Springfield is a Morgan County community with roots in the African American community extending back many generations, closely identified with Springfield Baptist Church and School in the late nineteenth century. The church was originally organized in 1872, about seven years after the end of the Civil War, on land donated by Rueben Miller, and the initial church survived until it was rebuilt in 1899 and again in 1917. After fire destroyed that building in 1994, a new church was rebuilt the same year. Located in the Shepherd’s Militia District of Morgan County, Springfield emerged near the communities of Bethany and Zachary. By 1897, Shepherd’s District had a number of schools for both African American and white children, including Friendship School, Oak Grove School, and Enterprise Academy, and at least five cotton gins stood near Springfield, underscoring the importance of cotton to the local economy. Springfield is recognized as a significant part of county history because of the pride of the people connected to the community.