Rail line will not be built on site tied to 1908 race riot

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - U.S. officials have declared a Springfield block with ties to a landmark 1908 race riot historically significant, removing it from consideration as a route for upgraded rail traffic.

The Federal Railroad Administration sent a letter to city officials saying the land with remains of five houses destroyed by a mob on Aug. 14, 1908 is eligible for preservation as part of the National Register of Historic Places.

The (Springfield) State Journal-Register reports (http://bit.ly/29K10E0 ) the federal agency decreed that an archeological study had revealed a "unique snapshot in time" of not only the race riot - which led a year later to the formation of the NAACP - but 19th century immigrants' living conditions.

Officials are unsure how the Norfolk Southern freight train corridor through Springfield designated for eventual use by Union Pacific and Amtrak trains will be affected.