Editing Thebes, Illinois

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Thebes, Illinois
| official_name      = 
| native_name        = 
| native_name_lang   = 
| other_name         = 
| settlement_type    = [[List of towns and villages in Illinois|Village]]
| image_skyline      = ThebesCourthouseBlufftop.jpg
| imagesize          = 
| image_alt          = 
| image_caption      = [[Thebes Courthouse]], listed on the National Register of Historic Places
| image_flag         = 
| image_seal         = 
| etymology          = 
| nickname           = 
| motto              = 
| anthem             = 
| image_map          = File:Alexander County Illinois Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Thebes Highlighted.svg
| mapsize            = 
| map_alt            = 
| map_caption        = Location of Thebes in Illinois
| image_map1         = Illinois in United States (US48).svg
| mapsize1           = 
| map_alt1           = 
| map_caption1       = Location of Illinois in the United States
| pushpin_map        = 
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| coordinates        = {{coord|37|13|9|N|89|27|25|W|display=inline,title}}
| coor_pinpoint      = 
| coordinates_footnotes = 
| grid_name          = 
| grid_position      = 
| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = {{USA}}
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1  = {{flag|Illinois}}
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in Illinois|County]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Alexander County, Illinois|Alexander]]
| subdivision_type3  = [[List of precincts in Illinois|Precinct]]
| subdivision_name3  = [[Thebes Precinct, Alexander County, Illinois|Thebes]]
| subdivision_type4  = 
| subdivision_name4  = 
| established_title  = Established
| established_date   = October 15, 1835
| established_title1 = Platted
| established_date1  = March 2, 1846
| established_title2 = Incorporated
| established_date2  = December 6, 1899
| established_title3 = 
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| established_title4 = 
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| established_title5 = 
| established_date5  = 
| established_title6 = 
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| established_title7 = 
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| extinct_title      = 
| extinct_date       = 
| founder            = 
| named_for          = 
| seat_type          = 
| seat               = 
| seat1_type         = 
| seat1              = 
| government_footnotes = 
| government_type    = 
| governing_body     = 
| leader_party       = 
| leader_title       = Mayor
| leader_name        = 
| leader_title1      = Village president
| leader_name1       = 
| total_type         = 
| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_17.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=March 15, 2022}}</ref>
| area_total_sq_mi   = 2.31
| area_land_sq_mi    = 1.75
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0.57
| area_water_percent = 
| area_metro_footnotes = 
| area_metro_sq_mi   = 
| area_rank          = 
| elevation_footnotes = <ref name=gnis/>
| elevation_ft       = 453
| elevation_point    = 
| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes = 
| population_total   = 208
| pop_est_as_of      = 
| pop_est_footnotes  = 
| population_est     = 
| population_rank    = 
| population_density_sq_mi = 119.20
| population_metro_footnotes = 
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| population_density = 
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| population_blank1_title = 
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| timezone1          = [[North American Central Time Zone|CST]]
| utc_offset1        = -6
| timezone1_DST      = [[North American Central Time Zone|CDT]]
| utc_offset1_DST    = -5
| timezone2          = 
| utc_offset2        = 
| timezone2_DST      = 
| utc_offset2_DST    = 
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP code|ZIP Code(s)]]
| postal_code        = 62990
| postal2_code_type  = 
| postal2_code       = 
| area_code_type     = 
| area_code          = [[Area code 618|618]]
| geocode            = 
| iso_code           = 
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standards|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 17-74873
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 2399967<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2399967}}</ref>
| blank2_name        = 
| blank2_info        = 
| blank_name_sec2    = 
| blank_info_sec2    = 
| blank1_name_sec2   = 
| blank1_info_sec2   = 
| blank2_name_sec2   = Wikimedia Commons
| blank2_info_sec2   = Thebes, Illinois
| website            = 
| footnotes          = 
| area_total_km2     = 5.99
| area_land_km2      = 4.52
| area_water_km2     = 1.47
| population_density_km2 = 46.01
}}

'''Thebes''' is a village in [[Thebes Precinct, Alexander County, Illinois|Thebes Precinct]], [[Alexander County, Illinois|Alexander County]], [[Illinois]], [[United States]]. The population was 208 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], down from 436 at the 2010 census.<ref name="Census 2010">{{cite web| url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US1774873| archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212181630/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US1774873| url-status=dead| archive-date=February 12, 2020| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Thebes village, Illinois| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder| access-date=May 8, 2013}}</ref> It is part of the [[Cape Girardeau, Missouri|Cape Girardeau]]&ndash;[[Jackson, Missouri|Jackson]], [[Missouri|MO]]-IL [[Cape Girardeau-Jackson metropolitan area|Metropolitan Statistical Area]]. In 1860 the county seat was moved to [[Cairo, Illinois]], at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers.

== History ==
Thebes was established in 1835 and platted on March 2, 1846.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=History of Thebes, Illinois. by Donna Churchill (8 pages) |url=https://dev.shawneecc.edu/library/local-history-project/history-thebes/ |access-date=2025-04-11 |website=Shawnee Community College |language=en-US}}</ref> At first it was known as '''Sparhawk Landing'''. It was the county seat of Alexander County from 1846 until 1859.<ref>[http://genealogytrails.com/ill/alexander/thebeshist.html History of Thebes]</ref> On December 6, 1899, Thebes was incorporated as a village.<ref name=":0" />

Thebes, like the city of [[Cairo, Illinois|Cairo]], also in Alexander County, is named after the [[Thebes, Egypt|Egyptian city of the same name]].<ref>{{cite news | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2MwfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=mNgEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1176%2C754300 | title=Place Names Have Colorful History | work=The Southeast Missourian | date=January 11, 1963 | access-date=April 27, 2015 | author=Allen, John W. | pages=6}}</ref> This part of [[southern Illinois]] is known as Little Egypt.

[[Abraham Lincoln]] practiced law here. Legend holds that [[Dred Scott]], a slave whose freedom suit reached the [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]], may have been imprisoned in the local courthouse jail for a time while his case was heard. He had claimed freedom after being held in a free state but, setting aside decades of precedent, the US Supreme Court held that African Americans had no rights under the constitution, and slaves had no standing to sue for freedom (see ''[[Dred Scott v. Sanford]]'').

As the [[Mississippi River]] at Thebes is more than four feet deep, the town became a busy steamboat port. [[Union Army|Union troops]] passed through Thebes on their way to attack the South during the [[American Civil War]]. Thebes was the site of the [[lynching of William Johnson]] on April 26, 1903. [[Thebes Bridge]], an important railroad bridge, opened for rail traffic in 1905 and is still in use today.

In 1923, Thebes elected a woman [[Nora Gammon]] to the mayorship and an all-woman slate of alderman, running on a law enforcement platform.<ref>{{cite news |title=Woman Named Thebes Mayor |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/25663958/woman_named_thebes_mayor_nora_gammon/ |access-date=November 24, 2018 |work=Sikeston Standard |date=April 20, 1923 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181124143526/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/25663958/woman_named_thebes_mayor_nora_gammon/ |archive-date=November 24, 2018 |location=[[Sikeston, Missouri]] |page=1 |via=[[newspapers.com]]}}</ref>

In literature, Thebes is the home village of Captain Andy Hawks, his wife Parthenia Ann Hawks, and daughter Magnolia in the [[Edna Ferber]] novel ''[[Show Boat (novel)|Show Boat]]'' (1926).

==Geography==
Thebes is located at {{coord|37|13|9|N|89|27|25|W|type:city}} (37.219177, −89.456915).<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=April 23, 2011|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref>

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Thebes has a total area of {{convert|2.31|sqmi|km2|2}}, of which {{convert|1.75|sqmi|km2|2}} (or 75.44%) is land and {{convert|0.57|sqmi|km2|2}} (or 24.56%) is water.<ref name="gaz2021">{{Cite web |publisher=United States Census Bureau |title=Gazetteer Files |url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html |access-date=June 29, 2022 |website=Census.gov}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1880= 114
|1900= 417
|1910= 717
|1920= 857
|1930= 751
|1940= 730
|1950= 541
|1960= 471
|1970= 442
|1980= 455
|1990= 461
|2000= 478
|2010= 436
|2020= 208
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}

===2020 census===
''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.''

As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=1600000US1774873 |access-date=June 28, 2022 |website=data.census.gov}}</ref> there were 208 people, 136 households, and 107 families residing in the village. The population density was {{Convert|89.93|PD/sqmi|PD/km2}}. There were 111 housing units at an average density of {{Convert|47.99|/sqmi|/km2}}. The racial makeup of the village was 88.94% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 3.37% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.00% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.00% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.00% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.96% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 6.73% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 6.25% of the population.

There were 136 households, out of which 51.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.68% were married couples living together, 21.32% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.32% were non-families. 15.44% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.62% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.77 and the average family size was 4.04.

The village's age distribution consisted of 47.6% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 23.6% from 25 to 44, 16.9% from 45 to 64, and 6.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 20.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 67.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 54.0 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $38,929, and the median income for a family was $43,750. Males had a median income of $30,417 versus $21,429 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the village was $12,080. About 31.8% of families and 33.8% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 46.6% of those under age 18 and 13.2% of those age 65 or over.
{| class="wikitable"
|+'''Thebes racial composition'''<br> (''NH = Non-Hispanic'')<ref>{{Cite web |title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US1774873&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2 |access-date=March 8, 2022 |website=data.census.gov}}</ref>
!Race
!Number
!Percentage
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] (NH)
|176
|84.62%
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] (NH)
|7
|3.37%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed/Multi-Racial]] (NH)
|12
|5.77%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]]
|13
|6.25%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''208'''
|
|}

==Education==
Residents are zoned to the [[Egyptian School District]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st17_il/schooldistrict_maps/c17003_alexander/DC20SD_C17003.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Alexander County, IL|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|accessdate=February 23, 2022}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.thebescourthouse.com Thebes Historical Courthouse]
* [http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.il0139 Information on Thebes Courthouse at the Library of Congress]

{{Alexander County, Illinois}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Villages in Alexander County, Illinois]]
[[Category:Cape Girardeau–Jackson metropolitan area]]
[[Category:Illinois populated places on the Mississippi River]]
[[Category:1835 establishments in Illinois]]
[[Category:Villages in Illinois]]