Monthly Archives: January 2020

Broadwell’s building

This entry has been edited to correct information in a photo caption. The building on the northwest corner of Fifth and Washington streets in Springfield was a drugstore for about 125 years. While that tradition ended in 1981, the old … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Buildings, Business, Historic Sites, Medicine, Prominent figures | 2 Comments

Elijah E. Myers, architect

Elijah E. Myers, who began his career in Springfield, was one of America’s foremost architects of the late 19th century. He also was one of the least reputable. See Brinkerhoff Home. 

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Brinkerhoff Home

The Brinkerhoff Home, which in 2020 sat buttoned-up and unused on the former campus of Benedictine University Springfield, was designed in the 1860s by Elijah E. Myers, who would go on to be one of 19th-century America’s best known, and … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Buildings, Historic Sites, National Register, Prominent figures | 9 Comments

Polio quarantine, 1949

In July 1949, with a polio epidemic under way, Springfield officials ordered children under 16 years old into quarantine – confined, with few exceptions, to their own backyards. Hours later, 4-year-old Thomas Suttle died of polio. The boy was the … Continue reading

Posted in Children, Local government, Medicine, Public health | 9 Comments

Illinois High School Association state champions (individual)

The first Sangamon County youth to be named state champion in any sport was Springfield High School student Frank Bogardus (1874-1931), who won the “drop foot ball kick” at Illinois’ first statewide track meet in May 1893. His kick traveled … Continue reading

Posted in Schools and school districts, Sports and recreation, Uncategorized | Leave a comment