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    • Home
    • About
      • Board of Directors/ Staff
      • Mission and Vision
      • Facility Rental Policy
    • Contact
    • Support
      • Membership and Donations
      • In Memory of Judge Lewis
    • Newsletters
    • Educational Resources
      • Past Exhibits
      • Oral Histories
      • Today in History
      • AARP Video Series
      • History Comes Alive
      • Negro Leagues Baseball
  • Home
  • About
    • Board of Directors/ Staff
    • Mission and Vision
    • Facility Rental Policy
  • Contact
  • Support
    • Membership and Donations
    • In Memory of Judge Lewis
  • Newsletters
  • Educational Resources
    • Past Exhibits
    • Oral Histories
    • Today in History
    • AARP Video Series
    • History Comes Alive
    • Negro Leagues Baseball

Exhibits

The Springfield & Central Illinois African American History Museum features exhibits which tell authentic stories about African American life in Central Illinois past and present. Stay tuned for new exhibits when  our Museum reopens!

Virtual Tour of the Springfield and Central Illinois African American History Museum

Click the button below to take a virtual tour of the Museum. 

Please note that the tour was created prior to the Museum's renovation.

Threshold 360 Virtual Tour

Past Exhibits

Below are just some of the exhibits that The Springfield & Central Illinois African American History Museum featured in past years. Some of these exhibits are still available as traveling exhibits. Please call the office for more information.

Our Footprints, Our Stories

Our Founder

 “Our Footprints, Our Stories”, traces the historic journey of African Americans across Downstate Illinois through their imprint on the landscape and their dialog from within. This is a collaborative effort by the Springfield and Central Illinois African American History Museum and the Springfield Art Association.

Exhibit Organizers:

Kathryn Harris, Founding Member and Board Member 

Springfield and Central Illinois African American History Museum, Researcher and Organizer, Our Footprints, Our Stories.
Benjamin Halpern, Photographer and Project organizer, Our Footprints, Our Stories.
Betsy Dollar, Executive Director of the Springfield Art Association
Anne E. Moseley, Director of Engagement and Curator of the Sangamon Experience

Art for the Ages

Featuring Springfield Public Schools, District 186 Student Artwork

Black is Beautiful

By Samira El-Amin

Lincoln Leadship Prize Recipients

This exhibits features three recipients of the Lincoln Leadership Prize:  Archbishop Desmond Tutu, The Little Rock Nine and Neil deGrasse Tyson.  The Prize honors those individuals who, through their beliefs, actions, and deeds, exemplify the spirit of our 16th President, Abraham Lincoln. 

Timeline

Follow the Recipe

Introducing, "Follow the Recipe", a new exhibit at the Springfield and Central Illinois African American History Museum. Curated (from her private collection) by local historian, former librarian and AAHM Board Member, Kathryn Harris, this exhibit pays homage to the variety and richness of African American cuisine with a look through an array of "Soulfood" cookbooks on display. 

Early African American Pioneers of Central Illinois

Something So Horrible

The 1908 Race Massacre in Springfield, Illinois

The Middle Passage

The 1908 Race Massacre in Springfield, Illinois

The Negro Leagues Baseball Exhibit

This exhibit, on loan from the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, MO, honors and explores the connections of African American Baseball history to Hispanic cultures, communities and countries. Includes profiles of players and a timeline of baseball history. Negro Leagues Beisbol, a production of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, MO will be at the AAHM September 4 - October 30, 2021.

Michael Bracey

Author and documentary photographer Michael J. Bracey currently resides in Maywood, IL. His work has been published in various magazines, newspapers, annual reports, and purchased by many private collectors worldwide. His featured exhibition will include works from his books, “Africans Within the Americas” and his latest book, “Caras Lindas de Colombia” (Beautiful faces of Colombia), which was published in June 2018.

The Story of Quilts

A timeless look at Midwestern quilts, their purpose and evolution. Early Sangamon County quilts made entirely by hand are displayed side-by-side with today's machine techniques

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Springfield and Central Illinois African American History Museum

P.O. Box 301, Springfield, IL 62705

(217) 361-9942

Copyright © 2025 Springfield and Central Illinois African American History Museum - All Rights Reserved.

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