Join the city of Springfield for the second annual "3 Hot Days in August: Annual City-Wide Observance of the 1908 Race Riot".
This three-day community observance will take place August 13–15, 2026 as we come together to remember, reflect, and honor this important history.
Thursday, August 13th
9:30 am IDNR 1908 Race Riot Walking Tour, Lincoln Statue at 6th and Adams Streets
12:00 pm “The Springfield 1908 Race Riot: The Aftermath” presentation by Doris Bailey at the Illinois State Museum
5:30 pm Opening Reception at Lincoln Library. Register here.
Friday, August 14th
9:30 am IDNR 1908 Race Riot Walking Tour, Lincoln Statue at 6th and Adams Streets
12:00pm “Joseph James” presentation by Pastor Tim Good at Trinity Lutheran Church, 2nd and Monroe Streets
2:00-3:00 pm “Park in Progress: Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument” presentation by Quinn Gilly of the National Park Service at Lincoln Home Visitor Center
5:00-7:30 pm 1908 Race Riot Memorial Service at HSHS BUNN Auditorium followed by Silent March from HSHS BUNN Auditorium to the 1908 Race Riot Monument site
7:30 Outraged: Terror in Springfield 1908 by playwright Timothy Crawford at The Hoogland Center for the Arts
8:00 pm Vigil at 1908 Monument Site
Saturday, August 15th
9:30 am IDNR 1908 Race Riot Walking Tour, Lincoln Statue at 6th and Adams Streets
12:00 pm “The Aftermath Part 2” at Lincoln Library
Brian Mitchell, Public Humanities Fellow at UIS, presents “In the Mob’s Wake: An Examination of the Damage Done by Rioters During the Springfield Riot of 1908”
Floyd Mansberger, founder of Fever River Research, presents “Historical Archaeology: Giving Voice to the Victims of the 1908 Race Riot and Creation of a National Monument”
3:00 pm Closing Reception at the Springfield and Central Illinois African American History Museum, 1440 Monument Avenue
7:30 pm Outraged: Terror in Springfield 1908 by playwright Timothy Crawford at The Hoogland Center for the Arts
Sunday, August 16th
3:00 pm Outraged: Terror in Springfield 1908 by playwright Timothy Crawford at The Hoogland Center for the Arts