springfield race riot of 1908

On August 14, 1908, following multiple crime accusations, two black men were sitting in jail and tensions rose and mobs gathered in the downtown Springfield area. With the townspeople simmering with the possibility of conflict, the men were removed and the mob set into motion for violence towards the black neighborhoods.

After many days of death, arson, destruction, and injuries, the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) would be founded and the racial history of Springfield was to be forever changed.

This self-guided tour will take you through the historic event that is known as the Springfield Race Riot of 1908. Follow the tour and view these landmarks in remembrance of the events that shaped Springfield's past and present.

"It was here the white mob congregated on August 14, 1908, demanding the release of George Richardson and Joe James, two black prisoners being held on counts of crimes against whites. Richardson was accused of raping Mabel Hallam, a white woman, and James was accused of the murder of Clergy Ballard, a white man. The county sheriff, with the help of Harry Loper, a white restaurant owner, secretly transported the prisoners to Bloomington, Illinois. The realization of this escape ignited the Race Riots."

(information via Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau)

Old County Jail Site

"The owner of Loper’s Restaurant, Harry Loper, assisted Sheriff Werner in the removal of George Richardson and Joe James from the County Jail. The riot escalated as the mob, outraged by Loper’s assistance in the prisoners’ transport, demolished his restaurant and destroyed his car that had been used to move the prisoners. The first fatality of the riot, Louis Johnson, was a patron at Loper’s Restaurant. He was killed by a rioter’s bullet."

(information via Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau)

Loper's Restaurant

"Still enraged, the rioters moved to a small black business district, breaking windows and doors, stealing or destroying merchandise, and wrecking furniture and equipment. By the time the mob finished looting this area, fifteen black and several Jewish businesses had been vandalized, destroying several blocks of businesses. Fishman’s Pawn Shop, the first Jewish store attacked in this area, turned out to be methodically chosen. The mob obtained weapons from this store. The rioters then moved north toward the black residential neighborhoods known as the Badlands.”

(information via Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau)

(THE LEVEE) Business District

"Around 2:00 a.m. on August 15, 1908, rioters came to the home of Scott Burton. The black barber tried to escape, but was attacked and beaten unconscious. The mob then paraded him from his porch to Twelfth and Madison and hanged him from a tree in front of a saloon. Burton’s body became the symbol of the mob’s hatred of blacks and was riddled by bullets until the militia came and put a stop to the destruction of his body. This lynching occurred in a location known as the “Badlands.” This area suffered serious damage including the destruction of 40 black homes and businesses."

(information via Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau)

Scott Burton’s Lynching

"After taking the day to cool off, the mob reassembled around 7:00 p.m. and walked to Payne’s Hardware Store for a length of clothesline rope. This rope was intended to be used to hang William Donnegan, an elderly, retired black shoemaker."

(information via Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau)

Payne’s Hardware

"In the daylight of August 15, 1908, while the mob was temporarily quiet, two-to-three thousand black residents took this opportunity to flee Springfield, many never to return. By this time, up to five thousand Illinois National Guard troops were brought in to restore order to the capital. They took up residence at the State Arsenal, which in turn served as a safe haven for many black families. The rioters had intended to attack the State Arsenal, but decided against it upon the realization of the National Guard militia’s presence. Frustrated, they turned toward William Donnegan’s residence."

(information via Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau)

State Arsenal Site

"A result of his powerful political connections and wealth as a black man, the elderly William Donnegan was taken from his home by the mob and dragged across the street to Edwards School. The rioters slashed Donnegan’s throat and were in the process of hanging him in front of the school when the militia approached. The mob fled while the militia rushed Donnegan to St. John’s Hospital, where he died the next day. This was the last mob action of the riot."

(information via Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau)

Site of Edwards School and William Donnegan’s Lynching

"After the August 1908 Race Riot, conclusion was sought at this site, including: • Joe	James,	a	black	man,	was	tried	and	convicted	for	the	murder	of	Clergy	Ballard. Despite the fact that James was 18 years old and, as a minor, not subject to the death penalty, he was executed on October 23, 1908. • During	the	Grand	Jury	investigation	of	the	alleged	rape	of	Mabel	Hallam,	a	white woman, by George Richardson, a black man, Mrs. Hallam admitted that the accusation had been fabricated. Consequentially, Richardson was released. • In	August	of	1908,	a	special	Grand	Jury	returned	107	indictments against nearly 80 white riot suspects on charges ranging from malicious mischief to murder. The trials that followed resulted in only one conviction – petty larceny. • Some	of	the	riot	victims	are	buried	in	Oak	Ridge	Cemetery	and	the Mechanicsburg Cemetery. These burial sites have been marked to signify each victim’s role in the Race Riot events."

(information via Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau)

Sangamon County Courthouse Site

"In the riots’ aftermath, two chimneys stood resolutely amid the burnt out ruins. The iconic nature of this image informs the work of a new sculpture commissioned by the City of Springfield, State of Illinois and the Springfield NAACP. Created by nationally known sculptor, Preston Jackson, commemorated in early 2009, it stands amidst the downtown sites of the city’s historic outbreak of civil injustice. In remembrance of the 100th anniversary of the 1908 Springfield Race Riots, the sculpture provides historic perspective and encourages visitors to consider the impact of the event on society today, and its meaning for our future."

(information via Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau)

The Preston Jackson Sculpture

Visit Springfield Monuments in remembrance of this tragic event.

Downtown Springfield

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