Springfield, Ill (WAND) – In the days of Jim Crow laws and segregation African Americans had to depend on the Green Book to find places of public accommodation like restaurants and gas stations that would allow black patrons.
The Negro Motorist Green-Book was developed by New Jersey mailman Victor Green. An annual guidebook it was published from 1936 to 1966. Names of businesses that would accept African American customers are listed throughout Green Book pages for each state. Tourist Homes are listed and provided people with a place to sleep since many hotels/motels would not allow African Americans.
In the 1940 edition very few businesses in central Illinois accepted African American patrons. Danville and Springfield each listed tourist homes. Springfield lists just one hotel, the Dudley, located at 130 S. 11th Street. There are no listings in the Green Book for Decatur, Urbana, Champaign or rural communities.
Reprint copies of the Green Book can be purchased at the African American History Museum located at 1440 Monument Avenue in Springfield. An original copy of a Green Book auctioned for $20,000. About 15,000 copies were printed each year.
