In honor of the recent mention of the (in)famous Charlie Birger, I thought it'd be fun to have a thread dedicated to Illinois stories and legends. Williamson County, where Birger fought with the Ku Klux Klan, is also known as "Bloody Williamson" because of its history of violence. From Wikipedia:
Williamson County is often referred to as "Bloody Williamson" due to several outbreaks of violence that have few parallels in American history. These include the following: the Bloody Vendetta, 1876; the Carterville Massacre, 1899; Coal Strike, 1906; The Herrin Massacre, 1922; the Klan War, 1924; the Birger/Shelton War, 1927.
The Illinois National Guard was deployed repeatedly during the 1920's to separate the warring parties and attempt to keep order.
The 1876 Bloody Vendetta started with a dispute over a card game in Carbondale and a lawsuit over a few bushels of oats and turned into an all-out clan war with shootings. It finally ended when convictions and a use hanging. Here's a NY Times story on the Carterville Massacre, titled "WHITE MEN KILL NEGROES...." http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9D0DEEDC173DE433A2575BC1A96F9C94689ED7CF and another story about the governor sending militia: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9F0DEEDC173DE433A2575BC1A96F9C94689ED7CF
The Herrin Massacre was also related to a mining labor dispute. During a two-day period, 19 strikebreakers and 2 union members were killed by an angry mob, and the story made headlines all over the country.
The Klan War was about Prohibition, rather than racism. The Klan viewed bootlegging as "un-American," and decided to clean up the county by going door-to-door searching for alcohol. This made them unpopular with many people. Charlie Birger and his allies used their firepower to defeat the Klan in Williamson County.
Many people believe that the Old Slave House in Gallatin County, IL is haunted. Although Illinois was north of the Mason-Dixon line, salt mines were allowed to use slave labor. The original owner ran a sort of reverse underground railroad where he would kidnap freed slaves and sell them into slavery. There's a story and some photos at http://journeyphoto.blogspot.com/2007/11/old-slave-house.html
Check your U.S maps. Not all of Illinois is north of Mason and Dixon's line; a goodly portion of it is south, and those of us who grew up down there come up here with the accent and drawl to prove it.
Saline County is further south than a good chunk of Kentucky. Escaped slaves knew that they needed to head to the western side of Illinois, even though Missouri was a slave state; eastern Illinoisians were likely to sell them back into slavery. If memory serves correctly, Abraham Lincoln represented a few slaves in Danville, Paris, and Charleston who were suing their masters for the freedom, since they were now living in a free state.
My family has farmed in Saline Co. since 1863, outside Harrisburg,,,,little town called Galatia,,,,Little Eygpt used to be a booming part of the state,,,,,coal mine and corn money. Kind of past its prime now,,,,Charlie Birger had some good points, he hated the Klan for more reasons than them coming after his booze. They were antio Catholic,,,,,,,anti Jewish,,,,,Charlie was a convert to Catholism,,,but was buried as a combo of Jewish?Catholic.
The Old Slave House is actually in Gallatin County.
All of Illinois was above the Mason-Dixon line. Although the PA-MD border extended (40 N) passes through Illinois at Philo, the actual Mason-Dixon line followed the Ohio River south to Cairo, then proceeded west on 36-30 which is the Missouri - Arkansas border (except for the bootheel of Missouri).
40N/88W is in a cornfield SE of Sidney. The discrepancy with C-U is artistic license I suppose.
Williamson County seceded from the Union with the South, but being surrounded by other counties not seceding, quickly reversed its stance against Lincoln and the North.
Byrd - which direction from Galatia? East toward Raleigh, South toward Harrisburg and Harco, West toward Thompsonville or North toward Cornerville and Hamburg?
My grandmother was born and raised in Saline County near Hamburg (aka Long Branch). I can remember when there were country stores at Hamburg, Cornerville, and Walpole.
If I remember correctly, according to Bloddy Williamson the first arial bombing in the US was done from a bi-plane in a failed attempt to bomb one of Birger's gin joints by a rival gang.
Actually if the Mason and Dixon horizontal survey line was extended, it would pass through Illinois, not below it. However, the survey line was never extend except symbolicly along state boundries between slave and non-slave allowing governments.
You're right. I fixed the post.
That's interesting. I heard that there were numerous Confederate sympathizers in Southern Illinois known as "copperheads." Here's an interesting story from the Jackson County wikipedia entry:
Illinois had slaves because of a special exemption given to the Salt Works at Equality, Illinois, which at one time supplied a majority of the salt sold in the USA.
Equality was the county seat of Gallatin County and had the courthouse. When the courthouse was destroyed by a storm, the good citizens of Shawneetown took wagons to Equality and loaded up the lumber and hauled it off to Shawneetown. Since there was no other lumber to be had, Equality gave up, and the county seat has been at Shawneetown ever since.
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Williamson county passed a resolution to secede from Illinois on April 15, 1861. The text of it is copied in below:
Resolved: 1. That we, the citizens of Williamson County, firmly believing, from the distracted condition of our county---the same being brought about by the elevation to power of a strictly sectional party---the coercive policy of which toward the seceded States will drive all the border slave States from the Federal Union, and cause them to join the Southern Confederacy.
2. That, in such event, the interest of the citizens of Southern Illinois imperatively demands at their hands a division of the State. We hereby pledge ourselves to use all means in our power to effect the same, and attach ourselves to the Southern Confederacy.
3. That, in our opinion, it is the duty of the present administration to withdraw all the troops of the Federal government that may be stationed in Southern forts, and acknowledge the independence of the Southern Confederacy, believing that such a course would he calculated to restore peace and harmony to our distracted country.
4. That in view of the fact that it is probable that the present Governor of the State of Illinois will call upon the citizens of the same to take up arms for the purpose of subjecting the people of the South, we hereby enter our protest against such a course, and, as loyal citizens, will refuse, frown down, and forever oppose the same.
The resolution was withdrawn a short time later when Gen. Logan marched in with about 200 soldiers.
The fact that Western Kentucky did not separate, and thus stayed in the Union although it was a southern state per se, made it impossible for the secession of Southern Illinois to succeed.
However there have been many subsequent efforts for Southern Illinois to separate from the northern 2/3 of the state, the division naturally occurring somewhat along the line which Interstate 70, where there is an natural geographic, cultural, and ideologic boundary as compared with the rest of the state. However some think that "The Real Illnois" culturally and ideologically includes a western ring of counties extending as far north as Quincy and from Cass county south.
There was a particularly strident cry for separation of the southern counties from the north of the state in the 1970's and there was even a small license plate sold at the banks along with the regular Illinois plate which changed the name on the plate from ILLINOIS to SOUTHERN ILLINOIS.
The bombing was the Shady Rest Birgers joint on old route 13 half way to Marion, to get to our farm head toward Marion on route 13. turn left on the Rileyville road, go about two miles to the Ebenezer Church and graveyard...look left cross the little bridge and you there,,,farm house is still there. Kcin, have you ever heard of LeTempt Plumbing and Heating in Harrisburg?
Bruce;
Around Pitsburg or Creale Springs?
I don't know LeTempt Plumbing and Heating. But isn't Rileyville and Ebenezer Church off Rt 34 not Rt 13?
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Supposedly the first shots of the Civil War really occurred in Charleston, IL, after a disputed call during a hotly-contested baseball game between a team from the Chicago (anti-slavery) and a team from St Louis (pro-slavery)
My family has farmed in Saline Co. since 1863, outside Harrisburg,,,,little town called Galatia,,,,Little Eygpt used to be a booming part of the state,,,,,coal mine and corn money. Kind of past its prime now,,,,
Yeah, my dad's side of the family is from Jackson County, and I remember going down to Murphysboro often as a kid. My grandfather and his father before him ran the local hardware store. There used to be more mining, a shoe factory, and various local businesses, but a lot of that's gone now. Now some of the larger employers are the state prisons. It's been sad to watch the decline.
Charlie Birger had some good points, he hated the Klan for more reasons than them coming after his booze. They were antio Catholic,,,,,,,anti Jewish,,,,,Charlie was a convert to Catholism,,,but was buried as a combo of Jewish?Catholic.
Yeah, their Prohibition activities pissed people off, but there are many good reasons to hate the Klan.
34 is the way to go to Rileyville of course,,,,,my frame of reference is always out of Harrisburg on old route 13,,,,,then to a little known road called the Rileyville Road,,,,backway, the church used to be a Babtist,,,,,now it has changed. Anyway, I never liked it down there, too hot in the summer when I was a kid, and Galatia had a general store and that was about it, My great grandfather started that plumbing company as a sideline to farming,,,,my Uncle Jim Byrd ran it for years,,,,I believe he retired, I am going down Marion wayin a few weeks,,,,,my aunt wants me to come visit,,,,,would you like me to bring back any momentos?? :)
Several odds and ends to add to this thread:
Though Illinois was from its start a "free" state due to the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 most of its first settlers were from Virginia/Kentucky (Kentucky was part of Virginia until 1792). Slavery was part of their way of life, and some of the early settlers brought their slaves along with them. There were several attempts to amend the Illinois Consitution to permitt slavery between 1818 and 1840, all of which failed - which is a very good thing as there would have been a major consitutional crisis had the measure pasted. (Since the Northwest Ordinance perdates the US Consitution. it is viewed as not subject to modification by the Federal government) It is not until twenty years after the opening of the Erie Canal and the growth of Chicago that there was a population shift in Illinois shifting the state center of population north and causing Illinois to lose it pro southern view.
One company of Illinois volunteers for the rebel cause was organized at Metropolis and crossed the Ohio River - they end up serving in one of the Tennessee Regiments - will have to check the company number tonight. "Black Jack" Logan's support of the Union and Lincoln had a major impact on southern Illinois - in fact he raised the "dirty-first" (31st) Illinois Regiment from his supporters.
The 'dirty-first" was a play on words - when in a debate in the Illinois House in the 1850's (IIRRC) Logan was asked just who would do the "dirty work" of enforcing the Fugitive Slave Act - Logan replied that he and his followers would do that "dirty work".
The old northern boundary of "southern Illinois" was the old B&O rail line which crossed Illinois running east from Vincennes to St' Louis - it has now shifted northwards to I-70 - perhaps illustrating the change in the American view of transportation shifting from rail to interstate.
Actually - though the bombing run in Williamson County is among the first missions flown in the USA - I think that it is predated by serveral missions flown by the Army Air Service in West Virginia against striking mine workers
My .02
Greg Novak
Don't forget the Copperhead Riot in Charleston (1863, if memory serves).
Several of the saltworks in Southern Illinios used to lease slaves from their owners in the wintertime, when there was no work to do in the fields.
Hope folks haven't forgetten about the Ohio River pirates at Cave-In-Rock, the Superman statue in Metropolis, and the ferries to Kentucky.
Actually Lincoln represented the slave owner (Matson) who had brought his slaves to Coles County (Charleston). The slave owner wanted to take the slaves back to Kentucky. Abolitionists (Ashmore & Rutherford) intervened on behalf of the slaves and the slave owner sued them for the return of his slaves. The slave owner (and Lincoln) lost and the slaves were set free. The case, Matson v. Ashmore, was in the late 1840's.
Charlie Birger's grave, Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery, St. Louis, Mo.
I wish I had seen this thread earlier, I am such a Southern Illinois History nerd. My favorite books include "Bloody Williamson" by Paul M. Angle, which covers the Shelton Brothers, S. Glenn Young, Birger and other events and "A Knight of a Different Sort" by Gary DeNeal which deals only with Birger and his business affairs (that's using the term business affairs lightly!).
Great reading if you are interested.
Yes I read that book too.............. had the first air bombing in the US when one of the gangs threw a bomb at the other gang from an airplane. It was going on at the same time as Capone, and no one really remembers what went on in Southern Illinois.
Then there was also the big Tri-State tornado in 1925, the deadliest tornado in history. This happened when my grandfather was around 12.