In the end, Cairo would become the city that died from racism. Marshall would become the first African American justice on the United States Supreme Court in 1967, and served on the court until 1991. By 1990, the town sported a population of little less than 5,000. On that date, Cairo was the scene of one of the most gruesome lynchings in American history when a black man named Will James, who was accused of murdering a shop-girl, and a white man, who was charged with murdering his wife, were lynched by a mob, which numbered in the thousands. The contents of this website are the sole responsibility of the authors and can in no way be taken to reflect the views or position of the European Union, or the ENACT partnership. Cairo had the highest murder rate in Illinois in 1937. Once Commercial Street was lined with businesses a Hallmark store, the Mode-O-Day, the Khourie Brothers Department Store in front of which, stood the Hamburger Wagon serving up popcorn, greasy burgers, and flavored sodas. Piling sandbags along the levee flood. The house was acquired by the Cairo Historical Association in 1952 and is now operated as a museum located at 2700 Washington Avenue. Famous Building at 702-704 Commercial Avenue served as a general-purpose commercial building, housing a mercantile establishment on the ground floor and offices above. An elegant courthouse was built in 1865 that continued to stand until the 1960s when it was torn down and replaced with a new one. At the far end of the left side of the street, the Rhodes-Burford Furniture Store sign was still in place. Though Cairo wouldnt reach its peak population until 1907, at over 15,000 residents, the turn of the century was forecasting the signs of decline. During the Civil War, it would, at different times, become the headquarters of General Ulysses S. Grant and General John A. McLernand, and filled to full capacity. However, the black protestors continued to protest. By this time, the old scars of racism had hardened, and Cairos racial divide was starkly drawn. In 1905, a new railroad bridge was built which crossed the Mississippi River, except this one stopped in a town just north of Cairo. The citys location along both a railway and a port was strategically important, and the Union capitalized on this. The violence then continued and another prisoner was ripped from his cell, dragged to the town center, lynched, and shot. The Illinois Central Railroad originally ran down the street and the structures date back to the late 1850s. According to Haitham Tabei, an Egyptian journalist who reports on urban crime, the police have willingly abdicated control over entire neighborhoods of the city to criminal gangs. A developer with extensive affordable housing experience has offered HUD a plan to build a 40-unit housing community in Cairo at the site of one of the previously demolished homes. Mafia-style actors are known to operate in Egypt, primarily in trafficking and smuggling operations between Egypt and Sudan, Israel and Libya. Photo by Kathy Alexander. Today, however, there is little evidence of that riverside boom town. Moreover, despite economic advances in the country, Egypt has seen a rise in the proportion of the population living below the poverty line. Some new businesses open up but are soon closed, and tourism is not actively promoted. General Ulyssess S. Grant used Cairo, Illinois as a strategic advantage against the Confederates because of its location. The town was hit hard during the Great Depression and was quite a dangerous place to live - at one point, Cairo had the highest murder rate in Illinois and was a hotbed for organized crime. Irregular migrants from the Horn of Africa and Eastern Africa are smuggled through Egypt towards Europe, using boats that depart from the Egyptian Mediterranean shores. Civil servants and officials receive facilitation payments or are bribed to block certain procedures or grant undue advantages. The most recent demolishment includes theElmwood and McBride housing projects that were in were in poor condition, that were razed in 2019. He was also a personal friend of General Ulysses S. Grant and supplied the Union Army with flour and hardtack during the war. Wall & Co Department Store, the Cairo Public Utility Commission; M. Snower & Co., a garment manufacturer; and more. For decades it would be known as the best hotel in the city. Though the vast majority of the cargo traveling along the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers was not being delivered to Cairo; but, rather, headed for other large cities, the town was thriving as it exported considerable products from its lumber mills, furniture factories, and other businesses. With very few protection mechanisms, mostly delivered by NGOs and civil society, Egypt severely lacks protection mechanisms for victims and witnesses of crime. Wikimedia CommonsGeneral Ulyssess S. Grant used Cairo, Illinois as a strategic advantage against the Confederates because of its location. The Civil War dramatically changed the citys social, cultural and demographic landscape with the arrival of thousands of runaway slaves, which the government referred to as contrabands. Additionally, in 1862, the Union Army deposited large numbers of African-Americans in Cairo until government officials could decide their fate. By 1917, Cairo, Illinois had developed a violent reputation as the town with Illinois' highest crime rate, a reputation that stuck even 20 years later. On our first visit in 2010, we passed under an arch depicting Historic Downtown Cairo to take a peek at this city that has been standing on the river for more than 150 years. With more than five years of writing experience, Elizabeths articles have been featured on several websites, and her poetry and short stories have been published in multiple literary journals. Wikimedia CommonsCairos main street, Commercial Avenue, during the height of the port towns economic prosperity. However, the old problem of racism would ultimately be the towns demise. ENACT is implemented by the Institute for Security Studies and INTERPOL, in affiliation with the Global Initiative against Transnational Organised Crime. This demolition created a housing crisis for numerous residents which created yet another blow to thisisolated rural town. As a result, when the war ended, the soldiers packed up and went home. Working along with Comegys, was Shadrach Bond, who was the first governor of Illinois. Many of its residents are tired of telling the story of their blighted town and just simply want to be left alone. Such organizations engage in offenses such as cargo theft, fraud, robbery, kidnapping for ransom, and the demanding of "protection" payments. The townspeople of Cairo formed a mob and murdered him, along with a second . In order to further strengthen Cairo as a military camp and as a naval base, Yates sent yet more artillery to the city in the fall of 1861, which included 7,000 new guns, 6,000 rifled muskets, and 500 rifles, and 14 artillery batteries of artillery. The citys violent and racist history has snuffed out any hope for progress. I was sure, with Commercial Avenues proximity to the Ohio River, the town had been devastated by a flood; but, I didnt know and found no one to ask. Though the passenger depot originally built by the Illinois Central Railroad still stands, the trains no longer stop for passengers. Being surrounded by water already gives this town an eerie and isolated feel. (Byron Hetzler/The Southern Illinoisan via AP) more >. Though both the federal and state governments had gotten involved, they were ineffective in controlling the continued segregation and inequality that existed in Cairo. Cairos real war would not begin for another century. This abandoned town in Illinois is one of the most fascinating spots you can visit in the whole state. After this look at Cairo, Illinois, view some of the most powerful photos that capture the struggle of the civil rights movement. There is little evidence of systematized illicit flora trafficking in Egypt. A second and successful attempt at settlement began in 1837 when the Illinois State Legislature incorporated the Cairo City and Canal Company, with Darius B. Holbrook, a shrewd businessman from Boston, Massachusetts as president. At the same time, its prostitute population was estimated to be over 1,000. For those establishments that remained, the boycott continued for the rest of the decade. In the meantime, a number of farms were established and area villages in the county were flourishing. Expecting violence, the sheriff hid James in the woods. Cairo, Illinois limped on into the 1980s and remarkably still holds on to this day in name, at least. Let My People Go recounts the struggle through pictures taken by Preston Ewing Jr., who was president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's (NAACP) Cairo chapter at the time.The book, published by Southern Illinois University Press, was released recently. By Kathy Weiser-Alexander. On the right side of the street, these buildings once held the W.T. Everywhere, there are dismal reminders that less than 2,500 people now live in a city designed for many more. In 1910, a police officer was shot while trying to prevent a lynching, and the National Guard had to be called in once again. Will Froggy James, an African-American man, was charged with the rape and murder of white 22-year-old Annie Pelley, who worked as a shop clerk in Cairo. Though the fortified city never saw any attacks during the Civil War, it trained and shipped thousands of soldiers who would fight in numerous battles. Over the years, Cairos population began to decline due to the violence and the decrease in river trade. African American Wily Anderson was shot by sniper bullets, and a few weeks later, a white police officer was shot. However, human smuggling from the Egyptian Mediterranean peaked in 2016 and 2017. Abbott Papyrus. Almost all public and private offices employed only whites. The Egyptian black market is reportedly a destination for imported exotic animals including apes, felines and crocodiles originating in countries such as Libya, Nigeria and Cameroon.Moreover, bird poaching is a relatively widespread issue. However, the angry citizens tracked James down in the woods near Belknap, Illinois, some 29 miles northeast of Cairo. During this time of growth, most of the African-Americans worked as unskilled laborers, but, were not afraid to speak out. Anticipating trouble, the local Sheriff kept James hidden in the woods for two days in the hope of saving him from the vengeance of the townspeople. Cairo, on the far tip of the state, is located at the intersection of Kentucky and Missouri, where the Ohio . A third of its population are below the poverty line. The town also began to encounter flooding so bad that many people would only rent properties rather than buy because they knew their time there was not permanent. Moreover, while not necessarily facilitated by criminal networks, organ harvesting continues and is highly organized. In the late 1990s, tunnels believed to have been used during the Underground Railroad were discovered beneath the streets near the tracks in Cairo. However, hundreds of men continued to search the riverfront, breaking into freight cars in the hope of finding Alexander. A century later, the area at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers became the subject of Lewis and Clarks first scientific study. 69.163.216.121 CAIRO, Ill. (AP) - Charles A. Galigher, and his . Opened in 1872, the building also held a U.S. Post Office on the first floor, which became third in importance in the nation at that time because of its mail connections to and from the emerging West. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. A town named after greed itself, this once beautiful place is now a shell of its former glory. This town named for riches and wealth was doing nothing to improve the wallets and lives of the African Americans who had landed there one way or another. This further increased its crime rate and the city became a haven for organized crime. There are multiple prominent criminal networks with a presence in Egypt. The first major push for racial equality occurred in 1946 when black teachers filed a lawsuit in federal court to secure equal pay. The body was then dragged by a rope for a mile to the scene of the crime and burned in the presence of at least 10,000 people. Fort Defiance, a Civil War camp, was built here in 1862 by Union General Ulysses S. Grant to control strategic access to the rivers, and launch and supply his successful campaigns south. Several attempts to survey the land were made throughout the 1800s. For more like this, check out these 11 abandoned places in Illinois before they wither away. Cairos economy continued to develop in other ways primarily manufacturing. Welcome to Historic Downtown Cairo, Illinois by Kathy Alexander. In response, the crowd jeered: We dont want to hear him; string him up; kill him; burn him. James was hanged from an arch at 8:00 pm. Photo by Kathy Alexander. But Cairos susceptibility to flooding was a major obstacle in establishing a permanent settlement, which faltered at first as the population fell by more than 80 percent. After the house was completed, it was widely admired for its architecture and its setting. By 1890, the town was connected by water and seven railroads to the rest of the country and acted as an important way station of sorts between larger cities. One hundred years ago today, Will James was lynched as a murderer in Cairo, Illinois. Tramadol tends to be smuggled into Egypt from Libya or via maritime routes. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. Already, the light from Cairo was beggining to dim. In April of 1969, Cairos streets resembled a war zone. The peninsula was surveyed and the city was platted. When the group arrived; however, the skating rink owners had locked the doors, and the KKK was holding a meeting inside. Many African-Americans who escaped the south and made it into the free state of Illinois were then transported to Chicago. Cairo also became an important shipping hub for the federal government. Though steamboat traffic was dropping, more efficient barges were being utilized and the overall traffic dramatically increased on the Ohio River. Many years later, the site of Camp Defiance would become Fort Defiance Park, an Illinois State Park. Meanwhile, it is suspected that Cairo operated as a safehold along the Underground Railroad. African Americans From Slavery to Equality, Federal Writers Project; Illinois: A Descriptive and Historical Guide; A.C. McClurg & Co, Chicago, IL; 1939. The building was designed by Alfred Mullett, who also designed the San Francisco Mint, the US Treasury Building, and old State Department building in Washington, D.C. Recent years have seen some ivory seizures, coming from countries such as South Sudan, Kenya, Sudan, Tanzania and Cte d'Ivoire. Still, this historic city provideshistory buffs and photographers with opportunities to explore Cairos historic downtown, beautiful churches, and government structures that continue to stand. Cairo, Ill., has a population of fewer than 3,000 people. It was higher than in 81.1% U.S. cities. They function as a substitute for state security personnel in the most dangerous slums of Cairo, allegedly with the tacit permission and even encouragement of police. When the Defense counsel had completed his pontificating speech, Marshall quietly stood up and thanked counsel for the compliments, then informed the court that he was the brilliant attorney who had handled the case in Tennessee. 1950s Corruption has become so rampant that. Just before the rope was placed around James neck, he reportedly said, I killed her, but Alexander took the lead.. The demonstrations and violence continued into the 1970s, producing more than 150 nights of gunfire; multiple marches, protests, and arrests, numerous businesses bombed, and more declaring bankruptcy. The mansion became an outstanding social center during the 1870s and reached the peak of its fame on April 16, 1880, when ex-President and Mrs. Grant were guests there for two days following their world tour. Halliday Hotel, Cairo, Illinois By 1861, when the Civil War began, Cairo's population had increased to 2,200, of which, only 55 people were African-American. Drug users and their families have little access to few services, treatment options are limited and most services are run by civilsociety organizations with international funding. wind speeds 207-260 mph) tornado 11.4 miles away from the Cairo city center killed one person and injured 32 people and caused between $5,000,000 and $50,000,000 in damages.. On 5/6/2003, a category F4 tornado 19.6 miles . Salzners body was left in the street and claimed by his father the next day. If youve ever been to this abandoned town, wed love to hear from you. The fortified city quickly gained the attention of the entire country, drawing many reporters to observe the military build-up and spurring The New York Times to refer to Cairo as the Gibraltar of the West.. Apparently there is a Papyrus named the Abbott Papyrus kept at the British museum which dates back to approximately 1100 BC and records the events of a court trial regarding tomb robberies, which i believe would very much fall under your definition of high level organised crime. The White Hats were ordered to disband by the Illinois General Assembly but still, white residents resisted. I crossed the Mississippi River Many women were in the crowd, some of whom helped to hang and drag the body. The rope broke and the man was riddled with bullets. He was then taken to the most prominent square at 8th and Commercial Street to be hanged before thousands of cheering spectators. Remnants of his body were taken as souvenirs. Also completed in 1872, was Magnolia Manor, which was built by Cairo businessman, Charles A. Galigher, beginning in 1869. Europeans first came across it in the late 1600s, but it was not settled until 1702 when French pioneers pushed Native Americans off of their land and built a fort and tannery. Click to reveal The old Illinois Central Railroad storage bins near the Ohio River were used as hiding places for slaves traveling the Underground Railroad through Cairo. Arms trafficking is a serious issue in Egypt and controlling the circulation of arms has been a challenge for Egyptian law enforcement agencies andauthorities. Here, they worked jointly on their first scientific research and description; to study geography at the junction of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. A week later, a white deputy named Lloyd Bosecker was shot in retaliation. Another black soldier, named Wily Anderson, who was on leave, was killed by sniper bullets. In the depths of the Great Depression, shuttering businesses were forcing residents to leave Cairo for good. As you can see, the town was founded on blood. Ewing disregarded the argument and demanded 50% of hires be black. Requiring a club membership card to enjoy the cool waters of the pool, a large group of Civil Rights activists demonstrated at the pool in 1962, which spawned a white racist to deliberately drive his pickup truck into the demonstration, severely injuring a young African-American girl. Crime is ranked on a scale of 1 (low crime) to 100 (high crime) Cairo violent crime is 96.8. This decline; however, would not lead to Cairos ultimate demise instead, it was racism. They beheaded him and stuck his head on a pole placed in the ground. Crime increasing in the past 3 years. Unfortunately, this occupation by Union troops meant that much of the towns trade by rail was diverted to Chicago. The community continues to fight for its existence and hopefully, these efforts will work as the clock continues to tick on Cairo, that without revitalization, is destined to become a true ghost town.. However, Egyptian authorities often fight crime and terrorism in a heavy-handed manner that lacks strategic cohesion and accountability and are in violation of human-rights norms. A high, white fence enclosed the original grounds and many magnolia trees were planted. Despite its early glory, Illinois southernmost town is now mostly remembered for its racial strife, which according to some, was instrumental in the towns decline. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. On street after street in Historic Downtown Cairo, once grand buildings have slowly grown dilapidated or been swallowed by plants. Some even recommended that the city should become the capitol of the United States. Variety Store, a music store, and more. Cairo, Illinois Was Once A Booming City Until Racist Violence Destroyed The Entire Town. These include several violent extremist groups such as the Islamic State, various other Salafist militant organizations and smaller splinter groups containing radicalized former members of the Muslim Brotherhood. Camp Defiance was first called Fort Prentiss, after the Union officer Benjamin Mayberry Prentiss, who had served honorably in the Mexican-American War. Cairo, Illinois is an abandoned town that sits at the tri-state with Kentucky and Missouri. It was one of the last large businesses to close. But the name was cursed. Illinois began in the 1930's and ended in the mid 1970's. At one time there were as many as 38 Illegal Casinos in operation on the 30 mile stretch of highway between McClure and Cairo {pronounced K -row) at the Southern most tip of Illinois were the Ohio River flows into the Mississippi River. Only about 3,000 remained in the area, but without money to buy land, people felt desolate. Today, the abandoned, once-prosperous streets of Cairo, Illinois serve as a sad monument to the destructive forces of racism. 10. Unfortunately, this incident marked just the beginning of racial violence in Cairo, Illinois. Cairo crime rates are 47% lower than the national average. The country is party to a number ofinternational treaties pertaining to organized crime. They were known to have participated more effectively in union organizations, strikes, and demonstrations than did the white workers. A protest in Cairo, from the book, Let My People Go: Cairo, Illinois 1967-73, by Jan Peterson Roddy, photo by Preston Ewing Jr.
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