SUTTON Travels: African-American History in Springfield Missouri USA

18 January 2021

African-American History in Springfield Missouri USA

Washington Ave. Baptist Church

Washington Avenue Baptist Church was built in 1885 for a congregation that was formed in 1867, two years after the Civil War ended. Rev. J.S. Dorsey was the pastor in 1906 when the lynching took place in Springfield's Square (see below). The current building was moved 200 feet from it's original location. It is now at 900 North Benton Ave, Springfield. See Drury page.

Benton Ave. AME Church, Springfield MO

Benton Avenue AME Church is an African Methodist Episcopal Church built between 1922 and 1926. It is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. When membership declined, it closed in 2014 (News-Leader). The congregation was founded in 1867. The current site was purchased in 1877.

In 1954, Rev. Oliver L. Brown was the pastor. He is the "Brown" named in the Supreme Court case commonly known as "Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas." The Supreme Court ruled that the segregation of public schools was unconstitutional.

Pitts Chapel, Springfield MO

Down by the Martin Luther King Jr. Bridge is Pitts Chapel, which has an active congregation.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Bridge Sign

I went south to the square where the city proudly displays its historic Route 66 Marker. But there's another sign that tells the horrific history of the lynching of three Black Men in 1906.