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History · Thebes

Thebes dates to 1835, and 26% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the Thebes Courthouse. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1934 on, and the census since 1880.

1835founded
1on the National Register
26%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Thebes’ archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Thebes began

When was Thebes founded?

1835

Thebes dates its founding to 1835 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 114 in 18802020 census: 208191 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1845.The full story ↓

What stands out about Thebes’ past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 857 in 1920; 208 people lived here in 2020.Deep rootsEstablished in 1835: 191 years of Thebes.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Thebes’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Thebes’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewThebes Illinois June 1990 - View from C…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Thebes, census by census

020040060080018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 857

Peaked at 857 in 1920; 208 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1880–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Thebes’ Wikipedia page.

Timeline

Thebes, 1835 to 1990

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1835
    FoundingThebes is established
  3. 1845Post officeThe Thebes post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1920CensusPopulation peaks at 857
  6. 1934On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1990In the archiveThebes Illinois June 1990 - View from Courthouse towards River
The story

How Thebes came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Thebes.

Read it all →

Thebes was established in 1835 and platted on March 2, 1846. At first it was known as Sparhawk Landing. It was the county seat of Alexander County from 1846 until 1859. On December 6, 1899, Thebes was incorporated as a village.

Thebes, like the city of Cairo, also in Alexander County, is named after the Egyptian city of the same name. This part of southern Illinois is known as Little Egypt.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Thebes, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1990s1 item
Thebes Illinois June 1990 - View from Courthouse towards River1990Thebes Illinois June 1990 - View from Courthouse towa…
Date unknown1 to date
Thebes CourthouseDate?Thebes Courthouse
Today4 recent
Trailer2018TrailerThebes, Illinois - Video Gaming A Better Bet2018Thebes, Illinois - Video Gaming A Better BetThebes Illinois Public Works2012Thebes Illinois Public WorksRock outcrop near Mississippi River at2009Rock outcrop near Mississippi River at
On the map

Thebes on the map, 1934 to 1990

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Thebes. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Thebes on the 1934 USGS mapThebes on the 1955 USGS mapThebes on the 1966 USGS mapThebes on the 1990 USGS map1934Thebes sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Thebes.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Thebes Courthouse
Retake this viewThebes Courthouse

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Thebes’ page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

1 historic place in Thebes

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
1972
Thebes Courthouse
Thebes Courthouse
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Southern Greek Revival1
All 1 listings
Thebes CourthouseBuilding · listed 1972

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Thebes

Nobody well known was born in Thebes itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Rush LimbaughAmerican political commentator · b. 1951
Linda M. GodwinAmerican astronaut · b. 1952
Roy ThomasAmerican comic book writer and editor · b. 1940
Terry JonesAmerican anti-Islamic right wing activist and t… · b. 1951
D
D. R. FulkersonAmerican mathematician · b. 1924
B
Billy SwanAmerican musician and songwriter · b. 1942

Questions about Thebes’ history

What year was Thebes founded?

In 1835, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Thebes’ post office opened in 1845, and the census of 1880 counted 114 people here.

What is on the National Register in Thebes?

One place: the Thebes Courthouse (listed 1972).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (5), the Library of Congress (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.