The Archaeology of Racial Hatred: Discovery and Partial Excavation of Seven Houses Destroyed During the Springfield Race Riot of August 1908

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)", at the 2025 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

In 2019, in anticipation of rail improvements through Springfield, Illinois, Fever River Research mitigated portions of five houses occupied predominately by Black tenants that were destroyed by a white mob in the 1908 Springfield Race Riot—a seminal event that led to the formation of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Subsequently, in 2022, the remains of two additional houses destroyed by the mob were excavated. This paper presents a short historical context for both Springfield’s Near North Side and the 1908 Race Riot, as well an introduction to the extensive archaeological investigations conducted at the seven houses. The data recovered has given voice to the victims of the riot and challenges the historic perceptions of the African Americans targeted.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2025

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow