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Williamson County Historical Museum
Sarah Hileman The Williamson County Historical Museum is located in what was—from 1913 to 1972—the Williamson County Jail in Marion, Illinois. The jail was a home and an office to sixteen sheriffs and their families. During the infamous period that the county was known as "Bloody Williamson," the jail was filled to capacity. The building is now home to more than twenty exhibits and the Williamson County Historical Society. Sheriff Milo Duncan and his family moved into their new home, which was also his work place, on September 30, 1913. At the time the Williamson County Jail was only one of five jails built with a residence and cost $45,000. The jail had a capacity of eighty prisoners; six cells were for women. The sheriff's wife cooked for the prisoners and the occasional jury member that stayed the night. Russell Oxford and his family were the last to live at the jail when they left January 17, 1972. During the families' stay at the jail, a sixteen- inch wall and large thick steel doors protected them. A "dumb waiter" ran to the attic to serve meals to jury members who stayed overnight. During the jail's existence, many unusual things happened. On November 8, 1915, Clarence Walker set fire to his cell, suffered burns, and later was sent to an asylum in Anna, Illinois. On November 26, 1915, a female inmate gave birth while in jail. She and her husband (who was also incarcerated) were involved in a murder. Their baby died. A number of people worked and lived in the jail, including Melvin Thaxton, who served as the sheriff of the county from 1918 to 1922. Born in Williamson County, Thaxton was a farmer and later a tax collector. He was married to Janie Phemister, and they had three children. He was a Republican. The most challenging part of his term was the Herrin Massacre and related problems. Williamson County was a coal mining community, and the center of the United Mine Workers of America members (half of the states' sixty thousand miners) and sympathizers. On April 1, 1922, about fifty men, all United Mine Workers, went on strike. On June 16, 1922, William Lester, the mine owner, hired fifty professional strikebreakers. All came from Chicago agencies. Word spread through the county, and the striking miners could not believe that the operator would be so foolish. On June 21 and 22, 1922, a mob of striking miners and supporters killed nineteen of the strikebreakers outside of Herrin. In the following months many were arrested and were jailed. Today the jail is home to many exhibits. The basement resembles a turn-of-the-century farmhouse and coal room. In the kitchen, the stove had compartments to hold spices, leftovers, hot water, and a large cooking fire. In the dining room or common room the popular Montgomery Ward catalog, table, record player, and rocking chair were present. Most of the family's time was spent in the common room. For many years, Williamson County's main source of income was coal. The coal room displays tools and a coal sculpture. On the main floor exhibits include jail cells, the library, a sitting room, a bank, the sheriff's office, and a Native American display. All but eight jail cells have been removed to make room for other exhibits. The peepholes that helped the sheriff and his deputies keep an eye on the prisoners remains. The Williamson County Historical Society has collected many materials relating to the county and genealogy. Visitors can also buy books published by the society. When the Johnson City Bank and Savings was remodeled, they donated the bank's facade. (The bank had to be stored for nine years before the society had a building.) The sitting room contains hand-painted pottery from Arleigh Ashby, the founder of the Williamson County Historical Society. Other artifacts include a horsehair couch, a china cabinet, and a hand-sewn quilt. The sheriff kept a small office in the jail, and a larger one in the courthouse. Today it contains pictures of past sheriffs, records of arrest, and a bulletproof vest. Finally, the first floor contains a Native American room with many arrowheads and informational posters about Native Americans. The third floor is home to an old general store, a post office, a drug store, a dentist/doctor's office, a girl's bedroom, a boy's bedroom, the master bedroom, and an emporium. The general store contains farm tools, cameras, bolts of fabric, and products made in the county, such as flour from the Cairo Flour Mill. The post office was also located within the general store. The drug store operated until 1952, and contains powders and liquids, but no pills. Until 1952 Williamson County did not have a hospital. The dentist/doctor's office was the only health care source in the years prior to a hospital. In the living quarters of the building, an old fashioned master bedroom features a sleigh bed typical of the era. Also two children's bedrooms are displayed. The girl's room has a canopy bed, dolls, and a doll stroller and bed, while the boy's room features toy trains and toy tractors. The emporium displays women's, men's, and children's styles of clothing dating from the early part of this century. On the third floor of the museum—where the jury stayed overnight—is the old one-room school exhibit and the military room. The old school room houses a heating stove, a chalkboard, a teacher's desk, and children's desks. The military room is
home to artifacts dating from the Civil War to Operation Desert Storm. The society has also acquired a uniform from the militia that patrolled the Mississippi River in the early 1800s. In conclusion, the Williamson County Historical Museum has a long and interesting past. Hopefully, it will have a prosperous future.—[From Paul Angle, Bloody Williamson; George Galligan and Jack Wilkinson, In Bloody Williamson; student historian's interview with Violet L. Grisham-Carter, Oct. 8, Nov. 5, 1998; and Williamson County Tourism Bureau, "Williamson County Historical Museum."]
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