SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - A ceremony honored two Black men who were lynched during Springfield's 1908 Race Riot on Friday.

Groups collected soil from the places where barber Scott Burton and resident William Donegan were killed.

The jars will first be displayed at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, then moved to a national memorial in Alabama.

"Illinois history is full of moments to celebrate, but there are also moments to mourn. We must remember Burton, Donnegan and the violence of 1908 so we understand the hard work required to build a nation of justice,” said ALPLM Executive Director Christina Shutt in a statement. 

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