East St. Louis History

The new book from Reedy Press contains colorful prints of maps spanning St. Louis history from the 1760s to the present day.

The East St. Louis race riot in 1917 is one of the most violent race massacres in the country and the most violent riot in the area. This riot was a predecessor of the Tulsa Race Massacre in 1921, and Viola Fletcher, one of the last survivors of the riot, said Tuesday at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville that reparations are due to survivors and their descendants.

One of the country’s most violent race riots — white mobs lynching, shooting and burning Black men, women and children — will now be remembered with a commemorative marker near SIUE’s East St. Louis campus.

An East St. Louis radio station helped hook listeners in the St. Louis region on hip-hop back in 1979. That’s when New York record executives Joe and Sylvia Robinson sent the song “Rapper's Delight” to WESL. Former WESL owner Gentleman Jim Gates discusses the moment.

The festival organizer hopes Saturday’s event will not only bring people into the city but also ensure that they don’t leave.

Belleville News-Democrat reporter DeAsia Paige delves into East St. Louis’ rich musical heritage and discusses her inaugural four-part series for the paper, titled “ESTL Voices.”

The Booker T. Washington Cemetery was one of the only places where Black Residents in the Metro East could bury their loved ones in the 20th century. Locals who are working to restore the cemetery say that history has been forgotten.