Fourth and Monroe Streets

On August 15, 1908, at about 7:00 p.m., a mob reassembled and stopped briefly at Payne's Hardware Store to obtain a length of clothesline rope intended for hanging William Donnegan, a seventy-six-year-old retired black shoemaker. The 1908 Race Riot Walking Tour starts at Union Square Park, Fifth and Jefferson Streets. The sixth marker is located at Second and Monroe Streets. On the reverse is a quotation by Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States: "I believe our sorrow can make us a better country. I believe our righteous anger can be transformed into more justice and more peace. Weeping may endure for a night but I'm convinced joy comes in the morning."

Springfield, Illinois · United States