VIENNA, ILLINOIS

E-Mail Us

Become a Member

Add us to Your Favorites

IMAGES From Nostalgiaville
ILLINOIS- VIENNA, IL- 8/23/06

NOTE: A Click of your Mouse on most of the pictures will enlarge them for better viewing

VIENNA, ILLINOIS

HISTORY OF VIENNA

Vienna didn't officially exist when it was decreed the Johnson County seat in 1818. The post office opened in 1821, and the town was incorporated in 1837. By 1900 it had 1200 residents. Tragic fires in 1900 and 1936 and the Great Depression took their toll, but the town's location near major highways and a state prison has helped it survive.

PEOPLE OF VIENNA

TRAIL OF TEARS

President Andrew Jackson signed the Removal Act in 1830. The U S government relocated the Five Civilized Tribes (Cherokee, Chickasaw, Creek, and Seminole) to Indian Territory in Oklahoma. Tens of thousands of Indians were force-marched along the Trail of Tears that passed through Vienna.

RIVER-TO-RIVER GRAVEYARD
In 1838, the Federal Government drove 15,000 Cherokees on a forced march from their homeland in the southeastern states to the Indian Territory of Oklahoma, the trek turned into a 1,000 mile death march. The most devastating part of the journey was here, across the tip of Illinois, trapped between the frozen Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. Thousands of starving Cherokees huddled against the onslaught of winter. Freezing winds howled, snow piled into four foot drifts. The Cherokees had no shelter and very little food. Even wood for campfires was scarce. Four thousand dies and their bodies discarded into ditches or buried in shallow unmarked graves. After almost a month the survivors were able to move on westward but they left much of their hearts behind.

The Cherokees first called this time in history "The Trail where they Cried". Then later "The Trail of Tears". It was here in the land between the lakes where the suffering was greatest, that the tears flowed heaviest.

The Trail of Tears... a Poem

TOTEM POLE
Carved by Archie Russ from a hundred year-old cedar. The tree was taken from eastern Tennessee close to where the trail started. Faces on the pole represent the seven different clans of the Cherokee nation at sunset each day. One can almost see the pain and fear increase as shadows fall across the hand carved faces, changing them into human forms. Each clan was known by its livelihood. They are as follows from bottom to top on the pole: potato, bird, wolf, deer, paint, longhair, blue, and on top the eagle for guidance. The eagle represents the Cherokee seal and the flags represent eight states the trail crosses over.

DOWNTOWN VIENNA

THE HISTORY OF JOHNSON COUNTY COURT HOUSE
The contract for the present courthouse was let on August 5, 1868 for $38,000. Final payment was made in 1883 with the total cost over $80,000. When the courthouse was completed it was one of the most attractive ones in the area. About 1908 the interior of the building was rearranged, fire proof vaults built, a heating plant installed, and a local water supply system added.

During the 1960's the courthouse got a much needed facelift when it was sandblasted and tuck pointed. The east and west entrances were sealed up and enclosed into offices to give more room. The clock has been recently repaired and again can be heard striking the hours. Some of the county offices have now moved in a building on the west side of the square in an effort to relieve overcrowding.

Much of the work on the grounds of the courthouse was done by Daniel Chapman Chapter DAR. They were responsible for much of the coping wall around the court square which was completed in 1920. In 1921 the sidewalks were laid. Many of the trees were set by John Havrick, Balu & Jackson, Dr G W Elkins, J B Kuykendall, Chapman & Wiley, and C B Hester. The common in the northwest corner was used during the Civil War. It was secured by P T Chapman during his term in Congress from this district.

The boulder and tablet in the northeast corner was placed there by the DAR.

The tablet contains the names of Revolutionary War soldiers buried in Johnson County.

Next to it is a tablet commemorating George Rogers Clarks Trail through Johnson County, also placed there by the DAR.

The millstone on the south side of the courthouse were found near Karnak, but it is not known at what mill they were used.

Many improvements have been made in the courthouse and grounds to maintain the authenticity and stately manner it projects. The most recent transformation was performed in the fall of 2003 to enhance the landscape and thus the importance of the landmark. The project was inspired by Wanye Dunn and funded by donations from Honorable Judge Williamson, Southernmost Illinois Delta Empowerment Zone, and the Johnson County Horticulture Club. The design and installation was completed entirely by Robinwoods Landscaping.

JOHNSON COUNTY COURT HOUSE