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History Happy Hour: Machine Guns, Moonshine, and Murder

ISM-Springfield
History Comes Alive banner; black and white photo of people sitting in the grass drinking beer On Wednesday, July 19, stop by Anvil & Forge for a drink at History Happy Hour. Machine guns, moonshine, and murder are all part of the bloody Southern Illinois Gangster Wars. During Prohibition, Southern Illinois became a battleground between rival gangsters over the control of the lucrative vice business. Join ISM History register Amanda Bryden to discover more about the fighting between the bootleggers from homemade armored trucks, an aerial bombing, and scores of assassinations. Although the players are long gone, to this day the Shelton Gang and the Birger Gang are still infamous for their ingenuity and ruthlessness.
Wednesday, July 19, 2023
05:30 PM to 06:30 PM CDT
Anvil & Forge Brewing and Distilling
  • 619 East Washington Street
  • Springfield, IL 62701

Special thanks to our host Anvil & Forge Distilling and Brewing Co.

History Happy Hour is a partnership program between the Illinois State Museum and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. For more information, please contact DNR.ISM.Events@illinois.gov or (217) 782-5993.

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