1923
With the Mayoral election approaching, Mayor Frank Harvey disappointed many Washingtonians by deciding to not seek re-election. Chrisitan Ebert (R) and Fred Swietzer (D) squared off in the primary with Ebert taking the victory for the office.
Washington High School fields its first officially recognized football team.
In Spring 1923 there was a gathering of thousands of Tazewell County Klan members on the bluff overlooking the Illinois River across from Peoria. During the meeting, an initiation was held in the presence of national Klan representatives from Mer Rouge, Louisiana. Mer Rouge had been in the national news in 1922/1923 as two White KKK opposers had been abducted and murdered. The Klan had denied their involvement, and the incident went a long way to tarnish the image that the KKK was working so hard to convey to the public. The KKK supported white supremacy, but also were against things like bootlegging and prostitution. It was these less controversial stances that they wanted to magnify in public. In addition to the Mer Rouge contingent and a large initiation at this meeting on the bluff, a twenty-five-foot cross was hoisted facing Peoria and burned. It was reported that it could easily be seen from the other side of the Illinois River.
