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Black History Month..."A month of celebrating the achievements of African American's and taking time to recognize their central role in U.S History." -History.com
Amazing sites, telling the authentic stories, beautiful monuments throughout the city, and rich history from the Underground Railroad to a Race Riot that led to the start of the NAACP, Springfield is rich in African American history and accomplishments.
While visiting the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum, not only will you learn the life story of Lincoln but you will also take a deep dive into slavery and abolition. View a heartbreaking scene of a family being torn apart at a slave auction.
Located in the in Lincoln Home Neighborhood there was a home that was owned by a man named Jameson Jenkins. Jenkins played an important role as part of the Underground Railroad. He assisted freedom seekers that came through Springfield from bordering slave states. Unfortunately the home itself has been removed but the history still remains. In 2008 the lot was included into the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom and the National Park Service continues to share the story of Jameson Jenkins and the Underground Railroad.
Route History Route History opened their doors February 2019 in a former Texaco gas station along Route 66. The museum sheds light on local tragedy, resilience, and excellence of African American’s along Historic Route. Telling the story of the Route 66 Black Business Operators and featuring education on the Green-Book used by motorists throughout the U.S. to help them travel safely, these experiences serve as a reminder of struggles and consistent perseverance towards excellence in spite of overwhelming systemic racism and injustices. Along with the 1908 Race Riot history it also includes the history of Eva Carrol Monroe and a beautiful new outdoor mural.
On “Freedom Corner” (2nd and Capitol Ave) stands the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Marker. The marker was dedicated in 1989 as a tribute to Dr. King.
People across the nation were shocked by racial riots and it was bitter irony that one had occurred in Springfield, IL, the hometown of Abraham Lincoln. Activists believed that if it could happen in Springfield, it could happen anywhere.
The National Memorial for Peace and Justice, the nation’s first memorial of its kind, has the names of two Springfield Race Riot victims, Scott Burton and William Donegan listed on a corten steel monument in Montgomery, AL. There is also an upcoming documentary in the works on the story of the 1908 Race Riots called White Heat/Black Ashes. Watch a short trailer here
Located inside of HSHS St John’s Hospital Women & Children’s Clinic, view a multi-media 1908 Race Riot Mural that captures the riot events, highlights key individuals and tells the story of the development of the NAACP. Among the story is a great mural by acclaimed artist Preston Jackson as the centerpiece that depicts the Hospital Sisters caring for all the victims of the Race Riot.
Preston Jackson’s Acts of Intolerance Sculpture commemorates the centennial of the 1908 Race Riot. Preston’s inspiration for this was images from an old photograph of two charred chimney’s rising from the smoldering rubble of burned out buildings.