In the meantime, Cairo was still growing. 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. 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. 39.34. 1950s Corruption has become so rampant that. Though African-Americans demanded jobs from the white-owned businesses, owners refused to acknowledge their requests. A hotel was built as well as a shipyard, warehouses, sawmills, an ironworks, and several residential cottages. Many of these people also returned to the South or moved elsewhere, but, more than 3,000 decided to remain in Cairo. Most African Americans left these camps to become sharecroppers in the south as no one would give them work in the north. Year over year crime in Cairo has decreased by 12%. The downtown sits abandoned and the signs of its once great economic promise are long gone. Like many other cities across the continent, the 1930s and the Great Depression hit Cairo hard. Moreover, while not necessarily facilitated by criminal networks, organ harvesting continues and is highly organized. We use cookies to give you the best possible experience on our website. Cairos economy continued to develop in other ways primarily manufacturing. Though steamboat traffic was dropping, more efficient barges were being utilized and the overall traffic dramatically increased on the Ohio River. Unfortunately, whatsleft after decades of white flight and economic stagnation, is an expanse of abandoned buildings, bulldozed lots, and forgotten history. For more like this, check out these 11 abandoned places in Illinois before they wither away. Although Egypt is not a major exporter of gold, the country does host a criminal market for gold. On July 19, 1950, $20,000 worth of gambling equipment was confiscated from simultaneous raids on six night clubs and taverns in or near Cairo. But during those prosperous years of the 1890s, segregation took root and black residents (making up about 40 percent of the population) were forced to build their own churches, schools, and so on. PDF McClure to Cairo Tramadol is one of Egypts most consumed and trafficked drugs and Egypt was one of the first countries in Africa to face a sustained Tramadol epidemic. In 1861, General Ulysses S. Grant established Fort Defiance at the tip of Cairos peninsula, which operated as an integral naval base and supply depot for his Western Army. Ornamental cast-iron decorates the verandas and the ornate exterior cornice and eaves brackets are of wood millwork. You dont want to sleep on this unique experience. Daniel Rennie is a freelance writer residing in Melbourne, Australia. In 1905, a new railroad bridge was built which crossed the Mississippi River, except this one stopped in a town just north of Cairo. Unfortunately the incident with Will James was not the last time a horrific moment of violence occurred in Cairo Illinois. 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. With such a violent and terrifying history, its understandable why no one wants to try to build a life in Cairo Illinois. Cairos historic downtown boarded-up and deserted. However, the old problem of racism would ultimately be the town's demise. You'll receive your first newsletter soon! However, the State of Illinois, instead, awarded the license to nearby Metropolis, some 40 miles northwest on the Ohio River, dashing all hopes of the towns opportunity to revitalize its economy and population. He bought 1,800 acres on the peninsula and named it Cairo, because it was presumed to resemble that of Cairo, Egypt. Cairo (/ k r o / KAIR-oh) is the southernmost city in Illinois and the county seat of Alexander County.. For many years, there were efforts to promote the area for tourism focusing on itsrich history, magnificent river views, and historic buildings. The Illinois General Assembly soon ordered the White Hats to disband and called for the enforcement of civil rights laws and racial integration of city and county departments. Wikimedia CommonsThe lynching of Will Froggy James. Resulting in a riot, the whites quickly formed Vigilante groups, and the violence increased to such an extent that the Illinois National Guard was called in to quell racial hostilities. Built to support a population of over 15,000 people, Cairo is a semi ghost town today, by the definition any historical town or site that leaves evidence of its previous glory. Only about 3,000 remained in the area, but without money to buy land, people felt desolate. As a result, when the war ended, the soldiers packed up and went home. Camp Defiance was a prominent facility located in Cairo. 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In 1858 the town was incorporated and two years later, its population exceeded 2,000. Today, it is called home to about 2,200 people. In 1859, the city shipped six million pounds of cotton and wool, 7,000 barrels of molasses, and 15,000 casks of sugar. By 1962, local freedom movements were breaking out in communities all over the country, though they were seldom reported by the national media. Crime in Cairo, Illinois - Best Places The 1930s brought the Great Depression, wiping out more of the population, and in 1937, a great flood forced the town to evacuate. 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. Please share your experiences and photos with us below in the comments. Those who remained operated shops and taverns for steamboat travelers. The Cairo Citizen 1900 - RootsWeb Called the Old Custom House today, it continues to stand as a museum and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This influx of soldiers into the town changed the dynamic entirely. Mafia-style actors are known to operate in Egypt, primarily in trafficking and smuggling operations between Egypt and Sudan, Israel and Libya. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. By 1990, the town sported a population of little less than 5,000. 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. The mob remained in a frenzy and order was restored only after Governor Charles Deneen ordered eleven companies of the National Guard to proceed to Cairo. 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. In the depths of the Great Depression, shuttering businesses were forcing residents to leave Cairo for good. A federal court would later rule the mayors proclamation unconstitutional. Cairo, Illinois - Death by Racism - Legends of America Photo from the book Let My People Go: Cairo, Illinois 1967-73, by Jan Peterson Roddy, photo by Preston Ewing Jr. By 1970 the population had dropped to a little over 6,000 people and by the following year, there was very little left to picket as most of the downtown businesses had closed. The angry mob that formed hunted James down and removed him from police custody to take him back to Cairo where they hung him in the town square. 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. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Many African-Americans who escaped the south and made it into the free state of Illinois were then transported to Chicago. Until 1889, there was no railroad bridge crossing either the Ohio or the Mississippi River at or near Cairo. Prior to the Civil War, the city also became an important transfer station on the Underground Railroad. Crime in Cairo, Illinois (IL): murders, rapes, robberies, assaults For those establishments that remained, the boycott continued for the rest of the decade. Racial unrest in Cairo, Illinois - Wikipedia 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. On street after street in Historic Downtown Cairo, once grand buildings have slowly grown dilapidated or been swallowed by plants. Over the years, Cairos population began to decline due to the violence and the decrease in river trade. Like many towns in America, here is one that began with prejudice and racism, and it is one that was swallowed up by it as well. Additionally, many residents see these newcomers as temporary being too used to people coming to help and then leaving. By 1969, a new vigilante group called the White Hats had formed. It quickly became an important steamboat port, as goods and supplies were moved further south to New Orleans. Cairo was dealt a hard blow in 1905 when a new railway system opened up the neighboring town of Thebes as a port of trade. OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. The city had long had racial tensions which boiled over after a black soldier was found hanged in his jail cell. Today, there are about 2,000 residents left, most of whom live in Cairo because they have no place else to go. One of its biggest businesses in the city was the many ferries that crossed the both the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, which transported hundreds of thousands of railroad cars each year. Level of crime. Crime in Cairo. Safety in Cairo - Numbeo Camp Defiance became an important supply depot for General Grants Western Army and a naval base, as the Union and Confederacy battled for control of the lower Mississippi River. Full-out war began in 1967 after the suspicious death of a 19-year-old black soldier, who was on leave, occurred while he was in police custody. National ArchivesAn aerial view of Cairo, Illinois. However, when the rope broke, James was riddled with bullets. Many citizens began to consider their community as an economic failure and even newspaper editorialists commented on how businessmen preferred to rent homes as opposed to buying them: They preferred to rent because they regard their stay in Cairo as temporary.. This decline; however, would not lead to Cairos ultimate demise instead, it was racism. In the meantime, Cairos reputation was developing a mean, hard edge, which was backed up in 1917 when the city had the highest arrest rate in the state with 15% of its population incarcerated at one time or another. There have been several reports of Egyptian men subjected to forced labour abroad, predominantly in the Gulf countries. Initially, the post consisted of a flat-topped mound upon which were placed three 24-pound cannons and an 8-inch mortar. Crime rates in Cairo, Egypt. Comegys hoped to turn Cairo into one of Americas great cities, but he died two years later before his plans could be realized. The next morning, nothing was left of his body other than bones. For decades it would be known as the best hotel in the city. The flooding inundated the towns of Paducah and Louisville, Kentucky, as well as Cincinnati, Ohio, and scores of other smaller communities and as the huge crest moved downstream to the Mississippi River. His half-burned head was then attached atop a pole in Candee Park at the intersection of Washington Avenue and Elm Street. Cairo, Illinois is an abandoned town that sits at the tri-state with Kentucky and Missouri. In fact, this entire residential neighborhood is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, as it is filled with imposing mansions along the magnolia-shaded streets that stand testament to Cairos heydays as a Mississippi River port. Cairos main street, Commercial Avenue, during the height of the port towns economic prosperity. Gold mining takes place in both the southern and northern parts of Egypt, however, in addition to the gold of Egyptian origin, there is also a criminal market for smuggled Sudanese gold. During the Civil War, a number of businesses were established for the soldiers and citizens including stables, a hospital, and a wheelwright shop. Photo by Kathy Alexander. When the rope broke, mobsters shot his still breathing body and then dragged it through the town before setting it on fire. However, today, the park is owned by the city of Cairo. At the far end of the left side of the street, the Rhodes-Burford Furniture Store sign was still in place. Black residents did not believe that the soldier had committed suicide in his jail cell after being arrested on disorderly conduct charges, as the coroner had reported. 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. But for a time while the trainings were going on, Cairo was flooded with more people than it had ever seen. He was then taken to the most prominent square at 8th and Commercial Street to be hanged before thousands of cheering spectators. Wikimedia CommonsCairos historic downtown boarded-up and deserted. 10. The bars finally gave way, and the prisoner was dragged to a telegraph pole at Washington Avenue and 21st Street. The various groups brought more violence to the city, as the gangsters tried to squeeze out their rivals, smashing slot machines, firebombing cars, and killing each other. This near-ghost town offers an inexpensive place to live, but there are not many businesses left for people to utilize. Today, the abandoned, once-prosperous streets of Cairo, Illinois serve as a sad monument to the destructive forces of racism. Welcome to Historic Downtown Cairo, Illinois by Kathy Alexander. A look at the story of Cairo, Illinois' Magnolia Manor