Category Archives: Prominent figures

‘Murder by abortion,’ 1946

Posted on July 17, 2017 by editor

A Springfield osteopath was convicted of murder after allegedly conducting an abortion that led to the death of a 19-year-old woman in 1946. Ronald U. Tilley (1897-1966) was sentenced to 18 years in prison, but the Illinois Supreme Court overturned … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Crime and vice, Law enforcement, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

Fisher ‘murder’ hysteria, 1841

Posted on June 23, 2017 by editor

The case of a “murdered” man who later turned up alive is one of 19th-century Springfield’s best-known legal controversies. That’s mainly because Abraham Lincoln wrote about it, but also because of the roles played by circumstantial evidence, a false confession … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and vice, Early residents, Law enforcement, Lincoln, Abraham, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

The whipping post, 1828-37

Posted on June 21, 2017 by editor

A whipping post stood permanently on the northeast corner of Springfield’s public square from 1828 to 1837. It apparently was used infrequently, but often enough that whippings stuck in the minds of those who saw them. The post – which … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and vice, Early residents, Illinois capital, Law enforcement, Local government, Prominent figures, Sangamon County, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

John S. Condell memoir, 1840s

Posted on June 18, 2017 by editor

John S. Condell Sr. (1818-1907), born in Ireland, arrived in Springfield by way of Philadelphia and Carrollton in 1841. Condell was one of Springfield’s pioneer merchants, operating stores on the downtown square for more than 40 years. One of his … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Early residents, Historic Sites, Histories, Prominent figures, Social life | 2 Comments

Springfield park names

Posted on June 10, 2017 by editor

Parks in the Springfield Park District have taken their names from U.S. presidents, local pioneers, subdivisions, donors and others. Here is a list of parks and their name derivations as of summer 2017. Bergen. 2900 Clear Lake Ave. The Springfield … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Amusements, Early residents, Parks, Prominent figures, Sports and recreation | Leave a comment

First African-American to hold public office

Posted on May 1, 2017 by editor

Springfield’s Hicklin family provided two of Sangamon County’s earliest successful black politicians, as well as leadership in the local civil rights and African-American history movements. Hezkiah Hicklin (1835-1904) was the first black person in the county to hold public office, … Continue reading →

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Women’s vote history, Sangamon County

Posted on April 24, 2017 by editor

Following the Civil War, Illinoisans decided their state constitution needed updating. Delegates met in Springfield from December 1869 until May 1870, and one of the issues they debated was whether to allow universal suffrage. The 15th amendment to the U.S. … Continue reading →

Posted in Local government, Politics, Prominent figures, Sangamon County, Schools and school districts, Springfield, Women | Leave a comment

Annie Rheem Hannon (first woman elected to public office)

Posted on April 16, 2017 by editor

The first woman to hold an elective office in Sangamon County was Annie Rheem Hannon (1857-1945), who served from 1892 to 1894 as county superintendent of schools – a position for which neither she, nor any other woman, could cast … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Local government, Politics, Prominent figures, Sangamon County, Women | Leave a comment

Poisoning and racial controversy, 1860

Posted on April 7, 2017 by editor

The sentencing of three African-American teenagers in 1860 on charges they tried to poison the employers of two of them highlighted differences in how courts and the newspapers treated blacks and whites at the time. Perhaps inevitably, the case also … Continue reading →

Posted in Abolitionism, African Americans, Crime and vice, Journalism, Law enforcement, Media, Politics, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

Pensacola

Posted on March 19, 2017 by editor

“Pensacola” was the name given to a tiny, unincorporated community in Cotton Hill Township, southeast of Springfield, in the 1800s. The area is designated for inundation if and when Hunter Lake is ever created as a backup water source for … Continue reading →

Posted in Communities, Early residents, Historic Sites, Hotels & taverns, Mills, Politics, Prominent figures | Leave a comment