Editing Williamson County, Illinois (section)

==History==
Williamson County was formed from [[Franklin County, Illinois|Franklin County]] on February 28, 1839, and was named for [[Williamson County, Tennessee|Williamson County]], [[Tennessee]]. Many of its settlers were from the Uplands South, traveling via the [[Ohio River]] from Kentucky and Virginia.<ref>
{{Citation |last              = Adams
 |first             = James N. (compiler)
 |year              = 1989
 |publication-date  = 1989
 |editor-last       = Keller
 |editor-first      = William E.
 |title             = Illinois Place Names
 |location = Springfield
 |publisher         = Illinois State Historical Society
 |pages             = [https://archive.org/details/illinoisplacenam00adam/page/609 609]
 |isbn              = 0-912226-24-2
 |url-access        = registration
 |url               = https://archive.org/details/illinoisplacenam00adam/page/609
}}</ref>

<gallery>
File:Williamson County Illinois 1839.png|Williamson County at the time of its creation in 1839
</gallery>

It became a center of coal mining, attracting numerous European immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Labor tensions rose as workers sought to unionize and improve their wages and conditions. Mine owners resisted and several episodes of violence resulted during strikes and other work actions. resulted in several episodes of violence. Williamson County is often referred to as "Bloody Williamson," due to several outbreaks of violence that have few parallels in American history.<ref>{{Citation
| first      = Paul M.
| last      = Angle
| year      = 1992
| title      = Bloody Williamson - A Chapter in American Lawlessness
| publisher      = University of Illinois Press
| isbn      = 0-252-06233-7
| url-access      = registration
| url      = https://archive.org/details/bloodywilliamson0000angl
}}</ref>

These include the Bloody Vendetta (1876), armed confrontation between families and associates during the waning days of Reconstruction; the [[Carterville Mine Riot|Carterville Massacre]] (1899), a Coal Strike (1906), the [[Herrin massacre|Herrin Massacre]] (1922), the Klan War (1924–1926), and the [[Charles Birger|Birger]]/[[Shelton Brothers Gang|Shelton]] Gang War (1926). <!--Needs expansion with details about each incident/war -->

During the so-called Klan War, a mob of perhaps 1,300 men were deputized by the local sheriff. Starting on February 1, 1924, the posse began raiding the homes of local mine workers, mostly Italian immigrants. The Klan was inspired by both nativist and Prohibitionist fervor. Violence continued sporadically between bootleggers and the Klan. Twenty people were killed before peace was restored.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Okrent |first1=Daniel |title=Last Call; The Rise & fall of Prohibition |date=May 31, 2011 |publisher=Simon & Schuster |location=New York, London, Toronto |isbn=978-0743277044 |page=4631 |edition=Kindle }}</ref>

In June 1915, a [[Sicily|Sicilian]] miner accused of the fatal shooting of a wealthy local resident was lynched in [[Johnston City, Illinois]] by a mob.<ref name="daily">[http://strangefruitandspanishmoss.blogspot.com/2016/09/june-10-1915-joe-strando.html "SLAYER LYNCHED BY ILLINOIS MOB"], ''Belvidere Daily Republican'' (Belvidere, Illinois), June 11, 1915; accessed February 2, 2017</ref> The Illinois National Guard was deployed to prevent rioting between the miner's supporters and opponents. They were also later ordered to various locations repeatedly during the 1920s to separate warring parties and attempt to keep order.

The northwest section of the county suffered extensive damage during the [[Tri-State Tornado]] of 1925. The county was also struck by two [[tornado]]es on May 29, 1982, which killed 10 people in the [[Marion, Illinois tornado outbreak]]. On May 8, 2009, the cities of Carterville, Herrin, and Marion were severely damaged by the [[May 2009 Southern Midwest derecho]].