Springfield race riot site to become national memorial

On the 116th anniversary of what would become known as the Springfield Race Riot, Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski announced that the site will become a national memorial.

Budzinski is among the elected officials who have pushed for the site to be designated for several years. He said President Biden will use his authority under the Antiquities Act.

“More than a century ago, Springfield’s black community was attacked in a hateful and senseless act of violence. While the Springfield Race Riots of 1908 demonstrate our nation’s deep history of racial violence, they also sparked the creation of the NAACP, reflecting the strength and resilience of black Americans in the tireless fight for civil rights,” he said.

During the race riots, a mob of white residents murdered at least six black Americans, burned black homes and businesses, and attacked hundreds of residents for no reason other than the color of their skin. Following the riots, the NAACP was formed.

According to the official account of what happened, On the night of August 14, 1908, two black men found themselves in jail after being charged with unrelated crimes of sexual assault and murder. Tensions were rising, as a large crowd of about 5,000 whites was gathering outside, trying to take matters into their own hands. They were demanding the release of George Richardson and Joe James.

George, accused of raping a white woman, and Joe, accused of murdering a white man. When the police sensed the danger, the county sheriff, with the help of Harry Loper, a white businessman, secretly smuggled the two prisoners out the back door and onto a train that transported them to another jail in Bloomington, Illinois. Once the mob learned of this maneuver, it erupted into massive racial violence.

The mob dispersed and headed toward black neighborhoods. They looted and damaged black-owned businesses, destroyed their homes, and eventually lynched two prominent members of the black community, Scott Burton and William Donegan. Springfield suffered racial violence for days, until Illinois Governor Charles Deneen called in the Illinois National Guard to control the unrest.

The nation was shocked by the racial violence that occurred and the irony that it happened in Abraham Lincoln’s hometown: if it could happen in Springfield, it could happen anywhere, activists believed.

As a result, many people died, both black and white residents. Dozens of black-owned homes and businesses were burned down, causing more than $150,000 in property damage, a huge cost in 1908. These events caused thousands of black residents to pack up and leave Springfield, some of whom never returned.

Of the two accused black men, who were the main focus of racial violence, Joe James was eventually tried, convicted and hanged for the murder of Clergy Ballard. George Richardson was released after his accuser, Mabel Hallam, recanted her story.

During an excavation as part of the Springfield High Speed ​​Rail project near Carpenter Street, foundations and artifacts from homes destroyed during the riot were discovered. In 2018, an agreement was reached with community members to excavate the remains and designate the discovered site as a memorial.

The designation will place the site under the management of the U.S. National Park Service.

“Today’s announcement is a critical step toward honoring those who died in the 1908 attack and recognizing the impact this tragedy had on the Springfield community and our nation as a whole. I couldn’t be more grateful to our local leaders and community members for their partnership in advocating for children’s rights and look forward to seeing this history preserved for future generations,” Budzinski said.

Budzinski joined Congressman Darin LaHood, Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth in the bipartisan debate National Race Riot Monument Act of 1908 In December 2023, Budzinski sent a letter to President Biden asking him to use his authority to make the site a national monument.