About
Built by Henry Ernst Barkhausen, who is buried in nearby Thebes Cemetery, this courthouse was built of local limestone on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River.
It was dedicated in 1848, and served as the courthouse until 1861, when the county seat was moved to Cairo, Illinois. The basement features two jail cells, in one of which Dred Scott was long rumoured to have been incarcerated. The seat of Alexander County was moved from America, Illinois (now in Pulaski County), then to Unity, then to Thebes, then to Cairo. The Thebes courthouse is the oldest remaining of the various courthouses which served the county. The building served as a WPA library from the 1930s until the WPA was dissolved in 1943, and then continued as a city library until the 1950s.
Know Before You Go
The courthouse is open to visitors on Sundays between Memorial Day and late October, or by appointment.
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Published
December 21, 2025
