Charleston Riot 150th Anniversary

This weekend, the Coles County city of Charleston will be commemorating a riot that happened at the court house and town square March 28, 1864...150 years ago...between Union troops and Southern sympathizers.

To find out more about this event, Illinois Public Media's Jason Croft talked with Ann Hinrichs, who is the Chairperson of the Charleston Riot 150th Anniversary Steering Committee. He asked her first to set the scene and tell us a little about who were involved.

There are lots of events planned starting this afternoon in Charleston and lasting throughout the weekend including re-enactments, speakers, tours of Civil War-era houses and more. A full schedule of events can be found online at charlestonillinoisriot.org.