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It began in 1970 with the death of Illinois Secretary of State Paul Powell, a colorful old school downstate pol known for cutting deals that benefited southern Illinois — and himself. And the long tawdry saga could soon see its final chapter with the expected sale of a country home in Vienna, Ill.
The account that maintained the Vienna home as a museum will soon run dry, and while the fate of the home is uncertain, it likely will be sold.
The home of the late political powerhouse Paul Powell in Illinois may be sold due to financial constraints faced by the Johnson County Genealogical and Historical Society.
Paul Powell, a powerful figure in southern Illinois politics, left behind $800,000 in cash in the "Shoebox Scandal."Powell established a $250,000 trust that sustained his legacy for over half a century.The trust, which maintains Powell's birthplace as a museum in Vienna, is running dry, and the home is likely to be sold. Paul Powell, the
Paul Powell, the southern Illinois political powerhouse who died and left behind $800,000 in cash in the notorious “Shoebox Scandal,” used to say, “The only thi