Proposed CWLP storage facility draws ire of group for its proximity to 1908 race riot site

A home for a new City Water, Light and Power storage facility has drawn condemnation from a group pushing for national recognition for the neighboring 1908 Springfield Race Riot site.

According to Amber Sabin, CWLP public information officer, the department is considering constructing an equipment and maintenance storage center in the area of Madison and 11th streets. Backhoes, trucks, and trailers would be housed in the facility.

The concern for groups such as the Springfield NAACP lies with the facility's proximity to the proposed national park designation and memorial.

Teresa Haley, the president of the Illinois State NAACP and Springfield branch, told The State Journal-Register the group wants the adjacent land donated whether that be for parking or a park.

"You don't put a national monument on one side of the railroad tracks and on the opposite side of it, two city garages," she said.

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Given the NAACP's request and the ongoing Springfield Rail Improvements Project, Sabin said the department is trying to make it work between all parties in the space. The specific facility is for CWLP's existing Water Distribution and Engineering Division - housed at 11th and Mason streets - and would allow the department to stay at this location.

"Right now, they are looking to see if they can accommodate that on-site or near site," she said.

Earlier this year, a years-long study of the archaeological site, located near Madison Street and the 10th Street Rail Corridor, determined it met all criteria to be considered national park-eligible. The riot has been cited as the 1909 impetus for the NAACP, which is calling on President Joe Biden to authorize a memorial.

The president could use the Antiquities Act -- setting federal protection on lands with cultural or historical significance. According to NPS, the act has been used nearly 300 times since 1906.

U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, along with U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski, D-Springfield, have joined with that push. Per the study, construction costs for the memorial are expected to surpass $6.4 million with another $320,000 going towards annual maintenance.

Springfield Mayor Misty Buscher has previously said she looks forward to the next stages of the project, seen as way to "ultimately commemorate and preserve the memory" of the riots. According to Sabin, Buscher met with Duckworth’s representatives last week on plans for the race riot site with another meeting ahead with the NAACP.

“I’m working with CWLP and Public Works to see that we review all possible options for the Water Department site and if a new configuration can work in such a way to not take away from the Race Riot site and plans for a new National Park for our city," the mayor said in a statement.

However, Haley said Thursday she has not talked with the mayor and has no meeting scheduled. Two previously scheduled meetings were canceled by the mayor's office, she added.

For Haley, the designation is partially about drawing attention to the riot while also attracting more visitors to the city.

"The race riot monument will bring more tourism, more economics to Springfield, and it's another opportunity for healing," she said. "So as soon as President Biden signs the Antiquities Act, a sign will go up showing that area has been designated, and then we can start doing some major fundraising to break ground and make that memorial happen."

Last week marked 115 years since the race riots, prompted by a mob demanding two Black men be turned over from the Sangamon County jail. George Richardson, falsely accused of sexually assaulting a white woman, and Joe James, accused of fatally stabbing a white man were, however, being held in Bloomington.

Violence soon broke out against the Black community resulting in the lynching of two prominent Black business owners -- Scott Burton and William Donegan. Gov. Charles Deneen eventually brought in the Illinois National Guard to put an end to the riots.

Contact Patrick Keck: 312-549-9340, pkeck@gannett.com, twitter.com/@pkeckreporter.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: NAACP: Proposed CWLP facility would obstruct 1908 Race Riot site