Category Archives: African Americans

Col. John H. Wilson Jr., post office namesake

Posted on April 27, 2026 by editor

A tiny sign above a self-service stamp machine is the only public indication that Springfield’s Cook Street post office is named after a World War II hero. John H. Wilson Jr. (1918-2008) earned a Silver Star, the nation’s third highest … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Buildings, Military, Prominent figures | 2 Comments

Samuel S. Ball investigates Liberia emigration, 1848

Posted on February 8, 2026 by editor

Editor’s note: This bulk of this entry comes from a talk, titled “The Spirit of Springfield’s Early African-Americans,” delivered by local historian Richard E. Hart on May 20, 2002, to the Sangamon County Historical Society. Hart (1942-2022), an indefatigable researcher, … Continue reading →

Posted in Abolitionism, African Americans, Early residents, Histories, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

The automobile as ‘devil wagon’ – Illinois State Register, 1907

Posted on August 13, 2025 by editor

The Illinois State Register, in an editorial published on Friday, Nov. 8, 1907, reluctantly admitted “the automobile has doubtless come to stay.” But the writer – probably the Register’s longtime editor, Henry W. Clendenin (1837-1927) – wasn’t happy about it. … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Business, Communications, Journalism, Media, Politics, Prominent figures, Transportation | 4 Comments

Henry Stephens: miner, Carl Sandburg muse

Posted on June 28, 2025 by editor

Henry Stephens was an African-American coal miner in central Illinois from the 1890s into the early 20th century. Poet Carl Sandburg talked to Stephens sometime around 1917 and turned Stephens’ thoughts about racism in the mines and the need for … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Arts and letters, Coal mines and mining, Labor unions, Prominent figures, Theaters | Leave a comment

‘Mayor of Bronzeville’ election, 1939

Posted on February 11, 2025 by editor

This entry has been updated. See “Hat tip” below. The 1939 election for “mayor of Bronzeville” was designed to “encourage good sportsmanship and develop leadership among the young colored male residents” of Springfield, organizers said. The election was purely a … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Ethnic groups, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

Five-minute murder verdict, 1930

Posted on January 13, 2025 by editor

A jury turned in the fastest murder verdict in Sangamon County history on June 18, 1930. It took jurors only five minutes to rule that Ulysses Brazier, accused of murdering three men and then burning their bodies, was not guilty. … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Crime and vice, Law enforcement | 2 Comments

The governor takes a wife (1896)

Posted on November 2, 2024 by editor

Gov. John Riley Tanner “was addicted to pomp and circumstance,” Robert P. Howard wrote in Mostly Good and Competent Men, Howard’s 1988 guide to Illinois’ chief executives. If so, Tanner lived his best life in December 1896 and January 1897. … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Celebrations, Coal mines and mining, Illinois capital, Labor unions, Military, Oak Ridge signs, Politics, Prominent figures, Social life, Spectacles, State government | Leave a comment

Albert Giles, ‘Hero or Villain’?

Posted on June 17, 2024 by editor

Albert Giles, a Black sharecropper from Arkansas, was sentenced to death in connection with what is known as “the Elaine Massacre,” one of the bloodiest racial conflicts in U.S. history. Giles served four years on death row before the charges … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Crime and vice | Leave a comment

Lucy Rountree and family

Posted on February 17, 2024 by editor

For the past 30 years, the story of Thomas Jefferson and his relationship with the enslaved Sally Hemmings has gained America’s attention through books, movies, and the integration of Jefferson’s descendants, both white and African-American, at family reunions. Unfortunately, Sally’s … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Early residents, Family life, Women | 1 Comment

Springfield hotels turn away Black singing group, 1881

Posted on September 2, 2023 by editor

Springfield hotels refused to house America’s best-known Black choral group in 1881. The result was nationwide condemnation, a rebuke from President James A. Garfield, and a scramble by embarrassed local residents to repair the city’s reputation. The group was the … Continue reading →

Posted in Abolitionism, African Americans, Amusements, Arts and letters, Hotels & taverns, Presidential candidates, Prominent figures, Social life | 3 Comments