Vandals hit Madison County Historical Society buildings with more graffiti
Edwardsville police is investigating another rash of vandalism to publicly-owned property.
Spray-painted graffiti was discovered on the Madison County Historical Society Museum at about 4:45 a.m. Friday. Damage to other MCHS properties was discovered later on, said Edwardsville Police Major Michael Fillback.
The back of the society’s two-story building at 715 N. Main Street had “BLM” painted on its front door and below the windows on both sides of the brick edifice. On the rear of the home, black spray paint spelled out “slaves die here.”
Madison County Historical Society board member Cindy Reinhardt said that in addition to the graffiti, vandals also painted “BLM” — initials commonly used to abbreviate “Black Lives Matter” — on the MCHS-owned building at 707 N. Main.
The Kane mural on the former public services building also was defaced. The 36 feet wide and 7 feet tall mural is made up of 40,000 ceramic tiles that once depicted a freed slave with an exaggerated smile, straw hat and ropes dangling from his wrists. In 1988, when some found it offensive, the freed slave was changed to a farmer with a hoe slung over his shoulder, but the controversy has not entirely gone away.
This is the second time vandals have damaged public property in Edwardsville.
On Nov. 6, “BLM” and other graffiti was painted on the Madison County Courthouse, the Edwardsville Township building and several near-by businesses.
A surveillance camera captured images of a figure dressed in black with a cap and face covering carrying a can of spray paint outside the courthouse. No suspects have been identified publicly, however, and no arrests have been made, Fillback said.
Anyone with information or who may have a video of the crime is asked to contact the Edwardsville Police Department at 656-2131.
