Remembering the Herrin Massacre 100 years later
In this June 10, 2015 photo, a newly installed burial marker at the city cemetery in Herrin, Ill. displays the names of 17 victims of the 1922 Herrin Massacre. The clash between striking coal miners and a group of replacement workers and guards in southern Illinois was one of the nation’s deadliest labor disputes A team of local historians and university scientists spent several years working to identify the location of the previously unmarked graves. AP Photo/Alan Scher Zagier
June 21-22, 2022 marks a century since 23 union mineworkers, strikebreakers, and others were killed in what became known as the Herrin Massacre in southern Illinois’ Williamson County. The violence was widely condemned, but some in Williamson County would defend the actions of union miners for decades to come. To learn more about the Herrin Massacre, we talked with a southern Illinois historian, who places the Herrin Massacre in the context of other violent incidents in the region.
Guest
Jon Musgrave
Author and regional historian | Proprietor, IllinoisHistory.com
Did my first interview this morning for upcoming 100th Anniversary of the Herrin Massacre. It’s not til June 22, but already getting ready for a presentation at Herrin Library. #MineWar #BloodyWilliamson #UMWA #Coal #SoIL #SouthernIllinois #ILHistory pic.twitter.com/JY0vjojjeK
— Jon Musgrave (@IllinoisHistory) April 26, 2022
1922 Herrin Massacre photo from Williamson County Historical Society
1922 Herrin Massacre photo from Williamson County Historical Society
1922 Herrin Massacre photo from Williamson County Historical Society