African-American society sprucing up its new home, exhibits

DECATUR White walls, empty space and plans of greatness beckon the future.

Yet, there isn't much to see right now as work continues in the basement of the African-American Cultural & Genealogical Society Museum, with the museum still more than three months away from its planned grand opening the week of the Juneteenth Celebration.

The plan for the basement, an exhibit to explore the Underground Railroad and its history in Central Illinois, is still not much more than a concept in the mind of Evelyn Hood and other museum officials.

But compared to where they were at this time last year, the founder and CEO of the society said it's the best possible outcome.

From where we were last year in a storage unit, to today... it's just tough to put into words how it's come together, Hood said.

After 20 years in downtown Decatur, the society received a notice in the fall of 2013 that the museum needed to vacate its original location at 314 N. Main St. by the end of the year. The society spent the next several months holding official meetings in restaurants that could accommodate them and were forced to put its more than 500 exhibit items in a small self-storage unit in Mount Zion.

It was stressful, it was a dire situation, society board member Ada Owens said. We had this place for decades, then one day we were homeless.

After the Rev. Sally Hamon of the Central United Methodist Church read about the society's struggles, she offered Hood and the society the more than 4,000-square-foot building at 235 W. Eldorado St. near the corner of Church and Eldorado streets to use as the new home for the museum.

The church retains ownership of the building but does not charge rent to the society. The organization is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the facility.

Support from the church, as well as those who have donated time and money to the museum, have Hood feeling blessed.

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African-American society sprucing up its new home, exhibits