Junction, Illinois
Encyclopedia
Junction is a village in Gallatin County
, Illinois
, United States
. The population was 139 at the 2000 census.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the village has a total area of 0.9 square miles (2.3 km²), all land.
and Route 1
. A mansion atop Hickory Hill, the house was built in 1842 by John Crenshaw
, who employed black slaves to work the nearby saline wells. Crenshaw also operated an underground railroad
in reverse, capturing free blacks and selling them into slavery. The house is believed by some to be haunted and a number of journalists and thrill seekers have attempted to spend nights in the house. The house was operated as a privately owned tourist attraction for a time until 1996. The cramped slave quarters in the attic could be viewed. The state of Illinois purchased the site in 2000 and local activists hope to see it opened as a historical site. The salt springs can be visited. They are on state land along the south bank of the Saline River, just east of the bridge on Route 1.
The low-lying town has been plagued by Ohio River
floods in 1937 and again in 1997.
The Island Riffle variety of watermelon is a popular crop in the area.
of 2000, there were 139 people, 66 households, and 43 families residing in the village. The population density
was 156.7 people per square mile (60.3/km²). There were 75 housing units at an average density of 84.5 per square mile (32.5/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 96.40% White, 2.88% Native American and 0.72% Asian. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.88% of the population.
There were 66 households out of which 25.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.5% were married couples
living together, 18.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.8% were non-families. 33.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.65.
In the village the population was spread out with 18.7% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 29.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 80.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 73.8 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $33,750, and the median income for a family was $34,219. Males had a median income of $34,167 versus $27,083 for females. The per capita income
for the village was $16,256. There were 3.8% of families and 11.1% of the population living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 41.4% of those over 64.
Gallatin County, Illinois
Gallatin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 5,589, which is a decrease of 13.3% from 6,445 in 2000...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 139 at the 2000 census.
Geography
Junction is located at 37°43′22"N 88°14′17"W (37.722726, -88.237973).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the village has a total area of 0.9 square miles (2.3 km²), all land.
History
The Crenshaw House, better known as "The Old Slave House", is located at Junction, near the intersection of Illinois Route 13Illinois Route 13
Illinois Route 13 is a major east–west state route in southern Illinois. Illinois 13 has its western terminus at Centreville at Illinois Route 157 and its eastern terminus at the Kentucky state line and the Ohio River, at Kentucky Route 56. This is a distance of .- Route description :Illinois...
and Route 1
Illinois Route 1
Illinois Route 1 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Illinois. Running parallel to the Indiana border, it is also the longest state road, starting on the south side of Chicago as Halsted Street at the intersection with 95th Street, south to a free ferry crossing to Kentucky at Cave-In-Rock on...
. A mansion atop Hickory Hill, the house was built in 1842 by John Crenshaw
John Crenshaw
John Hart Crenshaw was an American landowner, salt maker, and slave trader, based out of Gallatin County, Illinois. Although Illinois was a free state, Crenshaw leased the salt works in nearby Equality from the government, which permitted the use of slaves for the arduous labor of hauling and...
, who employed black slaves to work the nearby saline wells. Crenshaw also operated an underground railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
in reverse, capturing free blacks and selling them into slavery. The house is believed by some to be haunted and a number of journalists and thrill seekers have attempted to spend nights in the house. The house was operated as a privately owned tourist attraction for a time until 1996. The cramped slave quarters in the attic could be viewed. The state of Illinois purchased the site in 2000 and local activists hope to see it opened as a historical site. The salt springs can be visited. They are on state land along the south bank of the Saline River, just east of the bridge on Route 1.
The low-lying town has been plagued by Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
floods in 1937 and again in 1997.
The Island Riffle variety of watermelon is a popular crop in the area.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 139 people, 66 households, and 43 families residing in the village. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 156.7 people per square mile (60.3/km²). There were 75 housing units at an average density of 84.5 per square mile (32.5/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 96.40% White, 2.88% Native American and 0.72% Asian. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.88% of the population.
There were 66 households out of which 25.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.5% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 18.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.8% were non-families. 33.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.65.
In the village the population was spread out with 18.7% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 29.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 80.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 73.8 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $33,750, and the median income for a family was $34,219. Males had a median income of $34,167 versus $27,083 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the village was $16,256. There were 3.8% of families and 11.1% of the population living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 41.4% of those over 64.
External links
- 1997 flood in Junction http://www.lth6.k12.il.us/schools/gallatin/flood_junction.htm
- Junction school http://www.lth6.k12.il.us/schools/gallatin/junction.htm
- Prairie Ghosts http://www.prairieghosts.com/slave.html Prairie Ghosts
- Illinois History http://www.illinoishistory.com/oshpage.html
Further reading
- 1887. History of Gallatin, Saline, Hamilton, Franklin and Williamson Counties, Illinois. Chicago: Goodspeed Publishing Co.
- Musgrave, Jon, ed. 2002. Handbook of Old Gallatin County and Southeastern Illinois. Marion, Ill.: IllinoisHistory.com. 464 pages.
- Musgrave, Jon. 2004, Rev. ed. 2005. Slaves, Salt, Sex & Mr. Crenshaw: The Real Story of the Old Slave House and America's Reverse Underground R.R.. Marion, Ill.: IllinoisHistory.com. 608 pages.