Junction, Illinois

37°43′22″N 88°14′17″W / 37.72278°N 88.23806°W / 37.72278; -88.23806CountryUnited StatesStateIllinoisCountyGallatinArea • Total0.83 sq mi (2.14 km²) • Land0.83 sq mi (2.14 km²) • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km²)Population • Total129 • Estimate 111 • Density134.38/sq mi (51.88/km²)Time zoneUTC-6 (CST) • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)ZIP Code(s)Area code618FIPS code17-38778Wikimedia CommonsJunction, Illinois

Junction is a village in Gallatin County, Illinois, United States. The population was 56 at the 2020 census.^[3]

History

Junction was founded in the 1880s, and was named for its location at the junction of the L&N and B&O railroads. When a post office was established in 1884, it was named "Cypress Junction." The name was changed to "Junction City" in 1888, and shortened to "Junction" in 1894.^[4]

Junction's location in a relatively flat area leaves it prone to flooding along the Ohio River, which can cause waters in the nearby Saline River to back up. A major flood in March 1997 displaced several area residents and blocked all but one road leading into the village.^[5]

On June 1, 2022, Junction General Baptist Church burned down after lightning struck the steeple.^[6]

Crenshaw House

The Hickory Hill mansion, almost five miles west of Junction, is the 19th-century home of illegal slave trader and slave breeder John Hart Crenshaw. It was infamously known as the "Old Slave House," as it was used as a criminal front for the kidnapping of free blacks who were illegally sold into the Southern slave trade on the Reverse Underground Railroad, as well as a farm for slave breeding.^[7]

Geography

Junction is located at the center of Gallatin County at 37°43′22″N 88°14′17″W / 37.72278°N 88.23806°W / 37.72278; -88.23806 (37.722726, -88.237973).^[8] The village lies along Illinois Route 13, a few miles west of the Ohio River, and north of the Shawnee National Forest. The Saline River, a tributary of the Ohio, passes just to the south.

According to the 2010 census, Junction has a total area of 0.883 square miles (2.29 km²), of which 0.88 square miles (2.28 km²) (or 99.66%) is land and 0.003 square miles (0.01 km²) (or 0.34%) is water.^[9]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1910	800		—
1920	321		−59.9%
1930	292		−9.0%
1940	320		9.6%
1950	239		−25.3%
1960	238		−0.4%
1970	199		−16.4%
1980	192		−3.5%
1990	201		4.7%
2000	139		−30.8%
2010	129		−7.2%
2020	56		−56.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[10]

As of the 2020 census, there were 56 people, 35 households, and 38 families residing in the village. The racial makeup of the village was 92.9% White. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.79% of the population.^[11]

There were 35 households, out of which 10.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.6% were married couples living together, 22.9% had a female householder with no husband present.

The median income for a household in the village was $32,375, and the median income for a family was $42,500. 45.5% of those over 64 were living below the poverty line.

Notable people

• John Hart Crenshaw, landowner, salt maker, illegal slave trader kidnapper, and illegal slave breeder

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.

References

External links

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