East St. Louis in St. Clair County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

N. 9th St. and Gross Ave.

Remembering the 1917 East St. Louis Race Riot

Photographed by Jason Voigt, November 5, 2019

1. N. 9th St. and Gross Ave. Marker

Inscription. Around 11 p.m. on July 2, rioters set fire to the neighborhood here in an attempt to spread the violence to the north. Major military reinforcements did not arrive until after midnight.

Erected 2017 by The East St. Louis 1917 Centennial Commission & Cultural Initiative, the Meridian Society, and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. (Marker Number 22.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Notable Events. In addition, it is included in the Illinois, Remembering the 1917 East St. Louis Race Riot series list. A significant historical date for this entry is July 2, 1917.

Location. 38° 38.135′ N, 90° 7.887′ W. Marker is in East St. Louis, Illinois, in St. Clair County. It is at the intersection of North 13th Street and Gross Avenue, on the right when traveling east on North 13th Street. Despite of the location listed on the marker, it is actually located down the street at the intersection of 13th and Gross Avenues. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1600 North 13th Street, East Saint Louis IL 62205, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker

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is in Greater St. Louis.

It is also in the American Midwest,

in the Lewis & Clark Corridor,

in the Corn Belt,

and in the Great River Road Region.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: N. 13th St. and Nectar Ave. (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); N. 18th St. and Parsons Ave. (approx. 0.7 miles away); N. 9th St. & St. Clair Ave. (approx. 0.8 miles away); 1010 Pennsylvania Avenue (approx. 0.9 miles away); War Memorial (approx. 0.9 miles away); 621 N. 9th Street (approx. one mile away); Civil War Memorial (approx. 1.1 miles away); Collinsville at St. Louis Avenue (approx. 1½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in East St. Louis.

Regarding N. 9th St. and Gross Ave.. Around 11 p.m., near the end of the massacre but before Illinois National Guard reinforcements arrived, rioters

Photographed by Jason Voigt, November 5, 2019

2. N. 9th St. and Gross Ave. Marker

arrived here and began setting homes on fire. The L&N rail yards were just north of this street and officials feared that the rail terminal would be burned as well.

Source: Asheville [NC] Citizen, July 3, 1917, pp. 1-2.

Credits. This page was last revised on November 12, 2019. It was originally submitted on November 10, 2019, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois. This page has been viewed 495 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 11, 2019, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.