David Strother (1843-1905) was the child of a slave, served in the Civil War, and owned and operated a barbershop in El Paso. The barbershop is located in the Legacy Building found at posted coordinates.
Article XV of the United States Constitution became effective March 30, 1870. It stated that the right of citizens to vote shall not be denied on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
Article XV became effective on a Wednesday. The following Monday, El Paso held a local election. El Paso’s mayor escorted David Strother to the polls that day which led him to be the first black man to vote in the state of Illinois. Later that day, David advised his brother, Charles, what had happened. Charles also exercised his right to vote that day and so his brother was the 2nd black man to vote in Illinois.
David’s barbershop is being restored in order to be reopened as part of the Project XV museum, a museum dedicated to voting rights. While not yet open, you can peer into its windows. Along the Central Street side of the Legacy Building, there is a black gate leading down a flight of stairs to Strother’s former barbershop.
To claim credit for this virtual,
- Email or message me the number of steps that lead down to the DOOR of the barbershop (below street level).
- Include a photo of yourself in front of the Legacy Building in your log. Your face need not be included in the photo.
Once your answer is submitted, you may log the find. I will only contact you if your answer is wrong and/or you fail to meet BOTH specified requirements.
Virtual Rewards 4.0 - 2024-2025
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between January 17, 2024 and January 17, 2025. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 4.0 on the Geocaching Blog.