Then & Now: Joliet’s Jefferson Street bridge
February 8, 2012 6:44PM
An early photo of Joliet looks east down Exchange street (now Jefferson Street). The third Will County Courthouse is at the far right and the steeple in the back just the the left of center is S. Mary's Carmelite church on Ottawa Street. | Joliet Area Historical Museum, Joliet, Ill.
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Updated: March 10, 2012 8:31AM
Exchange Street, as Jefferson Street was known in the past, had a bridge when this historic photo was taken, but the buildings aren’t too familiar to modern residents. The old courthouse, Will County’s third, was visible to the far right of the frame, and the steeple of St. Mary Carmelite church reaches for the sky near the center of the photo.
Today, Jefferson Street’s bridge is a hint of the past, since Joliet’s lift bridges were built in the 1930s. The scenery has still changed quite a bit since the early 1900s. The courthouse is long gone, but the St. Mary Carmelite steeple still stands tall. The church is now closed, and it has been suggested that the building be converted to senior housing.
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