{"nrhp_refnum":"72000447","name":"Thebes Courthouse","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Off IL 3","address_restricted":false,"city":"Thebes","county":"Alexander County","state":"IL","lat":37.219763915000044,"lon":-89.45926233399996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1972-12-26","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Politics/Government","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state","local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story Greek Revival courthouse on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River in Thebes, Alexander County, Illinois, designed and built in 1848 by Ernstt Barkhausen.","why_significant":"The nomination argues that it is one of the earliest courthouses in Illinois and one of few remaining buildings of its style in southern Illinois. It shows the spread of Southern Greek Revival architecture up the Mississippi River Valley. It also reflects the ambitious plans of early settlers in the region.","narrative":"Overlooking the Mississippi River from a bluff in Thebes, Illinois, this two-story courthouse was built in 1848 under a $4,400 contract with Ernstt Barkhausen. Thebes became the Alexander County seat in 1845, and the first court met outdoors under an elm tree. Judge L. I. Lightner drew the plans, oversaw construction and later presided in the building. It served as the county seat until 1860, when the county jail and courthouse moved to Cairo. The walls are built from local materials, including hand-hewn timbers, hand-sawed boards, split shingles and plaster made with locally burned lime. The facade has a flattened pediment, four pillars and a two-story porch, features of Southern Greek Revival design. The hillside setting is unusual for the style. The courthouse is regarded as one of the earliest in Illinois and one of few surviving buildings of its type in southern Illinois. It was recorded by the Historic American Buildings Survey in 1934 and is now a museum.","period_of_significance":"1848","architect_builder":"Ernstt Barkhausen (architect and builder)","architectural_style":"Southern Greek Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition listed as fair and altered, on its original site. Owned by the Village of Thebes, occupied, and used as a museum.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:34.94885-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/12/8917/28891712/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/72000447.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/72000447/144824aa9d-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/72000447/144824aa9d-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Related names: Lincoln (?), Abraham Logan Barkhausen, H Earnst International Order of Odd Fellows (I.O.O.F) Buck, Chauncey, photographer Lundeen, Edgar E, historian Varney, R W, delineator Davis, H B, delineator","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thebes_Courthouse,_Thebes,_Alexander_County,_IL_HABS_ILL,2-THEB,1-_(sheet_0_of_7).tif\" rel=\"noopener\">Related names: Lincoln (?), Abraham Logan Barkhausen, H Earnst International Order of Odd Fellows (I.O.O.F) Buck, Chauncey, photographer Lundeen, Edgar E, historian Varney, R W, delineator Davis, H B, delineator</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thebes_Courthouse,_Thebes,_Alexander_County,_IL_HABS_ILL,2-THEB,1-_(sheet_0_of_7).tif"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28891712","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thebes_Courthouse","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16901540"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/alexander-county/thebes-courthouse-72000447/"}