URBANA, Ill. (WAND) – New signage unveiled Tuesday afternoon honors black owned businesses in Champaign County that helped turn the area into what it is today.
“Many of the stories that we’re telling were not known to the public at large and I think it’s important to share that part of our county’s history, the way we share that Lincoln was at the courthouse,” said Barbara Suggs-Mason, who helped with the sign.
The sign tells the story of two businesses: General Cass Lee’s barbershop and Shelton Laundry.
“Mother Shelton and her husband moved here in 1923 from Tennessee,” Suggs-Mason said. “She needed to make money to help her family survive during the depression, so she took in laundry.”
Lee opened a six-chair barbershop in 1887, serving judges, lawyers, and others who frequented the courthouse.
“The men and women who moved to this community, both black and white, were often self-made people,” said Suggs-Mason. “They worked and grew their families, grew their businesses, and used their talents to make the community a better place to live.”
The sign was created by the Champaign County African American Heritage Trail and the Experience Champaign-Urbana Foundation.
It is in downtown Urbana at 120 W. Main St.
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