Category Archives: African Americans

DeWitt Smith Building fire, 1918

Posted on September 3, 2019 by editor

When the DeWitt Smith Building caught fire in 1918, modern firefighting equipment saved the building, and a heroic elevator operator rescued many of its tenants. Even so, the top floors of the building, on the southeast corner of Fourth and … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Architecture, Auto dealers, Buildings, Disasters, Local government | 2 Comments

First African-American mail carrier

Posted on June 19, 2019 by editor

When Charles Ellis Sr. was appointed a Springfield mail carrier in 1890 – the first African-American to hold the job – his predecessor refused to show him the route, and the Illinois State Register erupted with a racist personal attack … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Ethnic groups, Media | Leave a comment

Ruth Ellis, lesbian activist

Posted on June 19, 2019 by editor

Ruth Ellis was an openly lesbian woman at a time when that was almost unheard of, the first 40 years of her life in her hometown of Springfield and for 60 more years in Detroit. She became celebrated in 1999, … Continue reading →

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

Dr. Sheppard A. Ware, physician

Posted on May 27, 2019 by editor

Dr. Sheppard Anderson Ware (1872-1948) was a physician in Springfield for 40 years. He was also was a member of the Sangamon County Medical Society and additionally worked for the Illinois State Department of Health. Born in Brownsville, Tenn., Ware … Continue reading →

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

National Emancipation Monument (proposed)

Posted on May 7, 2019 by editor

A statue of a black Civil War soldier was to be the centerpiece of a National Emancipation Monument that African-American residents of Springfield hoped would be erected in the city. The effort, which lasted from 1889 to 1893, ultimately was … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Architecture | 1 Comment

Doc Helm, photographer

Posted on February 23, 2019 by editor

Eddie Winfred “Doc” Helm, whose striking photographs documented African-American life in Springfield for 50 years, started his career as the man responsible for raising and lowering the flag over the Illinois Statehouse. Helm (1911-94), who grew up in Mount Vernon, … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Business, Media, Photos and photosets, Prominent figures, Social life, State government | Leave a comment

Widow’s letter, 1841

Posted on February 2, 2019 by editor

Letters recently acquired by the Sangamon Valley Collection at Lincoln Library show how one Springfield widow struggled to make a living in the 1840s. The story of Dorothea Grant also illustrates how some employers treated their African-American servants at the … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Business, Early residents, Women | Leave a comment

Maj. George W. Ford (Camp Butler superintendent)

Posted on August 24, 2018 by editor

Maj. George W. Ford was a rarity – an African-American who held a supervisory position in early 20th-century Sangamon County. Ford (1847-1939) also was an outspoken opponent of the Ku Klux Klan and racism, a friend of both W.E.B. DuBois … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Ethnic groups, Military, Prominent figures | 2 Comments

First African-American juror in Sangamon County

Posted on July 13, 2018 by editor

The first black person to serve on a jury in Sangamon County may have been Thomas Flynn, a barber, on March 18, 1873. Flynn wasn’t the first African-American called to jury service in the county, but an earlier attempt – … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Ethnic groups, Journalism, Law enforcement, Prominent figures | 2 Comments

Douglass Community Center

Posted on February 6, 2018 by editor

The Douglass Community Center offered civic, social and educational opportunities to African-American residents of Springfield when most similar organizations were closed to blacks. The Douglass center (apparently named after abolitionist Frederick Douglass) opened in 1926. It was phased out as … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Buildings, Children, Ethnic groups, Local government, Social life, Social services, Sports and recreation | Leave a comment