What Is Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument?
This tiny national monument covers the foundations of five known homes from the “Badlands” neighborhood in Springfield!
What Makes It Historical?
This national monument may not look like much, but that’s because it was destoyed very intentionally back in 1908! Here in Springfied, the home of Lincoln, there were not a lot of Black folks at all, but many of those who lived here were clustered into a neighborhood known as the “Badlands.” Tensions were high across the country as railroads brought more Black folks from the south into northen cities, and on August 14, tensions boiled over as a mob gathered outside the old county jail to demand two Black defendants be given over to them. Joe James and George Richardson were both on trial for different crimes, and in order for them to finish their trials, Sheriff Werner and restaurant owner, Harry Loper, had snuck them out of town to Bloomington so they could finish their trials!
That revelation sent the mob into a frenzy! For the next 48 hours, thousands of white Springfield residents went on a destruction spree, causing $150,000 in property damage (about $3 million today) and murdering seven people, including the barber, Scott Burton, and the community leader, William Donnegan! 2-3,000 Black folks fled the city, never to return, while the governor ordered 5,000 national guard troops into Springfield to put down the chaos! At the end of the day, Joe James was found guilty of murder and executed, while George Richardson was found innocent and released! 107 indictments by a Grand Jury led to only one conviction of petty larceny! These events made national news and inspired Mary White Ovington, William English Walling, and Henry Moskowitz to found the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the largest and oldest civil rights group in America!
How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?
- Volunteer with the Lincoln Home National Historic Site!
- Donate to the Lincoln Home National Historic Site!
- Be a responsible visitor! Remember the old adages: Pack out what you pack in! Take nothing but pictures and leave nothing but footprints!
How Do I Get There?
SE corner of the parking lot for HSHS St. John’s Hospital – Women and Children’s Clinic
400 N 9th St
Springfield, IL 62702
(Take Me There!)
When Should I Visit the Park?
Whenever the mood strikes you!
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