Category Archives: African Americans

First African-American alderman

Posted on May 1, 2017 by editor

Frank B. Hicklin was the first African-American member of the Springfield City Council, serving from 1895 to 1897. See First African-American to hold public office. This entry has been corrected. 

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Hicklin family (African-American activists, politicians)

Posted on May 1, 2017 by editor

Hezkiah Hicklin was the first African-American to hold public office in Sangamon County. His son, Frank Hicklin, was Springfield’s first black alderman. And Martha Hicklin, Hezkiah’s wife, played leading roles in local social and historical groups. See First African-American to … Continue reading →

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First African-American to hold public office

Posted on May 1, 2017 by editor

Springfield’s Hicklin family provided two of Sangamon County’s earliest successful black politicians, as well as leadership in the local civil rights and African-American history movements. Hezkiah Hicklin (1835-1904) was the first black person in the county to hold public office, … Continue reading →

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Poisoning and racial controversy, 1860

Posted on April 7, 2017 by editor

The sentencing of three African-American teenagers in 1860 on charges they tried to poison the employers of two of them highlighted differences in how courts and the newspapers treated blacks and whites at the time. Perhaps inevitably, the case also … Continue reading →

Posted in Abolitionism, African Americans, Crime and vice, Journalism, Law enforcement, Media, Politics, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

Beach desegregation lawsuit, 1916

Posted on January 25, 2017 by editor

Black residents of Springfield filed suit after three African-American men were blocked from swimming at the new Bunn Park Beach shortly after it opened in 1916. Courts ultimately rejected the suit on technicalities. See Women’s bathing suit controversy, 1916.

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Women’s bathing suit controversy, 1916

Posted on January 23, 2017 by editor

Springfield women’s rights activist Harriett Reid made fun of the Springfield Park Board’s 1916 directive that women’s swimsuits at the new Bunn Park Beach include skirts. The park board had voted 5-1 to impose the restriction, which was sponsored by … Continue reading →

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Carver Convalescent Center fire, 1972

Posted on January 15, 2017 by editor

Investigators never agreed on the cause of the fire that killed 10 residents of a shabby nursing home on May 6, 1972. The number of deaths make the fire at Carver Convalescent Center, 1527 E. Washington St., the worst single … Continue reading →

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The Battle of Virden (1898)

Posted on November 13, 2016 by editor

The 1898 “Battle of Virden,” a 10-minute gunfight that killed 13 men and had lasting significance for Illinois coal mining, was fought in Macoupin County, just south of the Sangamon County line. However, the Virden confrontation also led to turmoil … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Business, Coal mines and mining, Labor unions, Markers, Oak Ridge signs, State government | 10 Comments

‘Cocaine Alley’ (1899-1903)

Posted on August 7, 2016 by editor

Note: This entry is based on research done by Floyd Mansberger and Christopher Stratton of Fever River Research for the city of Springfield and Federal Railroad Administration in connection with the Springfield Rail Improvements Project. Their full 358-page report, published … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Amusements, Crime and vice, Law enforcement, Local government, Public health, Race riot of 1908, Social life | 4 Comments

A. Morris Williams (lawyer, developer)

Posted on July 11, 2016 by editor

A. Morris Williams was a prominent African-American attorney and real estate developer in Springfield from the 1900s to the 1930s. See Dudley Hotel.

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