Around the 217: Preserving the past, inside Springfield’s African American History Museum

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — When it comes to history, there are names and stories many people may never know — unless someone takes the time to preserve them.

That’s the mission of the African American History Museum in Springfield, which is welcoming visitors following a remodel last year that added two new exhibits. Through artifacts, photographs, and immersive displays, the museum offers an unfiltered look at the African American experience in central Illinois and beyond.

Board member Gayle Simpson recently guided WAND through the museum’s timeline of local Black history, highlighting figures like Free Frank McWhorter, who purchased his freedom and founded the town of New Philadelphia. Visitors can also learn about some of Springfield’s earliest Black families, including the Yokums and the Donnegans, who played important roles in shaping the region.

Among the museum’s most striking artifacts is a Ku Klux Klan robe, donated anonymously. Simpson says it serves as a stark reminder that racism and terror were not myths of the distant past, but realities carried out by individuals who often held positions of power in their communities.

The back half of the museum houses the Middle Passage exhibit — a dimly lit, somber space designed to reflect the horrific conditions endured by enslaved Africans during their forced journey across the Atlantic. A model depicting the cramped quarters of a slave ship leaves many visitors with a sobering sense of the human cost of slavery.

“I am a student of Black history,” Simpson said. “To think that people were taken from their homes, put on ships, never to return to their families — it’s something you can’t fully grasp until you stand here and see it.”

The museum also tells the story of the 1908 Springfield Race Riots, now preserved as a national monument site. In August of that year, a violent mob burned homes and lynched Black residents following accusations against two Black men held in jail. Order was eventually restored by the state militia, but the events sparked national outrage and led to the formation of the NAACP.

Simpson says the history of the race riots and their lasting impact is still not widely taught in schools.

“As parents, community members, and advocates, it’s our responsibility to make sure these stories are told and people get to the museum,” she said.

From the sacrifices of well-known civil rights leaders to the lesser-known pioneers who helped build Springfield, the museum aims to ensure their stories are not forgotten.

The African American History Museum in Springfield is located next to Oak Ridge Cemetery on Monument Avenue and is open to visitors throughout the week.

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