Editing Cairo, Illinois (section)

===Post-war prosperity===
[[File:CairoIllPerspectiveMap1885.jpg|right|thumb|Cairo panoramic map, 1885. The Ohio River in front and the Mississippi River in back.]]
The strategic importance of Cairo's geographic location during the Civil War sparked prosperity in the town. Several banks were founded during the war years, and the growth in banking and [[steamboat]] traffic continued after the war.

In 1869, construction began on the United States [[Old Custom House (Cairo, Illinois)|Custom House]] and Post Office, which was designed by [[Alfred B. Mullet]], the [[Office of the Supervising Architect|Supervising Architect]]. The custom house was completed in 1872. It served as a custom house, post office, and United States Court. The [[United States district court|U.S. District Court]] for the Southern District of Illinois met at the building until 1905.

From 1905 to 1942, the Custom House was used for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Illinois. The building also housed the [[United States circuit court|U.S. Circuit Court]] for the Eastern District of Illinois from 1905 to 1912. At the height of Cairo's prosperity, the post office in the building was the third busiest in the United States. It is one of only seven of Mullet's [[Victorian architecture|Victorian]] structures remaining in the nation, and the building has been converted for use as a museum. It is listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref>[http://www.lib.niu.edu/1999/ihy990A446.html "US Customs House and Post Office, Cairo, IL"]{{Dead link|date=July 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, Northern Illinois University Library</ref>

After the Civil War, the city became a hub for railroad shipping in the region, which added to its economy. By 1900 several railroad lines branched from Cairo. In addition to shipping and railroads, a major industry in Cairo was the operation of ferries. Into the late 19th century, nearly 250,000 railroad cars could be ferried across the river in as little as six months. Vehicles were also ferried, as there were no automobile bridges in the area in the early 20th century. The ferry industry created numerous jobs in Cairo to handle large amounts of cargo and numerous passengers through the city.<ref name="lib.niu.edu">{{cite web |url=http://www.lib.niu.edu/2001/ihy010448.html |title=Cairo, Illinois |publisher=Lib.niu.edu |access-date=February 16, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130613101320/http://www.lib.niu.edu/2001/ihy010448.html |archive-date=June 13, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Wealthy merchants and shippers built numerous fine mansions in the 19th and early 20th century, including the [[Italianate architecture|Italianate]] ''[[Magnolia Manor (Cairo, Illinois)|Magnolia Manor]]'', completed in 1872, and the [[Second Empire architecture|Second Empire]] ''Riverlore Mansion'', built by Capt. [[William P. Halliday]] in 1865. Across the street from the customs house, the Cairo Public Library was constructed in 1883 of [[Queen Anne style architecture in the United States|Queen Anne-style architecture]], finished with stained glass windows and ornate woodwork. The library was dedicated on July 19, 1884, as the A. B. Safford Memorial Library. Anna E. Safford paid for the construction of the Library and donated it to the city. These and other significant buildings are also listed on the National Register.<ref>John McMurray Lansden. ''A history of the city of Cairo, Illinois''. 1910. pp 153–154, 231–234</ref>

For protection from seasonal flooding, Cairo is completely enclosed by a series of levees and [[flood wall]]s, due to its low elevation between the rivers. Several buildings, including the old custom house, were originally designed to be built to a higher street level, to be at the same height as the top of the levees. That plan was scrapped as the cost of fill to raise the streets and surrounding land to that height proved to be impractical. In 1914, a large flood gate was constructed by Stupp Brothers of St. Louis, Missouri. The flood gate is known as the "Big Subway Gate", and it was designed to seal the northern levee in Cairo by closing over U.S. Highway 51. The gate weighs 80 tons, is 60 feet wide, 24 feet high, and five feet thick. With the addition of the gate, Cairo could become an island, completely sealed off from approaching flood waters.

Following the [[Great Mississippi Flood of 1927]], the levee system around Cairo was strengthened. As part of this project, the Corps of Engineers established the [[Birds Point-New Madrid Floodway]]. The [[Ohio River flood of 1937]] brought a record water level to Cairo that crested at 59.5 feet. To protect Cairo, Corps of Engineers closed the flood gate and blew a breach in the Bird's Point levee for the first time to relieve pressure on the Cairo flood wall. Following the flood, the concrete flood wall was raised to its current height. It is designed to protect the town from flood waters up to 64 feet.<ref>[http://michaelminn.net/america/structures/cairo_gate] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927222519/http://michaelminn.net/america/structures/cairo_gate|date=September 27, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pjstar.com/free/x128435537/Cairo-flood-wall-holds-as-Ohio-River-rises |title=Cairo Flood Wall Holds as Ohio River Rises |publisher=PJ Star |access-date=August 16, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stlbeacon.org/region/109997-over-under-and-through-the-ohios-assault-on-cairo |title=Over Under and Through the Ohio's Assault on Cairo |work=St. Louis Beacon |access-date=August 16, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110907145555/http://www.stlbeacon.org/region/109997-over-under-and-through-the-ohios-assault-on-cairo |archive-date=September 7, 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://coastguard.dodlive.mil/2011/05/coast-guard-army-corps-of-engineers-assist-residents-in-midwest-flood-zone/110426-g-xv958-125-flooding-near-cairo-ill-and-birds-point |title=Coast Guard and Army Corps of Engineers Assist Residents in Midwest Flood Zone |publisher=Coast Guard |access-date=August 16, 2012 |archive-date=March 18, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318054747/http://coastguard.dodlive.mil/2011/05/coast-guard-army-corps-of-engineers-assist-residents-in-midwest-flood-zone/110426-g-xv958-125-flooding-near-cairo-ill-and-birds-point/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 1942, the federal government constructed a new U.S. Post Office and Courthouse in Cairo. Still growing, the city had a population approaching 15,000. The new federal court house, located at 1500 Washington, was designed by the architects [[Louis A. Simon]] and [[George Howe (architect)|George Howe]]. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Illinois moved into the new courthouse in 1942, from the old U.S. Custom House and Post Office.

After the U.S. district court structure in Illinois was reorganized in 1978, the court house was used for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois. The building remains in use by the federal courts and as the active post office for Cairo. The courthouse was built and is operated by the [[U.S. General Services Administration]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iolp.gsa.gov/iolp/BuildingInfo.asp?bID=IL0017 |title=General Services Administration (GSA) Inventory of Owned and Leased Properties |access-date=August 16, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120313054952/http://www.iolp.gsa.gov/iolp/BuildingInfo.asp?bID=IL0017 |archive-date=March 13, 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM6BF4_US_Post_Office_and_Courthouse_Cairo_Illinois |title=U.S. Post Office and Courthouse – Cairo, Illinois |access-date=August 16, 2012}}</ref>