Tazewell County 3rd Annual Juneteenth Celebration

The 3rd Annual Tazewell County Juneteenth Celebration will take place Saturday, June 17, beginning at 10:00am along the 400 block of Court Street in downtown Pekin.

Dedication of the ISHS Markers and the Tazewell County memorial honoring Nance Legins-Costley, the first person freed from slavery through the representation of Abraham Lincoln, in a court case that erased the façade of “indentured servitude” from Illinois law forever.

Lisa Holder White, Illinois Supreme Court Justice, will be the keynote speaker for the dedication of the Illinois State Historical Society Markers recognizing Nance Costley and her son William Costley in downtown Pekin. Leading up to the keynote there will be remarks from Tazewell County Clerk John Ackerman, Mayor Mary Burress, Mayor Rita Ali, Illinois State Representative Travis Weaver, Local Historian Jared Olar and Author Carl Adams.