Image Credit:
Bethel AME Church (Doris K. Wylie Hoskins Collection, Museum of the Grand Prairie, Mahomet, IL)

Explore the Trail

Discover over 170 years of African American history in Champaign County. From historic churches to self-made individuals, you’ll discover powerful stories of African Americans and the rich history of building community in Champaign County.

Note: Trail stops with a physical location will feature a 📍 in their description. The remaining share detailed history relevant to people, places, and significant events that shaped Champaign County but do not have a physical location to visit. At this time, we encourage those who would like to explore the Trail in-person to use the map below to schedule self-guided walking or driving tours to locations of interest. In addition to using the map below, you can find lists of sites for Champaign, Urbana, and Homer.

The historical references currently provided are a small sampling of what will be included on the Champaign County African American Heritage Trail. The organizing committee is currently curating additional significant historical events, places, and people that will be featured as the Trail continues to be developed.

Wiley & Frances Jones

Wiley & Frances Jones

Home of Jacob Earnest

Home of Jacob Earnest

Homer High School

Homer High School

Homer Park

Homer Park

The Smith Family of Broadlands

The Smith Family of Broadlands

The Gaines Family of Ayers Township

The Gaines Family of Ayers Township

Frederick Douglass’ Visit to Champaign

Frederick Douglass’ Visit to Champaign

Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church

Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church

African Americans and the Illinois Central Railroad

African Americans and the Illinois Central Railroad

Salem Baptist Church

Salem Baptist Church

St. Luke Christian Methodist Episcopal (C.M.E.) Church

St. Luke Christian Methodist Episcopal (C.M.E.) Church

Albert R. Lee

Albert R. Lee

William F. Earnest American Legion Post 559

William F. Earnest American Legion Post 559

North First Street Corridor, Champaign

North First Street Corridor, Champaign

Douglass Park and Douglass Center

Douglass Park and Douglass Center

Student Demonstrations for Equal Rights

Student Demonstrations for Equal Rights

Champaign Public Library Douglass Branch

Champaign Public Library Douglass Branch

Lawhead School

Lawhead School

Carver Park

Carver Park

Dr. Ellis Subdivision

Dr. Ellis Subdivision

Dr. Martin Luther King Subdivision

Dr. Martin Luther King Subdivision

The Bruce D. Nesbitt African American Cultural Center

The Bruce D. Nesbitt African American Cultural Center

The Presence of the "Divine 9" at the University of Illinois

The Presence of the

Former Chanute Air Force Base and the 99th Pursuit Squadron

Former Chanute Air Force Base and the 99th Pursuit Squadron

Special Educational Opportunities Program (also known as Project 500)

Special Educational Opportunities Program (also known as Project 500)

Walter T. Bailey and the Colonel Wolfe School

Walter T. Bailey and the Colonel Wolfe School

The Ellis Drive Six and School Integration

The Ellis Drive Six and School Integration

Early Achievements in Homer & Southeastern Champaign County

Early Achievements in Homer & Southeastern Champaign County

Black Cowboys in Southeastern Champaign County

Black Cowboys in Southeastern Champaign County

Homer G.A.R. Cemetery

Homer G.A.R. Cemetery

Sergeant Allen A. Rivers, Sr.

Sergeant Allen A. Rivers, Sr.

Edward A. Green

Edward A. Green

African American Civil War Burials and Mt. Hope Cemetery

African American Civil War Burials and Mt. Hope Cemetery

Emancipation Day Celebrations

Emancipation Day Celebrations

University of Illinois Alumni

University of Illinois Alumni

African Americans in the Civil War

African Americans in the Civil War

Cecil Dewey Nelson, Sr.

Cecil Dewey Nelson, Sr.

Booker T. Washington School

Booker T. Washington School

Image credit: Above: Sergeant Allen A. Rivers, Sr., c. 1950s, Courtesy of Eunice J. Rivers, Champaign, IL │ Below: Champaign Police Department Officers, 1948, Champaign County Archives, Urbana Free Library, Urbana, IL

Sergeant Allen A. Rivers, Sr.

Allen A. Rivers, Sr. was hired as the first and, at the time, only African American in the Champaign Police Department on August 1, 1935. He worked for 33 years as a policeman rising from a “beat cop” to a motorcycle cop, and then to Sergeant before retiring. He was known as never having to fire his gun in pursuit of a criminal or during an arrest.

Image credit: Champaign County Historical Archives at the Urbana Free Library

Edward A. Green

Edward A. Green, a freeman, became one of the first African Americans to settle in Champaign County in 1856. Born in North Carolina, he moved to West Urbana (now Champaign) from Union County, Ohio, with his first wife, Georgia Anne, and daughters, Anna A. and Florence E. Green. A carpenter by trade, in 1858 he began purchasing parcels of land throughout what would become Champaign and into northwestern Urbana, ending up with approximately 14 lots. Six lots were located in Urbana between Wright and Goodwin Streets, along Eads and Champaign (now Vine) Streets.

611 East Pennsylvania Avenue, Champaign, IL

Image credit: Mt. Hope Cemetery War Memorial

African American Civil War Burials and Mt. Hope Cemetery

Located west of Memorial Stadium at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Mount Hope Cemetery (611 E. Pennsylvania Ave., Champaign, IL) was plotted and internment began in 1856. Sitting on the dividing line between the two cities, it’s the oldest operating cemetery in Champaign-Urbana. Throughout its 150 years, it has been the final resting place for many local African Americans and their families, including most of those who fought in the Civil War. The majority of these veterans were buried in what was the Grand Army of the Republic’s (G.A.R.) section, now known as the “old” veteran's section, found as you enter the cemetery. It is represented by the Civil War Memorial and a 32-pound canon built in 1851. However, many of the original markers no longer exist for many of these and other Civil War veterans, or they were moved to other locations in the cemetery.

African Americans veterans from various wars including World War I and II are also buried in this section. 📍

Emancipation Day Celebrations

President Abraham Lincoln issued his Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862. For many years afterward, in or around September, African Americans would congregate at parks and other community spaces for Emancipation Day celebrations. These celebrations were held in Champaign, Homer, Tolono, Sidney, and other parts of Champaign County. Celebrations often included food, music, and dancing.

Image credit: William Walter Smith (University of Illinois Archives)

University of Illinois Alumni

Since 1900, when William Walter Smith became the first African American to graduate from the University of Illinois, many African Americans who attended the University have gone on to become important leaders, innovators, artists, and thinkers. This page features some notable University alumni. Please check back periodically as we continue to include more information.

101 E. Main Street, Urbana, IL

Image credit: Unidentified African American Soldier of the 29th Illinois Infantry Regiment. Courtesy of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum.

African Americans in the Civil War

In July 1862, President Abraham Lincoln and Congress authorized the use of African Americans as military combatants; however, they were not actually able to serve until after the Emancipation Proclamation took effect on January 1, 1863. Later the same year, Illinois Governor Richard Yates Sr. authorized the organization of the Illinois 29th Colored Infantry Regiment, better known as the 29th United States Colored Troops (USCT). Formed in Quincy, Illinois, on April 24, 1864, by Lieutenant Colonel John Boss, the 29th USCT was the only African American regiment raised in Illinois. The regiment was comprised of ten companies. Companies A through E were comprised primarily of men from Illinois, while companies F through K were mostly made up of men from outside the state. At least nine Black men from Champaign County enlisted into the 29th USCT at the Urbana Courthouse with four others enlisting in other “colored regiments” outside of Illinois.

1002 N. 5th Street, Champaign, IL

Image credit: Cecil Dewey Nelson in World War I Uniform, c. 1919, Courtesy of Estelle L. Merrifield Collection, Urbana, Illinois.

Cecil Dewey Nelson, Sr.

Cecil D. Nelson was the most decorated World War I soldier in the county. A sergeant in both the Mexican Expedition of 1916 and World War I, he increased his age so he could enlist in the Illinois 8th Regiment, known as the “Old 8th,” in Danville, Illinois. With the U.S. involvement in World War I, his unit become part of the all-Black 370th Infantry where he met and became friends with William Frank Earnest, whom he saw die. On October 18, 1918, he was awarded the French Croix de Guerre by French General Vincendon for bravery under fire, and several other decorations later for his service during World War I. The son of Joseph and Estella Nelson (née Anderson), he, like his mother, was born and raised in Champaign, Illinois, and was a member of Bethel AME. He returned home where he met and married William Franks’ niece, Carrie Mae Earnest, and became an active and respected member of both the Black and white communities. He lived at 1002 N. 5th Street in Champaign, and he is one of the founders of the William F. Earnest American Legion Post #559.

606 E. Grove St., Champaign, IL

Image credit: Left: LocalWiki.org │ Right: Experience Champaign-Urbana (Marcus Flinn)

Booker T. Washington School

Booker T. Washington Elementary School was built to replace Lawhead School and opened in 1952. Designed by Berger-Kelley Associates, it was a K-6 building serving Black children in the neighborhood. Odelia Wesley, formerly a first grade teacher at Lawhead, was principal and led an all-Black staff. She remained at the school as principal from 1952–1972. In 1968, Booker T. Washington School was established as a magnet program in partnership with the University of Illinois, as a part of Unit #4’s desegregation plans to promote voluntary integration. While Black families would have to bus their children to southwest Champaign to integrate the schools there, white families could voluntarily choose to send their children to Washington School to access “innovative” instructional programs. Following the retirement of Mrs. Wesley, Mrs. Hester Suggs assumed the principalship (1972–1993) and developed an award-winning arts and humanities-based program which continued under the leadership of Dr. Arnetta Rodgers (1993–2000). 📍

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