HISTORY | Local lore

The Springfield and Central Illinois African- American History Museum hosts a Grand Opening Gala on Thursday, Feb. 23 at its new location on the second floor of the National Museum of Surveying, Inc.

Featured is the photography exhibit “African-American Life and Contributions to Springfield in 1930s, 1940s and 1950s,” by Winfred “Doc” Helm, state photographer from 1930-1950. Dr. Matthew Holden, Jr., UIS Wepner professor, provides an address, and there will be music and refreshments. The museum is a culmination of years of gathering oral histories from local residents through a partnership with the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. The Winfred “Doc” Helm collection can be viewed until April 29 on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. or by appointment. Other photographs of local African- American interest will be on display. (Read more, p. 17)