This platform rocker belonged to Ella and Tom Richardson, respected members of the African American community in Springfield, IL. Ella came to Springfield from Oxford, MS, and married Tom in 1897. She sold canary birds and kept house. Tom worked for the Springfield Produce Company. In 1908, Tom’s brother George was falsely accused of assaulting a white woman. An angry mob’s demand for vengeance ultimately led to the Springfield Race Riot, during which two Black citizens of Springfield were lynched and dozens of Black homes and businesses were destroyed. This platform rocker sat in Ella and Tom’s house on Springfield’s East Side when an angry mob showed up at the door on August 15, 1908, and threatened to burn down their house. Although the threat was not carried out, the Richardsons were forced to flee the safety of their home three days later when a band of white men accosted Tom Richardson on the street. The family took a train to Mississippi, where they stayed with relatives until they felt safe enough to return to Springfield.