National Register of Historic Places

Old Customhouse

Cairo, Alexander County, Illinois
Listed
July 23, 1973
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
73000689

About this property

The Old Custom House is a historic government building in downtown Cairo, Illinois. Built from 1869 to 1872, the building served as a customs house, post office, and courthouse. Alfred B. Mullett, the U.S. Supervising Architect at the time, designed the building in the Italianate style, a rarity among federal buildings; his design features a bracketed cornice and rounded windows. When Cairo built a new post office in 1942, the building became the town's police station. The building is one of the few surviving U.S. custom houses and one of the largest federal buildings of its era in the Mid-Mississippi Valley region. The custom house was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 24, 1973. It now serves as a history museum. In celebration of the 2018 Illinois Bicentennial, Cairo Custom House was selected as one of the Illinois 200 Great Places by the American Institute of Architects Illinois component (AIA Illinois).

Location

Cairo, Alexander County, Illinois
37.00311, -89.17092

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
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Nearby Historic Sites

Cairo Historic District
Listed
0.5 mi
Magnolia Manor
Industrial
0.7 mi
Mound City Civil War Naval Hospital
Civil War
5.6 mi
Mound City National Cemetery
Pre Contact
6 mi
Olmstead Depot
Industrial
13.1 mi

Nearby Battles

Camp Defiance — Cairo Illinois Defense
1861Civil War
0.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was Old Customhouse listed on the National Register?

Old Customhouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 23, 1973.

What type of historic resource is Old Customhouse?

Old Customhouse is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Old Customhouse?

The period of significance for Old Customhouse is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Old Customhouse?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Old Customhouse will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

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