In the early 1800s, Herrin was on the Lusk's Ferry Road, an important, early road that connected Fort Kaskaskia with Lusk's Ferry on the Ohio River. The original survey maps of Illinois show the old road running from Royalton into Herrin close to the line of modern Route 148, running due south through the middle of town. It was established April 17,1900.
Herrin was the site of the 1922 Herrin massacre, which left 21 dead. Two union miners, Jordie Henderson and Joe Pitkewicius, were killed as well as 19 strike-breakers.
Herrin is the sister city of Cuggiono, Italy. Many Italians, especially from Cuggiono, immigrated to Herrin to work in the local coal mines.

Herrin, Illinois, incorporated in 1900, is a community of over 11,000 citizens. Herrin was a thriving coal mining city in the early 20th century. The coal mining industry of the Herrin and Southern Illinois has since declined. Herrin is now a community based on industry and a dormitory community for surrounding towns.
Herrin is located in Williamson County, which is in the southern part of the state. At one time, the county was known as "Bloody Williamson," due to the violence and lawlessness of the times. This reputation is now part of the region's distant past. The region could now be described as a peaceful place to live.
Check out "The History of Herrin" for more information about the Herrin's past. Also, the Herrin Chamber of Commerce can provide more information about Herrin.

Starting with a strike of the coal miners, the company hires outside thugs, who end up massacring the miners. But this is only the beginning of the blood that made Williamson (a small coal mining town in southern Illinois in the 1920's) Bloody!
The thugs didn't leave. They rather liked having the run of the town. Bootlegging, gang wars, and all [heck] breaks loose.
Its important to remember the context when reading this book--because the author doesn't give you much. The worst race riots in American History happened a few miles away, in East St. Louis, in 1916--a few short years before the time covered in this book. Unions hadn't been legally recognized--that came a few years later, amidst the depression. Coal, and the economy in general, were booming. The stock market was exploding. And the federal government took the position that its role was to foster the wealth of the rich.
Anyone who thinks that political corruption is confined to big cities, hasn't spent much time in small town politics. This book is an eye opener. Of course, anyone who thinks that this sort of corruption is a part of America's long distant past, hasn't been reading the paper much recently. Political shenanigans in down state Illinois are alive and well. Of course, the big economic engine driving the southern Illinois economy today is the prison industry, but that's another book. (see Going Up the River, by Joseph Hallinan, for a description of the same area today, dominated by Tamms Supermax Prison).