West City, Illinois
| West City, Illinois | |
|---|---|
| Village | |
 Location of West City in Franklin County, Illinois. |
|
.svg) Location of Illinois in the United States |
|
| Coordinates: 37°59′40″N 88°56′30″W / 37.99444°N 88.94167°WCoordinates: 37°59′40″N 88°56′30″W / 37.99444°N 88.94167°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Illinois |
| County | Franklin |
| Township | Browning |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.63 sq mi (4.21 km2) |
| • Land | 1.61 sq mi (4.16 km2) |
| • Water | 0.02 sq mi (0.04 km2) |
| Elevation | 451 ft (137 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 661 |
| • Estimate (2016) | 650 |
| • Density | 404.23/sq mi (156.08/km2) |
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP Code(s) | 62812 |
| Area code(s) | 618 |
| FIPS code | 17-80073 |
| West City, Illinois | |
| Website | www |
West City is a village in Franklin County, Illinois, adjacent to the county seat of Benton. The population was 661 at the 2010 census.
In the late 19th century, West City was a small settlement adjoining Benton on the west. In the early 20th century many immigrants from Poland, Lithuania, and England settled in the West City area to work in the numerous coal mines.
On March 29, 1911, 33 citizens led by John Mulkey and represented by attorney Robert Hickman presented a petition to Judge Thomas J. Layman of the Franklin County Court to incorporate West City as a village. At that time there were 350 inhabitants. An election was held on April 15, 1911, and six trustees were elected: Ed McIntire, J. J. Sanders, L. I. Tombly, Ben Fletcher, Marshall Moore, and Jack Adams. On June 1, 1911, Judge Layman declared West City to be duly and legally organized under the general laws of the State of Illinois as the Village of West City.
When Congress passed the Volstead Act establishing national prohibition in 1919, West City became notorious for bootlegging and gambling. The Birger and Shelton Brothers gangs vied for control of illegal activities in the area. In April 1923, 34-year-old Joseph A. Adams, a huge man of nearly 300 pounds (140 kg) and a roadhouse operator, was elected mayor of West City. Leslie Reed was elected City Clerk. John Lairsey served as Treasurer and R. E. Neunlist was Village Attorney. The six elected trustees were Bruce Panchard, C. C. Gant, George Clinton, H. E. Stewart, W.R. Rogers, and R. N. Long.
Mayor Adams aligned himself with the Shelton Brothers Gang, thus becoming the bitter enemy of Charlie Birger and his men. On December 12, 1926, two of Birger's men knocked on Adams' door and told his wife they had a message for him. When Adams came to the door, they shot him in front of his wife Beulah and young daughter Arian. Sheriff Jim Pritchard gathered evidence and arrested Birger for the murder of Mayor Joe Adams.
Birger was tried in Benton and found guilty of ordering the killing, a charge he steadfastly denied. Birger was hanged in Benton on April 19, 1928, at 9:48 a.m., in the last public hanging in Illinois. A replica of the gallows was built in the 1990s by Birchard Wampler and his late son Birchard Neil Wampler. It stands today next to the old Franklin County Jail (now a museum).
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Wikipedia