Junction, Illinois

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

Junction, Illinois
Village
Welcome sign
Location of Junction in Gallatin County, Illinois.
Coordinates: 37°43′24″N 88°14′17″W[1]
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Gallatin
Township	Gold Hill
Area [2]
• Total	0.83 sq mi (2.14 km2)
• Land	0.83 sq mi (2.14 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation [1]	358 ft (109 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	129
• Density	134.38/sq mi (51.88/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	62954
Area code	618
FIPS code	17-38778
GNIS feature ID	2398314[1]

History

1970s photograph of the John Hart Crenshaw House near Junction

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. 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.^[8]

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[9]

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.^[10]

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 person

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