"The courthouse burned to the ground."

About this episode

This episode explores the October 1872 fire that destroyed Kankakee County's first permanent courthouse.

This episode of This One Time in Kankakee explores a pivotal moment in local history: the October 1872 fire that destroyed the county's first permanent courthouse. Drawing on historical research by Jack Klasey of the Kankakee County Museum, the narrative reconstructs the events of a windy Friday night when a landmark limestone building was nearly lost to the flames. The episode details the challenges faced by the community before the existence of an organized fire department and highlights th...

Topics covered

• local history
• fire disaster
• courthouse
• community challenges
• historical research

Keywords

• Kankakee
• courthouse fire
• October 1872
• local history
• Jack Klasey
• Kankakee County Museum
• community challenges

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Kankakee County, Kankakee

More episodes of This One Time in Kankakee

• "I literally ran myself over with a van." · June 1, 2026 · 20 min
• BONUS: "Bodybuilding brought me back to life." · May 21, 2026 · 22 min
• "We raised over half a million dollars for an inclusive playground in less than a year." · May 18, 2026 · 18 min
• BONUS: "I knew a Fitness Godfather." · April 27, 2026 · 12 min
• "I was held up at gunpoint by the Pizza Bandit." · April 20, 2026 · 20 min
• "I locked myself out of the radio station." · April 6, 2026 · 18 min