The Shiloh area was the scene of a notorious event on 8 July 1872 during the Pope County Militia War where it was alleged a sheriff's posse (militia) opened fire on four unarmed men in their custody, killing two. The four men had been arrested for suspicion of firing on and wounding deputy-sheriff John H. Williams after he returned home following a 4th of July barbecue held by the radical faction of the Republican party, though it was believed by many that the evidence of the shooting and wounding was staged by the sheriff.
