Pacific County Courthouse

300 Memorial Drive, South Bend
The stately Pacific County Courthouse was built in 1911. The Courthouse was dubbed “The Gilded Palace of Extravagance” at the time due to its high costs. The cost of the building, art glass dome included, added up to $132,000. Due to money constraints, interior marble and other costly materials were eliminated. Later, in the 1940’s, the Commissioners made up for the lack of interior detail by assigning a County jail inmate who happened to be an artist the task of painting the panels in the foyer with scenes from the early history of the County. He also painted the cement columns on the second floor of the rotunda to look like marble. At a distance, visitors still mistake the fake marbling for the real thing.

 Willie Keil’s Grave

Probably one of the most well know gravesites of the area due to it’s unique story. A memorial was erected in 1960 and reads: “On the hill behind is the grave of Willie Keil, nineteen year old son of Doctor William Keil of the Bethel Colony that came west to settle here in 1855. Willie was to have driven the lead team in the wagon train which was to leave Bethle, Missouri in the month of May, 1855.

Four days before their departure Willie died. Because of his great desire to go west with the group, the decision was made to take the body along. It was placed in a lead lined box and filled with alcohol. The sealed coffin was carried in a wagon renovated as a hearse which led the train west. Willie was buried here the day after Christmas, December 26, 1855.”