Living History Day 2021 Scheduled
Here’s something to look forward to on April 10, 2021. Mark your calendars & save the date!
Illinois Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities’ Covid-19 grant funding helped make this event possible.
It was a beautiful day for our Open House on November 7th. Thank you to all of our wonderful volunteers and those who attended. We appreciate the great “pickin’ on the porch” music by Old Santa Fe (Mark Glaab, Lisa Glaab, Dave Prosser and Zac Caldwell) and also by Gene and Barbara Smith. We appreciate your support!
It was a beautiful day for our Open House on November 7th. Thank you to all of our wonderful volunteers and those who attended. We appreciate the great “pickin’ on the porch” music by Old Santa Fe (Mark Glaab, Lisa Glaab, Dave Prosser and Zac Caldwell) and also by Gene and Barbara Smith. We appreciate your support!
Thebes Historical Society Receives Covid Grant
The Thebes Historical Society would like to acknowledge Illinois Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities for our receipt of a COVID-19 Emergency grant for general operating expenses in the amount of $2,500. This grant has allowed us to continue to fund our operations during these difficult times. Thank you so much!
Boy Scouts Troop 44 at Thebes Courthouse
Boy Scout Troop 44 from Anna, Illinois camped at the Thebes Courthouse October 23 - 25. They helped clear weeds and saplings from the old Thebes steps adjoining the courthouse grounds.
The Thebes Historical Society provides them with some snacks. Illinois Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities’ Covid-19 grant funding helped make this possible.
The Thebes Historical Society provides them with some snacks. Illinois Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities’ Covid-19 grant funding helped make this possible.
Volunteers Clean Grounds
October 2020
We extend our heartfelt thanks to Everett and Twyla Wareing for cleaning up a huge fallen limb and cutting down a cedar tree that was blocking our river view. Then he used his tractor to push back some brush and limbs on the perimeter of the grounds in front of the log cabin. Thank you! (Pictures below)
Alexander County Highway Department
Resurfaces Courthouse Driveway
October 2020
We want to thank the Village of Thebes for thinking of us when their roads were being patched, oiled and chipped. It was much needed after all of the trucks, tractors and heavy equipment that went in and out during our recent building and improvement projects.
The Highway Department did an excellent job.
The Highway Department did an excellent job.
We are sad to share that we have lost a longtime friend, member and supporter of the Thebes Historical Society. Bill Caldwell served many years in leadership and as a volunteer. He will be greatly missed. Our prayers go out to his family.
Log Cabin Project Nearing Completion
Here is a link to the article from the July 5,2020 Southeast Missourian.
https://www.semissourian.com/story/2820501.html
2020 Living History Day Scheduled!
Our 2020 court case re-enactments will be presented on Saturday, April 10th at 2:00PM. Four different court cases will be presented. The cases are based on actual cases in Alexander County. Much liberty is taken in the rewriting to make them more humorous & entertaining. Check here for updates or on our Facebook page (search for Thebes Historical Courthouse).
Above: photos from our 2017 Living History Day
EGYPTIAN HIGH FFA HELPS WITH CLEANUP
Four FFA members and their teacher, Mr. Danny McCrite came on May 22nd and cleaned up construction scraps and debris around the log cabin. Now we will be able to have it mowed. They did in 2 hours what we couldn’t have done before Memorial Day weekend. That was a very hard working and polite group of young men. Thank you so much!
Alexander County, Illinois Deputies Lens a Helping Hand
Sheriff Tim Brown encouraged his men to come and help the Thebes Historical Society members move some very large and heavy items that needed moved after the construction was completed this spring. We definitely couldn’t have done it. Thank you so much!
Clean Up Days Scheduled for 2019
With renovations nearly completed, two clean-up days have been scheduled in preparation for reopening. On Tuesday, April 2nd and Tuesday, April 9th volunteers will meet at the Thebes Courthouse to clean and put things back in place. We are a small group so we would appreciate it if community members and friends would come and help us!
Stay tuned for plans for our grand reopening in the spring of 2019! We are anxious to share our progress with the public when renovations are complete.
Interior & Exterior Work: Winter 2019-2019
A very generous donor has made this project possible. At a cost of nearly $83,000 so much is being done that the exterior will look like new. Work includes: repair and replace upper balcony floor joists, floor, railing and ceiling, patch and paint upper columns and west gable, replace attic window on west side, fascia and soffit around the building, window trim and cover windows with UV protection polycarbonate sheets,and tuck pointing. A staircase is being built inside for access to the dungeon.
March 6, 2019
Renovations continue at the courthouse
Renovations continue at the courthouse
1800’s Log Cabin Being Reassembled on Courthouse Grounds: Summer 20181800’s Log Cabin: Spring 2019
This 1800’s log cabin has been disassembled in rural Thebes and is being reassembled on the Courthouse grounds by volunteers. Harold McNelly of Thebes is project manager and he has had many awesome volunteers helping with the project. It is nearly ready for the roof and porch.
A grant from Southern Foundation made it possible for us to complete the foundation so we will then be able to reassemble the log cabin.
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New items available in our gift shop... |
Coffee mugs $20 each
(other images coming soon)
(other images coming soon)
Thebes Historical Society Visits Magnolia Manor in Cairo, Illinois
December 2017
2017 Living History Day
Court Cases of the 1800's: A Reenactment
On Saturday, October 14th at 2 PM the Thebes Historical Society will host our annual Living History Day. Entrance fee is simply a donation to the Historical Society, which maintains the 1848 Thebes Courthouse. The event will be held inside the courthouse in the old courtroom. Based upon actual events from the 1800's with a sprinkling of imagination & humor, court cases this year include: Otis Moonshine Brown, Bawdy House Bad Girls, The Showboat Murders, & Murder at Dog Tooth Bend. (Some names have been changed to protect the innocent and the guilty. And some names are just plain ol' made up!
2017 Improvements & Progress
Many Exciting Projects in 2016
The 1848 courthouse is getting some much needed work done this fall. There is interior painting being done by David Hale of Thebes, in preparation for Dale Shumaker of Olive Branch to build and install custom bookshelves and cabinets.
The entrance side of the building has had exterior painting done. The steps going down to the dungeon and the lower porch have been replaced. The front sidewalks will be replaced as well to match with the steps. Concrete work was done by Welch Construction of Cape Girardeau. We are in hopes that when we reopen next Spring our visitors will love the results!
Thebes Courthouse Gets a New Roof in 2015
Thanks to generous donations from Alexander County Tourism, Delta Development Council and Southern Foundation, a needs assessment for the Courthouse was completed by White & Borgognoni, Architects, P.C. Among numerous issues with the building which need attention was the roof. We appreciate the donation by a very generous donor, which has made it possible to replace the roof in 2015. See photos under the PHOTOS tab in "2015 Photos."
The 1848 courthouse is getting some much needed work done this fall. There is interior painting being done by David Hale of Thebes, in preparation for Dale Shumaker of Olive Branch to build and install custom bookshelves and cabinets.
The entrance side of the building has had exterior painting done. The steps going down to the dungeon and the lower porch have been replaced. The front sidewalks will be replaced as well to match with the steps. Concrete work was done by Welch Construction of Cape Girardeau. We are in hopes that when we reopen next Spring our visitors will love the results!
Thebes Courthouse Gets a New Roof in 2015
Thanks to generous donations from Alexander County Tourism, Delta Development Council and Southern Foundation, a needs assessment for the Courthouse was completed by White & Borgognoni, Architects, P.C. Among numerous issues with the building which need attention was the roof. We appreciate the donation by a very generous donor, which has made it possible to replace the roof in 2015. See photos under the PHOTOS tab in "2015 Photos."
Penninger Asphalt & Paving of Jonesboro, Illinois repaired the driveway at the Old Courthouse on April 30, 2014. Funding for this project was made possible by a generous grant from Southern Foundation. We think it looks great and are very thankful to Southern Foundation. Come check it out!
Kay Johnson of Southern Foundation presented a check for $3,000 to president Debbie Goins for the Thebes Historical Society. The grant will be used to repair the driveway in front of the courthouse and to help with costs of a needs assessment for the building. Thank you so much, Southern Foundation!
Thebes Historical Society Receives 501 c3 status
We are excited to report that we received a call from Senator Bill Enyart on January 30, 2013.
He reported that our 501 c3 application has been approved by the IRS. We appreciate his help
in getting this done. Thank you, Senator Enyart! We would also like to thank his assistant at his Carbondale office, Brandi Bradley. They helped get the process finalized. We also owe our gratitude to attorney Mark Johnson and Beussink, Hey and Roe Accounting for all of their help from their offices in Cape Girardeau, as we prepared our application.
As a tax exempt nonprofit organization, your donations will now be tax deductible. We use all of our funds to fulfill our mission: maintaining and promoting the Thebes Historical Courthouse and it's contents.
Coming Soon: Our budget, short term and long term goals and the initiation of a building fund for specific needs at the Courthouse. Thanks for your support!
We are excited to report that we received a call from Senator Bill Enyart on January 30, 2013.
He reported that our 501 c3 application has been approved by the IRS. We appreciate his help
in getting this done. Thank you, Senator Enyart! We would also like to thank his assistant at his Carbondale office, Brandi Bradley. They helped get the process finalized. We also owe our gratitude to attorney Mark Johnson and Beussink, Hey and Roe Accounting for all of their help from their offices in Cape Girardeau, as we prepared our application.
As a tax exempt nonprofit organization, your donations will now be tax deductible. We use all of our funds to fulfill our mission: maintaining and promoting the Thebes Historical Courthouse and it's contents.
Coming Soon: Our budget, short term and long term goals and the initiation of a building fund for specific needs at the Courthouse. Thanks for your support!
Phyllis Allison, Debbie Goins and Jo Smith accept a donation for the Thebes Historical Society Building Fund from Evelyn Caldwell, president of Alexander County Tourism at a meeting on Feb. 10, 2014. We appreciate their support!
These DVDs are available for $10 each. They were recorded at our first annual Living History Day on October 5, 2013. They can be picked up at the
Courthouse when we reopen in the spring. You can also contact us through the website and make arrangements to pick them up. There is an additional $5 charge if they need to be mailed to you.
And, yes, we know that they misspelled "cemetery."
Courthouse when we reopen in the spring. You can also contact us through the website and make arrangements to pick them up. There is an additional $5 charge if they need to be mailed to you.
And, yes, we know that they misspelled "cemetery."
