Halfway, Illinois (Little Juarez)
Encyclopedia
Halfway, Illinois was a rough and very wet unincorporated community nicknamed "Little Juarez" in Williamson County, Illinois
, at what is believed to the crossroads of Illinois Route 37
and Stotlar Road between Marion
and Johnston City
. It's heyday was between 1915 and 1925. The name originated because it was about halfway between Marion and Herrin
, located a few miles to the west on what is now a county highway (Stotlar Road). The nickname came about from the general lawlessness, shootings and proliferation of gambling and booze, even during Prohibition.
It is not to be confused with another ghost town in the county by the same name, Halfway, Illinois
, that was a post office and country general store about halfway from Marion and Corinth
.
and Half Way will become points of interest to Herrin tourists."
Following the onslaught of nationwide Prohibition in 1920, Halfway became an even bigger destination with joints on just about all corners. Charlie Birger, an area bootlegger and gangster became the best known of the local operators. The joints became targets of Klan
raids in 1923 and early 1924, followed by two targeted fires which eventually destroyed all of the buildings but Birger's.
On 7 October 1924, Birger's joint burned at Half Way, identified as 3.5 miles north of Marion. "This was one of the buildings which had been closed for a year under a government injunction and was where one room had been used for the sale of refreshments contrary to the law while the other had been prepared for a dance hall altho it had not been opened when the injunction went into effect. At that time it was reported that it was controlled by Charlie Birger. The origin of the fire is unknown. The building was of frame and it and its contents were a total loss."
In June 1925 a reporter described what was left. "For nearly a year, the lone building [Birger's joint] stood alone on the state concrete highway but nothing now remains but weeds, charred wood and broken bottles." Before the fires and the raids, "saloons, dance floors, restaurants and sleeping rooms made up the settlement." He claimed the settlement, also known as Little Juarez, was really a part of Whiteash, but it's not clear if it was actually inside the village, or just adjacent to the village which was generally farther to the east.
. He was 34 years old and left a widow and two children.
Later that year on 14 November 1923, Charlie Birger killed his bartender Cecil Knighton on the road between two of the roadhouses. Three days later on 18 November 1923, St. Louis
gangster William F. "Whitey" Doering was killed on the porch of Birger's establishment and Birger was wounded. No clear account ever determined for certain who shot Doering, though most accounts agree that Doering shot Birger. The latter claimed the deadly shot that killed Doering came from a large car of gunmen that passed down the highway. Other rumors that circulated the following year pegged Doering's death on Birger's bodyguard and bartender that night, Jack "Hoghead" Davis.
Williamson County, Illinois
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*92.7% White*3.8% Black*0.4% Native American*0.8% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*1.7% Two or more races*0.4% Other races*2.0% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
, at what is believed to the crossroads of Illinois Route 37
Illinois Route 37
Illinois Route 37, or Illinois 37, is a north–south route in southern Illinois. It is in length. Originally connecting Effingham to Cairo, it was a heavily-traveled highway before Interstate 57 was opened. That Interstate, which lies very close to most of Illinois 37 , supplanted it as a...
and Stotlar Road between Marion
Marion, Illinois
The city of Marion is the county seat of Williamson County, Illinois. The 2010 census counted 17,193 residents, making Marion the 25th most populated city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area, in Illinois, and the second most populous city in Southern Illinois, outside of the Metro-East, behind...
and Johnston City
Johnston City, Illinois
Johnston City is a city in Williamson County, Illinois, United States. The population was 3,557 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Johnston City is located at ....
. It's heyday was between 1915 and 1925. The name originated because it was about halfway between Marion and Herrin
Herrin, Illinois
Herrin is a city in Williamson County, Illinois, United States. The population was 12,501 at the 2010 census. It is home to Country Musicstar David Lee Murphy, the hometown of baseball's Cleveland shortstop Ray Chapman, and the hometown of San Diego State University men's basketball coach Steve...
, located a few miles to the west on what is now a county highway (Stotlar Road). The nickname came about from the general lawlessness, shootings and proliferation of gambling and booze, even during Prohibition.
It is not to be confused with another ghost town in the county by the same name, Halfway, Illinois
Halfway, Illinois
Halfway, Illinois was an unincorporated community in northeastern Williamson County, Illinois located about halfway between the county seat of Marion and Corinth...
, that was a post office and country general store about halfway from Marion and Corinth
Corinth, Illinois
Corinth is an unincorporated community in Williamson County, Illinois, United States. Corinth is east of Johnston City. It's located in the north side of Section 21, Township 8 South, Range 4 East of the Third Principal Meridian, at the crossroads of Corinth Road and Paulton/Thompsonville...
.
History
One of the earliest references to the community dates to September 1916 when the circuit judge, D. T. Hartwell, issued an injunction against 31 saloons and clubs in nearby Herrin restraining them from "selling intoxicating liquors of any kind." The sheriff and his deputy (and future Prohibition Era sheriff) George Galligan served the court injunctions on establishments on the 9th. A few days later one of the Marion newspapers noted that "Herrin is again dry," and that "now EnergyEnergy, Illinois
Energy is a village in Williamson County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,175 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Energy is located at ....
and Half Way will become points of interest to Herrin tourists."
Following the onslaught of nationwide Prohibition in 1920, Halfway became an even bigger destination with joints on just about all corners. Charlie Birger, an area bootlegger and gangster became the best known of the local operators. The joints became targets of Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
raids in 1923 and early 1924, followed by two targeted fires which eventually destroyed all of the buildings but Birger's.
On 7 October 1924, Birger's joint burned at Half Way, identified as 3.5 miles north of Marion. "This was one of the buildings which had been closed for a year under a government injunction and was where one room had been used for the sale of refreshments contrary to the law while the other had been prepared for a dance hall altho it had not been opened when the injunction went into effect. At that time it was reported that it was controlled by Charlie Birger. The origin of the fire is unknown. The building was of frame and it and its contents were a total loss."
In June 1925 a reporter described what was left. "For nearly a year, the lone building [Birger's joint] stood alone on the state concrete highway but nothing now remains but weeds, charred wood and broken bottles." Before the fires and the raids, "saloons, dance floors, restaurants and sleeping rooms made up the settlement." He claimed the settlement, also known as Little Juarez, was really a part of Whiteash, but it's not clear if it was actually inside the village, or just adjacent to the village which was generally farther to the east.
Notable shootings
On 3 Jun 1923, Ralph "Scrambler" Hill, Charlie "Chink" Schafer and Ezra Fowler engaged in a gunfight leaving Fowler dead and Hill wounded in the thigh and leg. According to testimony at the coroner's inquest, Hill ran a craps game in the roadhouse on the southeast corner of the crossroads. Hill, Schafer, "Tick" Gallagher and Sue Riddle operated the roadhouse. Fowler worked as a coal miner and lived with his family in nearby WhiteashWhiteash, Illinois
Whiteash is a village in Williamson County, Illinois, United States. The population was 268 at the 2000 census, and dropped to 248 in the 2010 census.-History:...
. He was 34 years old and left a widow and two children.
Later that year on 14 November 1923, Charlie Birger killed his bartender Cecil Knighton on the road between two of the roadhouses. Three days later on 18 November 1923, St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
gangster William F. "Whitey" Doering was killed on the porch of Birger's establishment and Birger was wounded. No clear account ever determined for certain who shot Doering, though most accounts agree that Doering shot Birger. The latter claimed the deadly shot that killed Doering came from a large car of gunmen that passed down the highway. Other rumors that circulated the following year pegged Doering's death on Birger's bodyguard and bartender that night, Jack "Hoghead" Davis.