New African American Heritage Trail marker to be installed at Kentwood Hall

The Springfield-Greene County African American Heritage Trail will dedicate a new marker Feb. 26, its second on the Missouri State University campus.

The trail recognizes historical events and locations in the Springfield area. The marker will be at Kentwood Hall, formerly known as the Kentwood Arms Hotel, which played a role in the desegregation of public accommodations in Springfield.

Lyle Foster, an organizer of the trail that recognizes historical events and locations, said the building reflects Springfield’s complex journey through racial integration.

The five-story hotel was built in 1926 by local developer John T. Woodruff. Located onRoute 66, it hosted a range of notable guests including U.S. Presidents Harry S. Truman, Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan plus Bob Hope, Groucho Marx, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II.

The hotel was the site of many National Highway 66 Association meetings, according to a news release.

In September 1960, the hotel garnered national attention when a spokesman for Vice President Nixon, making a failed bid for U.S. president, said the candidate would bypass the city if Black reporters covering his campaign were not allowed to stay at then-segregated hotel.

According to previous reporting in the Springfield News-Leader, the Springfield chapter of the NAACP applied pressure, and the owner of the Kentwood and a smattering of other businesses agreed to end segregation. Nixon made the campaign stop in Springfield.

The public is invited to attend the marker dedication at 4 p.m. Feb. 26 inside Kentwood Hall, which now serves as an MSU residence hall.

Foster said the cost of the marker was $7,500 and was paid for by private donations.

The MSU campus is also home to a marker honoring Mary Jean Price Wells, the first Black resident to apply for admission to the university. She was denied admission based on the color of her skin but later awarded an honorary undergraduate degree.