Benton Jail Museum

Shachna Itzik "Charlie" Birger emigrated with his parents from Russia as a child.  Charlie went to St Louis on July 5, 1901 and enlisted in the army, being assigned to Company G of the newly formed 13th Cavalry Regiment, stationed in South Dakota.  He was honorably discharged July 4, 1904 at Fort Meade South Dakota, being described as a "good soldier."   He tried life as a cowboy for a while after that, but eventually returned to Illinois and married, becoming first a miner than a saloon keeper in Harrisburg.  Unfortunately for Charlie, Prohibition came along, and instead of seeing this as the end of his saloon days, he saw it as a business opportunity.

So Charlie moved across county lines into Williamson county, and set up a barbecue shack off Rt 13 between his former home of Harrisburg and Marion, naming it Shady Rest.  Only the BBQ shack was really a guard shack...for the bootlegging operation that took place in the back.

The Birger gang posing in front of Shady Rest

Despite being asked to move out of town by public officials, Harrisburg was still Charlie's.  He was a Robin Hood of sorts, giving coins to children, making sure his neighbors had food and coal to heat their homes.  Charlie would not tolerate crime in his town, even making good on losses sustained by a local business by a petty thief (who was found shot dead a few days later.)  Apparently this was blamed on the Shelton Brothers Gang, Birger's main rivals, which in turn started a massive gang war for control of bootlegging rights in Southern Illinois.  Many deaths are attributed to this feud, none so important as West City mayor Joseph Adams.  

Both the Shelton's and Birger used homemade armor fortified 'tank' vehicles.  When Birger heard that on of the Shelton boy's tanks were in Adams garage for repairs, and Adam's refused to surrender it, Birger's gang bombed his front porch.  In December 1926 two of Birger's men, Harry and Elmo Thomasson, went to Adam's house saying that they had a letter for him from Carl Shelton.  They handed him the letter, waited until he bowed his head to read it, drew their pistols, and shot him dead.  

The following month, Shady rest was blown to pieces.  Four bodies were recovered, charred beyond recognition, including a woman's.  Directly after, State Trooper Lory Price and his wife, widely known as being on Birger's payroll, comes up missing.   

In June 1927, Birger is arrested for issuing the order in the death of Mayor Joe Adams.  He's not worried, he's been arrested before.  But this time, he's tried in Franklin country, where the murder occurred, which happens to be one he has no control over.   Birger and the Thomasson boys were all convicted, but only Charlie had to hang.  On April 29, 1928 Charlie Birger is hung by the gallows right next to the Franklin County Jail in Benton.  He told them to "build it strong, boys" as he watched the gallows being built.  His last words were "It's a beautiful world," and true to his charismatic manner, Birger died smiling.

Charlie smiled before being hanged.

I tell you Birger's story because it all happened here, at the Franklin County Jail, including his public hanging.  The original Franklin County jail was built in the 1840s.  The county seat was moved to Benton, and a new jail was built in 1905 at 209 West Main.  The building not only housed the prisoners, but also the sheriff, who had an apartment of sorts so that he could continuously watch over his prisoners.  The jail housed prisoners until 1990, when the State of Illinois condemned the building.  (A new one was built on East Main.)  In 1996, it opened as a museum, thanks to the Franklin County Historic Preservation Society.  It was added to the national register of historic places in 1999, along with the Sesser Opera House and West Frankfort City Hall.  

The entire building is dedicated to the history and happenings of Franklin county, most of which has to do with Charlie Birger.  On the second floor, there is also several rooms with paraphernalia from the Civil War and General John A Logan.  

We had a hard time getting in here, to be honest.  The website has the wrong phone number, and also hours of operations.  All the sites I have found say open 9-4, admission free but donations accepted.  This is NOT CORRECT.  It is open 9-3 (as we found out when showing up at 3 a few weekends ago.)  It also says no admission charge but donations accepted, which is also not true.  It is $4.00 per person, or $15.00 for a family.  Is it worth it?  Yes.  But it should still be listed as a mandatory admission charge, not a donation.  

The entire main floor is dedicated to early Franklin county and the Birger gang.  The front of the jail has been well preserved and refinished.  In fact, you don't really realize your even in a jail until you go to the back of the building.  

This is the oldest piece of furniture known to exist in Franklin county.  It came from a house on Browning Hill, built in 1814.

One of the cells downstairs houses many memorabilia related to the Birger gang and those who captured him.

But it's the unrestored cell block that's really interesting.

Upstairs to the right is Charlie Birger's cell where he conducted his only interview (his holding cell is across the hall), given to a reporter from the St Louis Post Dispatch, along with his last picture (besides those taken at the gallows.)

 The log book with Birger's name (Misspelled as Charley Burger) showing April 19, 1928 where he was "Hanged until dead, dead, dead."

The last photo Birger had taken, in the exact spot they took it.  (It is said he was self-conscious about the missing finger, and it's not shown in any other photo.)

Upstairs is also the female cells (uniquely painted pink.)

Here is where you find the original rope and gallows from Birger's execution.

In the sheriff's apartments is housed a really nice General John A Logan and civil wartime exhibit, plus there's the original radio equipment that George Harrison (yes, the Beatle) spoke on while visiting his sister in Benton, and a room with notable Benton Natives (like an NBA player and John Malkovitch (yes, that John Malkovitch.)  But I don't want to show you everything.....    :)

The Franklin County Historical Jail is located right off I-57.  Turn East into town from the interstate and it's right before the square.  You can't miss it.

www.historicjail.com