Slowly you are introducing your family. We recently got to meet the lovely Mrs. Guy. Now we meet the charming Kitty Guy. You are all wonderful and deserve to be remembered, not just for history lessons, but in everyone's heart as well. God bless and thank you.
I loved, not only the video but, hearing the cats meow & jumping around(thumps). Thoroughly enjoy the snippets of history. IMHO, The Missus should do the videos on The Ladies, The ‘Kids’ could do the lighter(funnier) ones(?). Whatever works for y’all. Give The Fur Kids a good brush for me. ❤️
Thank you very much for posting this. My father remembers all of this. His best friend was also the sheriff (or chief of police) who played a big role in the whole story. My father remembers watching the gangs practice with their machine guns, the tanks the gangs built, the aerial bombin, the Herrin Massacre, the huge presence of the KKK, etc. He was born in 1909 in Marion, IL. His father died in a coal mine accident when my father was about 10 months old. My father died just short of his 102nd birthday in 2011. He also lived through the Tri-State tornado and clearly remembers the dead bodies lined up awaiting burial as well as the fields strewn with dead horses and cattle. He was in school when the tornado hit and lived through the tornado. The Tri-State Tornado would make a good subject for another video of the quality of these videos (hint, hint). It is the most deadly tornado in U.S. history. For anyone interested, the fascinating story of this era including the Herrin Massacre and other bloody events in the region, I recommend the fascinating book, "Bloody Williamson County." It's an excellent book which I consider part of my family history.
@Bob Miller, a couple weeks ago, I heard a Paul Harvey story that was very surprising. For as much as Al Capone held Chicago like a vice grip, on a personal level he had a very weak constitution and was severely harassed and bullied by other inmates to the point of going to bed crying every night.
He did NOT say "its a beautiful day". He said, "it's a beautiful world". I'm Charlie's great great niece and have heard this story my entire life from people who were present at his execution. Also "bloody Williamson" was never a term. It was "bloody Herrin" a city in Williamson Co. Frankly this makes me discredit every thing you do and that's disappointing.
@@hollymartin4717 There are many versions of history, not all of them accurate. THG does his best to bring you the info he can find. I'm sure that if you reached out to him, he'd love to hear what you have to say. I trust THG more than I do Mainstream Media or Joe Biden for that matter.
I am from Williamson county but currently live in Arkansas. I always drive through Cario even though it is out of the way because I find it so fascinating. There is a lot of history in Southern Illinois. It makes me sad everytime I drive through. It seems like everywhere there is dying except Marion.
Never have I seen such a depressing town like Cairo in the early nineties Who was worse in little Egypt Wars: Klan versus bootleggers and Shelton Burger wars later on? A Thompsonb sub gun would havebeen a nice defense weapon to have.
The wonderful thing about your channel is the amount of research going into every segment and the care shown in the presentation. History is a dry subject until you bring it alive and make it interesting. Thank you
When I was in my early 20s I lived in West Frankfort just South of Benton. We visited the museum and learned the history of Charlie Birger. What fascinated me most was Shady Rest. I began to collect pictures, maps and information and for a few months visited the area where Shady Rest was located. By the time I was done I had figured out the location of the old cabin (now long gone) and discovered artifacts buried in the ground as well as a few old buildings and foundations. I was able to find old aerial photographs and pinpoint many of the structures. The entire experience was awesome and it was like going back in time. The area had been strip mined and was completely abandoned.
COOL! my mother-in-law dated a mussel man (Blackie Cannon) for the Shelton gang when they were running the gambling racket in Peoria in the 40's. My Father-in-law and his family were coal miners in Harrisburg and were telling stories about Little Egypt up into the 70's. The old women would get quite upset when the men started talking about the "old days".
That’s sooo cool that your family has a personal connection to a serious part of Illinois history!&that you were able to hear 1st hand accounts of those historic times! Now I’m sure it must’ve been difficult for your family members to have to live through such scary, violent times. I think it just goes to show that we sometimes have no idea what events will turn out to be history&there’s no guarantee that the events we believe have merit to be remembered forever, thank you for sharing your interesting family history.👍🏼👏🏼
A Great-Uncle, born in about 1880, used to tell us that at various times during Prohibition he was a Federal Liquor Inspector and a tail-gunner on a beer truck! Early in his career as an Inspector, he visited a Doctor's office to look over the records (liquor could be legally prescribed for various ailments), which were in perfect order. Remarking about it to another Inspector, he noted that the Doctor's patients appeared to be quite healthy, especially two bulky men in suits. The other Inspector told my Uncle that he had been looking over the books of Al Capone's personal physician! Those were his bodyguards!
Did the mussel man sell mussels? My great-grandfather was a muscle man who hated mussels' fishy taste, so he beat mussel men with his muscles, until he discovered calimari.
I grew up in Gallatin County and grew up hearing stories of the Birgers and Sheltons. My Grandmother would tell stories of seeing Birger on the day he came to ID the body of Casey Jones, who he had killed a few nights earlier.
Thank you History Guy. Very timely. Was just explaining the Sheltons to my daughter last Friday based on what my dad told me in the 1970s about the Peoria end of the story. You filled in some of the missing pieces from my poor memory. Dad had a little too much detail about their operations on Farmington road and was vague about how he knew. 1939 & 1940 he made a lot of money & would never discuss how. Mom worried until she died in 2008, he had worked for the Sheltons as a cash courier from Peoria to points south. Wish I could remember the details.
I used to live in Herrin, several buildings downtown had spots where bullets knocked them. Still a couple left but most have since been torn down. I lived a block from where the Shelton's once lived. Some of the old timers in the hood told me of all the crazy stuff that went on at their house.
Thanks History Guy for telling our story! I have stood at the spot on the gravel road where Carl was killed. His funeral brought world-wide attention to our small town of Fairfield.
Born in Marion and lived in West Frankfort when I was young. Then my Father's job took him to Metropolis and on to Louisville Kentucky when I turned 5. I knew some of these stories from my Grand Parents. Thanks for the details. Very interesting. My Great Uncle gave me a book on Birger and those times. It was published locally in Illinois. When I pass I have already bought a plot in West Frankfort because all my family is there.
Your presentations are always intriguing, interesting, entertaining and educational. Yours was the first channel to which I subscribed and now it will be the first to which I donate… soon as I figure out how!
Thank you for this video! I grew up in Wayne County Illinois, and the Shelton gang is still a legend there. Very cool to hear a story about happenings from where I grew up!
My maternal Grandmother was a Shelton and the “Shelton Gang” members were her cousins. I grew up in a small town in southern Illinois and knew nothing about this or the Herrin massacre until I was grown. Shameful secrets were kept, not only from me, but most of the people of the community. Thanks for telling this story.
The irony is the book Bloody Williamson was purchased by almost every local library, including the high schools. But they kept getting stolen. Hmmm imagine that.
Living here in southern Illinois all my life I know a lot of Charlie Birger and the Shelton gang. I have seen and know where Charlie’s old hideout Shady Rest is
You always do a fine job! Your stories are short, fact filled and addictive! Thank you for your labor of passion! Do not forget your history, unless you choose the curse of it repeating itself!
Thank you for doing a story on my great great grandfather Charlie . You are very accurate and correct on the facts of Charlie and did him some justice thank you for treating him with respect and justice.
I live in West Frankfort, Il. a town right next to Benton, Il. where Charlie Birger was hanged. Neat stuff. Also went to school in Herrin, Il. schools.
Great video! My grandfather grew up in the early 1900s in Saline county, and held onto his family's farmland most of the century, even though he moved to E. St. Louis where I was later born. I knew much of that area like the back of my hand. Stories were aplenty from the area of Shawneetown, Herrin, Thompsonville to Eldorado, and my great-grandfather was a deputy sheriff. Apparently he got involved in a knife fight out in front of a church up on Parker Hill, north of Galatia - but they stopped to go in and sing hymnals.
Love the "meow" at 1:09 and then seeing the cat later in the video! Love the content as well - love all your history videos. I wonder if we'll (speaking for the US) ever look at the War on Drugs in the same way some time in the future.
Thank you for bringing Charlie Birger and the Sheltons to light, I mentioned Southern Illinois after viewing the program about Kansas City to your program, as a side note my dad William Vaughn skipped school and hitched a ride on a train to see Charlie Birgers hanging, also my mom was sweet on one of the members members of the Birger gang. Grest show, keep it up.
merry christmas to you, wife and family, please stay safe and warm and take care of your pets too. i want you guys around a long time. love your show and thanks.
Sir: your quarter hour is much appreciated. Bringing to life if only in your narrative knaves and knights and events that have made us who we are. That is a nice Tabby you have.
My Grandmother always told me a story about Charlie Berger Gang since I was 9 years old. I am 64 now. The Charlie Berger gang shot some miners with machine guns right in front of her and her friends, they were around 16 years old. The gang shot down the miners and told them to move along waving their Thomson Machine guns. She lived in Franklin County. My mom was born in Buckner, Illinois. Little Egypt - I always remembered that story since a young lad in the sixties.
I was born in far Southern Illinois. Two other interesting stories are those of Old Shawneetown and the pirates on the Ohio River at Cave-In-Rock. Southern Illinois more resembles Kentucky. Hilly and forested allowing for lots of hiding places.
Same here. Anna Illinois is my home town. I knew some of the stories about Cave In Rock, but not about Shawnee town. I'll have to ask my dad when I talk to him tomorrow if members of these gangs were the ones that beat the heck out of him in the mid 50's. He was a reporter for the Southern Illinoisian back then.
Shawneetown was the first gateway to the west and had the land grant office. The Harpe brothers and Cave in rock.... my uncle was in a Walt Disney movie shot there in the 50's lots of history 👍🏻
Your presentations are always intriguing, interesting, entertaining and educational. Yours was the first channel to which I subscribed and now it will be the first to which I donate… Soon as I figure out hell!
Couple of little meows in the video. A kitty contribution to History that deserves to be remembered. Nice tie Lance. Sounds like a Chicago version of the Hatfields & McCoys! Sort of!
I really like this episode , I watch a lot of your videos. Flight history has a special spot. But I LOVE history. Thank you history guy. The recording of your cat did not go unnoticed. That's great.
There is a book called Bloody Williamson that is very good. Good job history guy! There was a lot going on in southern Illinois back then. I'm from this area. My grandpa use to talk about this. He said Al Capone wouldn't go south of Peoria because of the Sheldon and Birger gangs.
Dear History Guy, I think Little Egypt also includes parts of Missouri and Kentucky. My family is from south east Missouri. One of my father's relatives witnessed a murder/assignation and was able to steal the murder weapon. This cousin spoke of several of the events you mentioned. I enjoy you work so "keep the faith". Gregory Gammon
I lived 20 years in McDonough County Illinois. This is where Capone's gang was getting the hooch. An old man told me, "It's a little hard to think of them as bad guys. They'd show up with a turkey, basket of fruit and toys for the children." There was an abandoned resort where I was told Capone and his gang would go to get away on weekends.
excellent coverage of the sheltons and birger. i have visted little egypt many times and reside in east central illinois. i would like to see a history guy episode about tom horn if at all possible. i really like your history guy episodes
I heard lots of stories about the Shelton Gang and Charlie Birger growing up. My mom was a Shelton so I heard Shelton Gang stories from her and that side of my family. My dad's side of the family is from Harrisburg and the surrounding communities. My great grandpa supplied Birger and his gang with moonshine. I always found it funny and ironic that two people from two different sides of history met and married.
I'd love for you to do a video on the 'local man who had a beef' with the Sheltons, Charles 'Blackie' Harris. Burger and Shelton are the big names but Harris was the most dangerous man in the area.
You are correct. Many people liked him because he guarded them. That was why it was hard to get enough jury people to convict him of anything. I seen Blackie once in a tavern in Pond Creek area East of Fairfield, IL. I grew up on Jefferson/Wayne county line!
I've lived in the area of Harrisburg all my life. A scaffold still stands where Charlie was hanged in Benton IL, someone kept stealing the noose. It's reported that while Birger was waiting to be hanged, neighborhood kids were playing on the scaffold. Charlie leaned through the bars and yelled, "Get off that! It's mine!"
FYI. Little Egypt is the area of Southern IL bordering the Mississippi river, across from Missouri. It became known as such because of the many towns named after cities in ancient Egypt i.e. Cairo, pronounced “Cayro” (long A) in the region. My mother taught school there during the depression & claimed it was a very tough area
My grandpa met Charlie Birger at Shady Rest. He also attended the hanging. My grandpa was a dentist in Mt Vernon and delivered a set of teeth to Birger at Shady Rest.
Mom & Dad were from Harrisburg and Carrier Mills(a small town next to Ledford). Our family, the Sheltons and Allen’s were the founding families of the area in Saline county. There may be one more family, but it’s been such a long time ago. The Lanton gang owned the bar down the hill from our house in Peoria on Farmington road. The assassin was up the hill in the cemetery, when he pulled the trigger and killed the Lanton brother in 1949.
What an incredible episode! It was chock-full of prime examples of the worst behaviors humanity can stoop to, all in one small Illinois town. I had to watch it twice just to wrap my mind around all the events. The main lesson here is: bad things happen when you take away booze! We especially enjoyed the parts about aerial bombardment, and most especially the cross-dressing would-be assassins. 😂 The chutzpah! Also, the debut of another History Cat marks a momentous occasion, the Star Trek reference made us laugh so hard (you’re a fellow nerd! Yay!), your tie today is an especially stylish sartorial selection - the only thing that could have made this video better would have been an appearance by the lovely and talented Mrs. History Guy! Thank you so much for the quality work you consistently produce, History Guy!
Awwww! Sweet Kitty! History Guy, I'm not sure if you have, but could you do an episode on the Galveston Hurricane Disaster of 1900 or the Galveston Fertilizer Explosion of 1947? Thank you and keep up the great work!
I grew up in Harrisburg, where Charlie’s house used to be was right down the road from me. There’s a gymnastics facility there now. Charlie gave my grandmother a silver dollar while on a milk route, which I have possession of now. Pretty wild.
Really enjoyed this episode about Bloody Williamson. I would very much like to hear about another resident, a relative of mine, Charlie(Blackie) Harris.
What I find quite interesting is there is a town in Washington State called Shelton, and it has a Little Egypt Road. I have been both to the town, and on that road.
As a teen we were driving through Illinois and my mom took us to the museum. I couldn’t remember much of the history of it so this was a fun refresher. I have a picture of me with the poster of Charles.
Thank you from a Southern Illinois Resident on covering history from my neck of the woods!!!
Slowly you are introducing your family. We recently got to meet the lovely Mrs. Guy. Now we meet the charming Kitty Guy. You are all wonderful and deserve to be remembered, not just for history lessons, but in everyone's heart as well. God bless and thank you.
Bill the traveler we have four cats, three have made it into THG episodes
The rest of the family that doesn't make it on the video deserves to be forgotten. ;-)
I loved, not only the video but, hearing the cats meow & jumping around(thumps). Thoroughly enjoy the snippets of history. IMHO, The Missus should do the videos on The Ladies, The ‘Kids’ could do the lighter(funnier) ones(?). Whatever works for y’all. Give The Fur Kids a good brush for me. ❤️
@bill the traveler,
There’s an HG Jr who helps out on the podcasts, too. 🙂
Thank you very much for posting this. My father remembers all of this. His best friend was also the sheriff (or chief of police) who played a big role in the whole story. My father remembers watching the gangs practice with their machine guns, the tanks the gangs built, the aerial bombin, the Herrin Massacre, the huge presence of the KKK, etc. He was born in 1909 in Marion, IL. His father died in a coal mine accident when my father was about 10 months old. My father died just short of his 102nd birthday in 2011. He also lived through the Tri-State tornado and clearly remembers the dead bodies lined up awaiting burial as well as the fields strewn with dead horses and cattle. He was in school when the tornado hit and lived through the tornado. The Tri-State Tornado would make a good subject for another video of the quality of these videos (hint, hint). It is the most deadly tornado in U.S. history.
For anyone interested, the fascinating story of this era including the Herrin Massacre and other bloody events in the region, I recommend the fascinating book, "Bloody Williamson County." It's an excellent book which I consider part of my family history.
@Bob Miller, a couple weeks ago, I heard a Paul Harvey story that was very surprising. For as much as Al Capone held Chicago like a vice grip, on a personal level he had a very weak constitution and was severely harassed and bullied by other inmates to the point of going to bed crying every night.
He did NOT say "its a beautiful day". He said, "it's a beautiful world". I'm Charlie's great great niece and have heard this story my entire life from people who were present at his execution. Also "bloody Williamson" was never a term. It was "bloody Herrin" a city in Williamson Co. Frankly this makes me discredit every thing you do and that's disappointing.
@@hollymartin4717 There are many versions of history, not all of them accurate. THG does his best to bring you the info he can find. I'm sure that if you reached out to him, he'd love to hear what you have to say. I trust THG more than I do Mainstream Media or Joe Biden for that matter.
I love cutting across US60 from Paducah, KY to Charleston, MO through the southern Illinois tip. Those old bridges are really cool. 🙂
I am from Williamson county but currently live in Arkansas. I always drive through Cario even though it is out of the way because I find it so fascinating. There is a lot of history in Southern Illinois. It makes me sad everytime I drive through. It seems like everywhere there is dying except Marion.
Never have I seen such a depressing town like Cairo in the early nineties
Who was worse in little Egypt Wars: Klan versus bootleggers and Shelton Burger wars later on? A Thompsonb sub gun would havebeen a nice defense weapon to have.
Southern Illinois history is well depicted in the book " Bloody Williamson". A real eye opener to the ends people will go to to get what they want.
and the futility of vendettas
It is history (meow) that deserves to be remembered
😂😂💙💙
1:08
Thats a good kitty ! !
The wonderful thing about your channel is the amount of research going into every segment and the care shown in the presentation. History is a dry subject until you bring it alive and make it interesting. Thank you
History, meow, that deserves to be remembered!
I was looking behind my desk. I thought it was my cat!
Diode Milliampere - I went looking to see if anyone else noticed that too. I think we need to see this cat! LOL!
Should we amend the famous say ' Behind every great man is a woman' to 'behind every great man is a cat' 😊
4:28 "I killed many a mouse but all were good fun.
psikogeek "I killed many a mouse, but never a cod one." LOL!
*Meow* History will be remembered for sure.
"The History Cat"
The History Kitty right on cue! Meow 🐱 🐈
Twiggy's ears perked up when she heard that Enemy Cat...
It was a catastrophe but it pawleased me. Meownificent.
1:57 A mouser?
When I was in my early 20s I lived in West Frankfort just South of Benton. We visited the museum and learned the history of Charlie Birger. What fascinated me most was Shady Rest. I began to collect pictures, maps and information and for a few months visited the area where Shady Rest was located. By the time I was done I had figured out the location of the old cabin (now long gone) and discovered artifacts buried in the ground as well as a few old buildings and foundations. I was able to find old aerial photographs and pinpoint many of the structures. The entire experience was awesome and it was like going back in time. The area had been strip mined and was completely abandoned.
COOL! my mother-in-law dated a mussel man (Blackie Cannon) for the Shelton gang when they were running the gambling racket in Peoria in the 40's. My Father-in-law and his family were coal miners in Harrisburg and were telling stories about Little Egypt up into the 70's. The old women would get quite upset when the men started talking about the "old days".
Hello, heard all these stories growing up, the old connections between, Harrisburg, Herrin, DuQuoin and East St lous
That’s sooo cool that your family has a personal connection to a serious part of Illinois history!&that you were able to hear 1st hand accounts of those historic times! Now I’m sure it must’ve been difficult for your family members to have to live through such scary, violent times. I think it just goes to show that we sometimes have no idea what events will turn out to be history&there’s no guarantee that the events we believe have merit to be remembered forever, thank you for sharing your interesting family history.👍🏼👏🏼
A Great-Uncle, born in about 1880, used to tell us that at various times during Prohibition he was a Federal Liquor Inspector and a tail-gunner on a beer truck! Early in his career as an Inspector, he visited a Doctor's office to look over the records (liquor could be legally prescribed for various ailments), which were in perfect order. Remarking about it to another Inspector, he noted that the Doctor's patients appeared to be quite healthy, especially two bulky men in suits. The other Inspector told my Uncle that he had been looking over the books of Al Capone's personal physician! Those were his bodyguards!
Did the mussel man sell mussels? My great-grandfather was a muscle man who hated mussels' fishy taste, so he beat mussel men with his muscles, until he discovered calimari.
I grew up in Gallatin County and grew up hearing stories of the Birgers and Sheltons. My Grandmother would tell stories of seeing Birger on the day he came to ID the body of Casey Jones, who he had killed a few nights earlier.
Thank you History Guy. Very timely. Was just explaining the Sheltons to my daughter last Friday based on what my dad told me in the 1970s about the Peoria end of the story. You filled in some of the missing pieces from my poor memory. Dad had a little too much detail about their operations on Farmington road and was vague about how he knew. 1939 & 1940 he made a lot of money & would never discuss how. Mom worried until she died in 2008, he had worked for the Sheltons as a cash courier from Peoria to points south. Wish I could remember the details.
Two of my great grandfathers work for the Birger gang, One was in law-enforcement the other bootlegger, You did a wonderful job presenting the truth
Thank you for reminding me that I grew up in "Bloody Williamson" and of stories my grandparents told me of Little Egypt's infamous gang war!
I used to live in Herrin, several buildings downtown had spots where bullets knocked them. Still a couple left but most have since been torn down. I lived a block from where the Shelton's once lived. Some of the old timers in the hood told me of all the crazy stuff that went on at their house.
"I've killed many men....but never a good one" Delightfully chilling! Certainly a comment that deserves to be remembered!
Thanks History Guy for telling our story! I have stood at the spot on the gravel road where Carl was killed. His funeral brought world-wide attention to our small town of Fairfield.
Born in Marion and lived in West Frankfort when I was young. Then my Father's job took him to Metropolis and on to Louisville Kentucky when I turned 5. I knew some of these stories from my Grand Parents. Thanks for the details. Very interesting. My Great Uncle gave me a book on Birger and those times. It was published locally in Illinois. When I pass I have already bought a plot in West Frankfort because all my family is there.
My father was a young man in Milwaukee in this period. His reminisces were quite fascinating.
This explains a lot about my grandparents in that era.
As a resident of Williamson County I'm glad to hear you tell a good article of my area. Another great article from The History Guy!
Your presentations are always intriguing, interesting, entertaining and educational. Yours was the first channel to which I subscribed and now it will be the first to which I donate… soon as I figure out how!
Billy Sargent www.patreon.com/thehistoryguy
I'm from St.Louis originally and still have family there. This just made the next trip better. Tyvm!
There's a lot more history in this area than anyone realizes. Thank you.
Thank you for this video! I grew up in Wayne County Illinois, and the Shelton gang is still a legend there. Very cool to hear a story about happenings from where I grew up!
"I wish to be buried in a Catholic cemetery. That's the last place the devil would look for a Jew." actual quote of Charlie Birger
My maternal Grandmother was a Shelton and the “Shelton Gang” members were her cousins. I grew up in a small town in southern Illinois and knew nothing about this or the Herrin massacre until I was grown. Shameful secrets were kept, not only from me, but most of the people of the community. Thanks for telling this story.
The irony is the book Bloody Williamson was purchased by almost every local library, including the high schools. But they kept getting stolen. Hmmm imagine that.
Please keep these up. Especially for us out in the boonies we need to know our history too.
Living here in southern Illinois all my life I know a lot of Charlie Birger and the Shelton gang. I have seen and know where Charlie’s old hideout Shady Rest is
i went looking but didnt find it ... just the general area ... is there anything left to look at?
The only thing of the Shady Rest is the foundation. It is inbetween Marion and Harrisburg on route 13.
Gotta love your knowledge of local history! Downstate Illinois and the St. Louis area are lucky to have you!
You always do a fine job! Your stories are short, fact filled and addictive! Thank you for your labor of passion! Do not forget your history, unless you choose the curse of it repeating itself!
Wonderful episode. I've always found Charlie Birger to be an interesting person.
Thanks!
Thank you for doing a story on my great great grandfather Charlie . You are very accurate and correct on the facts of Charlie and did him some justice thank you for treating him with respect and justice.
My parents and aunts lived in west Frankfort and Benton and knew him
Your grandfather murdered my fiances' kinfolk...Edith Prudence Jackson...small world
You might find the books By Ruthie Shelton interesting
I live in West Frankfort, Il. a town right next to Benton, Il. where Charlie Birger was hanged. Neat stuff. Also went to school in Herrin, Il. schools.
Great story! Surprised no one has made a movie about "Little Egypt and the Clan Wars".
Great video! My grandfather grew up in the early 1900s in Saline county, and held onto his family's farmland most of the century, even though he moved to E. St. Louis where I was later born. I knew much of that area like the back of my hand. Stories were aplenty from the area of Shawneetown, Herrin, Thompsonville to Eldorado, and my great-grandfather was a deputy sheriff. Apparently he got involved in a knife fight out in front of a church up on Parker Hill, north of Galatia - but they stopped to go in and sing hymnals.
Parker Hill just across the saline Hamilton county line. There is a old church still standing.
I live in southern Illinois so I found this very interesting! Thanks!
Love the "meow" at 1:09 and then seeing the cat later in the video! Love the content as well - love all your history videos. I wonder if we'll (speaking for the US) ever look at the War on Drugs in the same way some time in the future.
Another poignant gem. Thanks History Guy!
Thank you for this! I love hearing Southern Illinois history!
Thank you for bringing Charlie Birger and the Sheltons to light, I mentioned Southern Illinois after viewing the program about Kansas City to your program, as a side note my dad William Vaughn skipped school and hitched a ride on a train to see Charlie Birgers hanging, also my mom was sweet on one of the members
members of the Birger gang. Grest show, keep it up.
I heard a big crowd was there including lots of students who skipped school!
merry christmas to you, wife and family, please stay safe and warm and take care of your pets too. i want you guys around a long time. love your show and thanks.
Thank you. Fantastic History Reporting!
I do so love this channel.
Sir: your quarter hour is much appreciated. Bringing to life if only in your narrative knaves and knights and events that have made us who we are. That is a nice Tabby you have.
I enjoyed History class in HS but got to say ,I've learned more from you in the past week then I ever did at school. Thank you x
My Grandmother always told me a story about Charlie Berger Gang since I was 9 years old. I am 64 now. The Charlie Berger gang shot some miners with machine guns right in front of her and her friends, they were around 16 years old. The gang shot down the miners and told them to move along waving their Thomson Machine guns. She lived in Franklin County. My mom was born in Buckner, Illinois. Little Egypt - I always remembered that story since a young lad in the sixties.
I was born in far Southern Illinois. Two other interesting stories are those of Old Shawneetown and the pirates on the Ohio River at Cave-In-Rock. Southern Illinois more resembles Kentucky. Hilly and forested allowing for lots of hiding places.
Same here. Anna Illinois is my home town. I knew some of the stories about Cave In Rock, but not about Shawnee town. I'll have to ask my dad when I talk to him tomorrow if members of these gangs were the ones that beat the heck out of him in the mid 50's. He was a reporter for the Southern Illinoisian back then.
Howdy, born in Golconda in 1933 myself.
What stories are related to old shawneetown? I can only find information on the bank.
Shawneetown was the first gateway to the west and had the land grant office.
The Harpe brothers and Cave in rock.... my uncle was in a Walt Disney movie shot there in the 50's lots of history 👍🏻
Hamilton county here. Went to Old town often. Done a lot of boating up and down the Ohio from Old Town to E town. Love that area.
My favorite of your videos. Southern Illinois my current home.
Good stuff. Loved each of your videos.
Your presentations are always intriguing, interesting, entertaining and educational. Yours was the first channel to which I subscribed and now it will be the first to which I donate… Soon as I figure out hell!
My grandfather once arrested Birger. Grandfather was the sheriff in East St. Louis at the time.
Brilliant presentation! TY
Couple of little meows in the video. A kitty contribution to History that deserves to be remembered. Nice tie Lance. Sounds like a Chicago version of the Hatfields & McCoys! Sort of!
I really like this episode ,
I watch a lot of your videos.
Flight history has a special spot.
But I LOVE history.
Thank you history guy.
The recording of your cat did not go unnoticed.
That's great.
Looking quite snazzy tonight, Mr. History Guy!
Nancy Miller dude is straight money
As always history guy, you deliver a great story every time.
History, meow, that needs to be remembered. Love the feline interlude and more fascinating history.
I live in Franklin county illinois very nice telling of our history I thank you for telling it
I love your history partner, they were purrrfect
Is this the debut of The History Kitty? I don't remember him (or her) from other videos.
dodg1988 we have four cats, three have made it into episodes. This was Lucky’s first appearance.
perhaps a mini show introducing them?
There was an episode just about cats.
I live in Harrisburg, Illinois.We read the book "Bloody Williamson" In high school local history class
I am a huge fan. Please talk about the Toledo War
Gratefully celebrating nearly 13 years of sobriety on this day!
Way to go keep it up.
Celebrating 8 hours of sobriety here.
Good for u! Happy for you! 🤗🤗🤗
Keep working it. Congrats!
@@genghis_connie One day at a time for 15 years now! Thank you!
The History Kitty wants to be on camera!! Please give the History Kitty some camera time. 4:27 There's the History Kitty!! Stole some camera time.
Seth Green that one is named Lucky. She is our shy cat. I snuck in a take when she wasn’t looking.
One of our adopted cats thinks my underwear drawer is a snug nest lol. She won't let her sister near it.
The History Kitty can not steal something that is already hers...
“When a man loves cats, I am his friend and comrade without further introduction” ~ Mark Twain
The History Guy: History Deserves to Be Remembered p
There is a book called Bloody Williamson that is very good. Good job history guy! There was a lot going on in southern Illinois back then. I'm from this area. My grandpa use to talk about this. He said Al Capone wouldn't go south of Peoria because of the Sheldon and Birger gangs.
Dear History Guy,
I think Little Egypt also includes parts of Missouri and Kentucky. My family is from south east Missouri. One of my father's relatives witnessed a murder/assignation and was able to steal the murder weapon. This cousin spoke of several of the events you mentioned.
I enjoy you work so "keep the faith".
Gregory Gammon
Thank you history guy for another good report. Keep them coming! P. S. Enjoy the cat's appearance
I lived 20 years in McDonough County Illinois. This is where Capone's gang was getting the hooch. An old man told me, "It's a little hard to think of them as bad guys. They'd show up with a turkey, basket of fruit and toys for the children." There was an abandoned resort where I was told Capone and his gang would go to get away on weekends.
Thanks history guy!! Great video :)
Love your Channel and The History Thank You!!!!
Thank you this is history that hits very close to my back yard.
excellent coverage of the sheltons and birger. i have visted little egypt many times and reside in east central illinois. i would like to see a history guy episode about tom horn if at all possible. i really like your history guy episodes
Lol! I adore history kitty! Great upload! I've never been disappointed by your uploads!
Thanks for your time and knowledge
I heard lots of stories about the Shelton Gang and Charlie Birger growing up. My mom was a Shelton so I heard Shelton Gang stories from her and that side of my family. My dad's side of the family is from Harrisburg and the surrounding communities. My great grandpa supplied Birger and his gang with moonshine. I always found it funny and ironic that two people from two different sides of history met and married.
Thank you for sharing this !
It is history(meow) that needs to be remembered.
You have a great costar!
Upstaged by a cat... (( :
I'd love for you to do a video on the 'local man who had a beef' with the Sheltons, Charles 'Blackie' Harris. Burger and Shelton are the big names but Harris was the most dangerous man in the area.
You are correct. Many people liked him because he guarded them. That was why it was hard to get enough jury people to convict him of anything. I seen Blackie once in a tavern in Pond Creek area East of Fairfield, IL. I grew up on Jefferson/Wayne county line!
Thanks my friend! I love your videos.
I've lived in the area of Harrisburg all my life. A scaffold still stands where Charlie was hanged in Benton IL, someone kept stealing the noose. It's reported that while Birger was waiting to be hanged, neighborhood kids were playing on the scaffold. Charlie leaned through the bars and yelled, "Get off that! It's mine!"
FYI. Little Egypt is the area of Southern IL bordering the Mississippi river, across from Missouri. It became known as such because of the many towns named after cities in ancient Egypt i.e. Cairo, pronounced “Cayro” (long A) in the region. My mother taught school there during the depression & claimed it was a very tough area
You're the best, HG.👍
I do indeed enjoy learning and sharing stories of history and i very much enjoy your presentations. Thank you and keep up the great work.
My grandpa met Charlie Birger at Shady Rest. He also attended the hanging. My grandpa was a dentist in Mt Vernon and delivered a set of teeth to Birger at Shady Rest.
Always interesting and always informative, very enjoyable.
Another very interesting bit of history.
📻🙂
Mom & Dad were from Harrisburg and Carrier Mills(a small town next to Ledford). Our family, the Sheltons and Allen’s were the founding families of the area in Saline county. There may be one more family, but it’s been such a long time ago. The Lanton gang owned the bar down the hill from our house in Peoria on Farmington road. The assassin was up the hill in the cemetery, when he pulled the trigger and killed the Lanton brother in 1949.
Another Great episode. I have to stop out at Benton County Museum next time I drive up through there
Three cheers for The History Kitty!
In was born in Herrin and never heard of any of this. Very interesting thanks.
What an incredible episode! It was chock-full of prime examples of the worst behaviors humanity can stoop to, all in one small Illinois town. I had to watch it twice just to wrap my mind around all the events. The main lesson here is: bad things happen when you take away booze!
We especially enjoyed the parts about aerial bombardment, and most especially the cross-dressing would-be assassins. 😂 The chutzpah!
Also, the debut of another History Cat marks a momentous occasion, the Star Trek reference made us laugh so hard (you’re a fellow nerd! Yay!), your tie today is an especially stylish sartorial selection - the only thing that could have made this video better would have been an appearance by the lovely and talented Mrs. History Guy! Thank you so much for the quality work you consistently produce, History Guy!
Recently found out I am a direct descendant of Charlie Birger. I thank you for this very revealing synopsis.
Awwww! Sweet Kitty! History Guy, I'm not sure if you have, but could you do an episode on the Galveston Hurricane Disaster of 1900 or the Galveston Fertilizer Explosion of 1947? Thank you and keep up the great work!
I grew up in Harrisburg, where Charlie’s house used to be was right down the road from me. There’s a gymnastics facility there now. Charlie gave my grandmother a silver dollar while on a milk route, which I have possession of now. Pretty wild.
Really enjoyed this episode about Bloody Williamson. I would very much like to hear about another resident, a relative of mine, Charlie(Blackie) Harris.
Lovely cat. Got a glimpse of cat in the background. Love your shows it's like going to college.
This was really good like all ur vids. Always happy to see a notification from u.
What I find quite interesting is there is a town in Washington State called Shelton, and it has a Little Egypt Road. I have been both to the town, and on that road.
What is The History Cat's take on these catastrophic events?
george martin hard to tell. She mostly begged for treats.
You’ve cat to be kitten be meow!
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel No the whole kitten-kaboodle! Don't litter TH-cam with this.
As a teen we were driving through Illinois and my mom took us to the museum. I couldn’t remember much of the history of it so this was a fun refresher. I have a picture of me with the poster of Charles.