Category Archives: African Americans

Ambidexter Institute

Posted on October 25, 2013 by editor

The Ambidexter Institute was a private “industrial school” that operated from 1901 until 1908 at 902 S. 12th St. (As of 2014, the building, generally known as the Judge John Taylor House, was in disrepair, but the Springfield Project, a … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Education, Historic Sites, Prominent figures | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Home and Hospital for Fallen Women

Posted on October 25, 2013 by editor

The Home and Hospital for Fallen Women opened in 1868 at 902 S. 12th St., a building known generally as the Judge John Taylor House. The purpose of the Home and Hospital was described in 1871 in a pious, and … Continue reading →

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Housing for African Americans, 1914 (Springfield Survey photo)

Posted on October 24, 2013 by editor

The Springfield Survey was a massive study of local schools, prisons, and other institutions undertaken in 1914 by the Russell Sage Foundation with the help of hundreds of local volunteers. Topics covered included schools, care of “mental defectives, the insane and … Continue reading →

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Lyman Hubbard Sr.

Posted on October 23, 2013 by editor

Lyman Hubbard Sr. (1927-2012) was a career U.S. Air Force pilot and the only Springfieldian to be a member of the Tuskegee Airmen, the famed all-black World War II air squadron. Hubbard, who flew B-25 bombers during World War II, … Continue reading →

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Illinois State Arsenal (1903)

Posted on October 22, 2013 by editor

President Theodore Roosevelt dedicated the new Illinois State Arsenal  at Second and Monroe streets on June 4, 1903. The structure, designed by Bullard & Bullard architects and built at a cost of $150,000 by the Culver Stone and Marble Co., … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Amusements, Buildings, Celebrations, Disasters, Lincoln, Abraham, Military, Museums, Race riot of 1908, Sports and recreation, State government | 7 Comments

‘Jack,’ age 5: First Black resident

Posted on October 22, 2013 by editor

Local researcher Richard Hart discovered evidence in early county records that the Kelly family, generally considered Springfield’s earliest settlers, were accompanied by several African-American slaves. In particular, Hart found, Henry and Mary Kelly, the parents of 1818-19 settlers Elisha and … Continue reading →

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The Kelley (Kelly) family

Posted on October 21, 2013 by editor

The Kelleys – Elisha, John, Henry and their relatives – are usually considered the first Europeans to live in the boundaries of what is now Springfield. (An 1817 settler, Levi Ellis, may actually deserve that designation, but the Kelley family’s cabins … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Early residents, Historic Sites, Oak Ridge signs, Prominent figures, Sangamon County, Springfield | Tagged , | 39 Comments

Lucretia (‘Aunt Cressy’) Moore (1828 pioneers)

Posted on October 14, 2013 by editor

Lucretia (“Aunt Cressy” or “Aunt Creecy”) Moore, “a woman of colour,” paid $25 to buy a lot at the northeast corner of Fourth and Washington streets from Elijah Iles in 1827. John Todd Stuart remembered her living there in 1828. … Continue reading →

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Paving crew, early 1900s (photo)

Posted on October 13, 2013 by editor

A paving crew, nearly all African Americans, installs brick paving in the 300 block of East Lawrence Avenue. The work apparently took place sometime after 1904, since the Dana-Thomas House (then Susan Lawrence Dana’s home), far left, appears to be … Continue reading →

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Race riot deaths

Posted on October 12, 2013 by editor

The Springfield race riot of Aug. 14-15, 1908 was unique in that more whites died than blacks. “This was due no doubt to the armed blacks, defending themselves and their interests in the Levee,” reported Carole Merritt in Something So … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Disasters, Law enforcement, Race riot of 1908 | Tagged , , | 1 Comment