By Illinois Radio Network/Cole Lauterbach

SPRINGFIELD – An Illinois congressman is backing a bill to make the site of the 1908 Springfield Race Riot a National Historic Monument.

The riots began after two black men were accused of rape and murder. The victims were white. A mob attacked black neighborhoods, businesses and homes.

U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, a Republican who represents the 13th District, introduced the legislation. He said it is important to recognize the site’s significance.

“After speaking with members of the local NAACP like Teresa Haley and speaking with local officials, we knew we had to honor Springfield’s part in the creation of the NAACP,” Davis said.

The riots and their aftermath played a large role in the organization’s formation.

“If you look back at history and you look back to 1908, the race riots were part of what formed the effort that is now known as the NAACP,” Davis said.

The site and artifacts from homes and businesses that were burned to the ground during the riots were unearthed during construction of the Carpenter Street segment of the Springfield Rail Improvements Project. The Illinois NAACP, the Central Illinois African American Museum and the Library of Congress have been working together to help preserve those artifacts, and the Library of Congress has agreed to display some of them.

“Many complete artifacts that were buried underground for many, many years we believe need to be displayed as part of Springfield’s history,” Davis said.

He said the next step is moving forward with “a monument that’s been proposed by local officials and the local NAACP and how that monument fits into the other National Historic Sites that we have here in Springfield.”

The National Park Service has agreed to conduct a preliminary assessment of the site, which would be required for it to become a National Historic Monument.