, and by 1821 the town was languishing. [1] : 452 A new settlement, Unity, was founded midway between the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers in 1833, [1] : 454 and legislation was quickly passed to enable the seat to move there. [1] : 455 County officials ordered the construction of a log courthouse in 1835, [1] : 462 but this building burned in 1842, [1] : 454 the victim of a fire set by a pair of escaping prisoners. [2] : 16 Because Unity sat in the middle of Alexander County, [1] : 454 the creation of Pulaski County from the county's eastern half left it in an inconvenient location, [1] : 452 and in 1843 the seat was removed to Thebes, [1] : 465 a Mississippi River town. Here, a new courthouse was built in 1848 for $4,400. [3]
While towns farther north rotated the honor of county seat, the site of Fort Defiance at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi had been growing into a significant town. The General Assembly chartered a company to found a town there in 1837 under the name of "Cairo, Illinois", [1] : 24 and by 1841 Cairo had two thousand residents. [1] : 27 Nearly all the residents abandoned the town following an 1842 flood, [1] : 32 but a newly constructed levee protected the site during the Great Flood of 1844, [1] : 35 and Cairo began to prosper in the early 1850s. [1] : 48 By 1860, it was rich enough to mount a successful challenge to Thebes for the status of county seat, although a new courthouse was not built until 1865, [1] : 465 the Civil War having dominated life in Cairo during the intervening years. The new building was a two-story structure in the Neoclassical style with pedimented gables and colonnade over the main entrance. [2] : 16 Although large, this building deteriorated comparatively rapidly; it was deemed "horribly kept" by an 1883 county history, [1] : 465 and some county offices were located in the Old Customhouse several blocks away. [1] : 17 The old building nevertheless remained in use until 1963, when it was destroyed and replaced by the present building. [2] : 16
Located on Washington Avenue, [4] the current courthouse is a modernist building, long and just one story tall. Much of the facade is brick with numerous windows, although the right end of the facade (as seen from the street) is concrete with no doors or windows. [2] : 16
Ballard County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2010 census, the population was 8,249. Its county seat is Wickliffe. The county was created by the Kentucky State Legislature in 1842 and is named for Captain Bland Ballard, a soldier, statesman, and member of the Kentucky General Assembly. Ballard is now, as of late 2017, a wet county.
Pulaski County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 6,161. Its county seat is Mound City. It is located along the Ohio River in the southwestern portion of the state, known locally as "Little Egypt".
Alexander County is the southernmost and southwesternmost county in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the population was 8,238. Its county seat is Cairo and its western boundary is formed by the Mississippi River.
Cairo is the southernmost city in Illinois and the county seat of Alexander County.
Thebes is a village in and the former county seat of Alexander County, Illinois, United States. The population was 436 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Cape Girardeau–Jackson, MO-IL Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 1860 the county seat was moved to Cairo, Illinois, at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers.
Mound City is a city located along the Ohio River just north of its confluence with the Mississippi River in Pulaski County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 588. It is the county seat of Pulaski County.
Cahokia was a village in St. Clair County, Illinois, United States. It was located east of the Mississippi River in the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, 15,241 people lived in the village, a decline from 16,391 in 2000. On May 6, 2021, the village ceased to exist, being incorporated into the new city of Cahokia Heights.
The Postville Courthouse State Historic Site is a replica county courthouse in Lincoln, Illinois, United States. The original frame courthouse was built in 1840 and later moved to Greenfield Village in Michigan; the current courthouse, which is a close replica of the first, was built in 1953. The building's unusual history is derived from its status as one of the courthouses used by lawyer Abraham Lincoln as he traveled the circuit of courtrooms in central Illinois. The courthouse replica is operated by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.
America is an unincorporated community in Pulaski County, Illinois, United States. It lies 5 miles (8.0 km) northeast of Mound City.
The Thebes Courthouse in Thebes, Illinois, is the former county courthouse of Alexander County. Plans to build the courthouse began in 1845, when the county seat was moved to Thebes from Unity. Architect L. I. Lightner planned the courthouse, which he designed in a Southern Greek Revival style featuring a two-story porch and four front pillars. Contractor Ernstt Barkhausen built the courthouse for $4,400, and the building was completed in 1848. It served as Alexander County's courthouse until the county seat was moved to Cairo in 1860.
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 Pulaski County Courthouse is a government building in Mound City, the county seat of Pulaski County, Illinois, United States. Built in 1912 and damaged by the Great Flood of 1937, it remains in use as the county's courthouse.
The Gallatin County Courthouse is a government building in Shawneetown, the county seat of Gallatin County, Illinois, United States. Built in 1939, it is at least the third Shawneetown building to serve as the county courthouse, but the only one following Shawneetown's complete relocation to avoid flooding on the Ohio River.
The Saline County Courthouse is a government building in Harrisburg, the county seat of Saline County, Illinois, United States. Built in 1967, it is the fifth courthouse to serve the county and the third in Harrisburg.
The Williamson County Courthouse is a government building in Marion, the county seat of Williamson County, Illinois, United States. Built in 1971, it is the fourth courthouse in Marion's history.
The Union County Courthouse is a government building in central Jonesboro, the county seat of Union County, Illinois, United States. Built in 2013, it replaced a brick structure whose core predated the Civil War.
The Jefferson County Courthouse is a government building in Mount Vernon, the county seat of Jefferson County, Illinois, United States. Built in 1939 by the federal Works Progress Administration, it is the fifth courthouse to serve Jefferson County.
The Fayette County Courthouse is a government building in Vandalia, the county seat of Fayette County, Illinois, United States. Converted from a residence in the 1930s, it succeeded a former state capitol as the courthouse for Fayette County.
The Henderson County Courthouse is a government building in Oquawka, the county seat of Henderson County, Illinois, United States. Built in 1842 and later expanded, it remains in use as the county's courthouse, despite repeated attempts by other towns to obtain the status of county seat.
The St. Clair County Courthouse is a government building in Belleville, the county seat of St. Clair County, Illinois, United States. Built in 1976, it is the fifth courthouse in the history of the county, and one of two that still stands.