TWO-DAY CELEBRATION SET AT THEBES COURTHOUSE

THEBES, Ill. -- The Thebes Courthouse was almost new when lawyer Abraham Lincoln first appeared there, first as an attorney, and later as a candidate for president.

Although there is no documentary evidence Lincoln held any cases in the courthouse, he was a frequent visitor to the town between 1854 and 1860.

In a book, "When Lincoln Came to Egypt," author George W. Smith said Lincoln was in Thebes a number of times during that six-year period.

Legends circulating throughout Southern Illinois tell of Lincoln being a speaker at the courthouse when he was a candidate for the Senate in 1858, and then, two years later, when he was elected president.

The majestic old courthouse high atop a hill at Thebes was completed almost 150 years ago, in 1848. The building has weathered the years and remains an integral, fascinating piece of the area's history.

The courthouse will be open to visitors for a Memorial Weekend celebration Saturday and Sunday on the courthouse grounds.

The celebration, to be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days, is sponsored by the Thebes Volunteer Fire Department and the Thebes Historical Society.

Tours of the courthouse will be conducted throughout both days,

The volunteer fire department will prepare and sell barbecue, and entertainment will be provided.

Alumni of Egyptian and Thebes high schools will hold the annual alumni banquet Saturday night at the Drury Lodge in Cape Girardeau, with dinner at 6:30.

Thebes High School was incorporated into the Egyptian School District a number of years ago, with the school at the Olive Branch-Tamms blacktop.

The Sunday schedule at the courthouse will include a 10 a.m. flag-raising ceremony, followed by a church service.

"There's a lot of history surrounding the courthouse and the town," said Bill Caldwell, of the Thebes Historical Society.

Until two years ago, the two-level building was open daily and featured a gift shop, museum, library and dungeons. But funding ran out, and tours are now by appointment only, said Caldwell.

Thebes, a town named after the ancient capital of Upper Egypt, was the third county seat of Alexander County. But just as Cairo became the eventual capital of Egypt, so did Cairo, Ill., become the fourth county seat of Alexander County.

The first county seat and courthouse was in a small community called America, now in Pulaski County, which was created from portions of Alexander and Massac counties, explained Caldwell.

The county seat was moved to Unity in 1833. But, when that courthouse was destroyed by fire in 1843, plans were made to move the country seat to Sparhawk Landing on the Mississippi River. Construction was started on the courthouse in 1844, the same year that Sparhawk's Landing became Thebes.

The courthouse, constructed at a cost of $4,400 on land donated by George and Martha Sparhawk, was designed by John Christian Henry Barkhausen, an architect from Prussia who had immigrated to America in 1835. He settled near Thebes, where he operated a wood yard and ferry across the Mississippi River to Missouri.

The mortar and plaster were made locally.

The expansive courtroom and judge's chamber were on the ground level. The below-ground level housed county offices -- clerk, sheriff, and two dungeons. The dungeons had massive, 3-inch thick oak doors, and contained only small openings for ventilation.

Visitors to the old courthouse are few now, but when it was open to the public, 2,000 to 5,000 visitors stopped by the old building during an average year.

The courthouse underwent a complete renovation during the mid-1970s. Chimneys were replaced, flooring and bricks were added to the below-ground level, parts of which previously consisted of dirt.

When originally constructed, each window casement had 24 window panes. Over the years, the number of panes were converted to 12. During the restoration, the 24-pane windows were re-installed.

Restoration of the steps, from the bottom of the courthouse to the building were also restored. The steps, which were added during the WPA days of the late 1930s, were originally made of wood. Concrete steps -- 98 of them -- were later added.