Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – Aldermen Tuesday could approve $75,000 for a feasibility study for a “tourism and economic development” area which would include a self-guided tour of historic sites key to Blacks in Springfield.
Sites for “History across the Tracks” would include “the Ambidexter Heritage Institute; it was called the Tuskegee of the North,” said Ald. Shawn Gregory, “the Lincoln Colored Home, which is really special to me as a former foster child. It was one of the first homes in the state to take in orphaned Black children. We have the Dr. Lee Medical Center.”
“The initiative will create a major destination that draws visitors downtown while directly uplifting the east side,” Gregory continued, “erasing a historic dividing line, honoring Lincoln’s legacy and finally freeing neighborhoods from neglect through heritage tourism, private investment, and equitable development.”
Gregory proposes using STAR Bonds to finance the project. He also wants to enable expansion and improvements to two local restaurants: Clay’s Popeye’s B-B-Q and Boyd’s New Generation.
