Author Archives: editor

Research sources

Posted on December 23, 2013 by editor

While this list includes some of the more useful local history resources, it is by no means a complete catalog. Additional suggestions are welcome. Offline  Sangamon Valley Collection, third floor, Lincoln Library, Springfield. Vertical files organized topically, past city directories, … Continue reading →

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St. Agatha School

Posted on December 15, 2013 by editor

St. Agatha School was a school for girls operated from 1884 to 1905 by the Springfield Episcopal Diocese in the 500 block of South Second Street. See Elizabeth and Ninian Edwards home.

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Fire escape hazards, 1914 (Springfield Survey photo)

Posted on December 15, 2013 by editor

The Springfield Survey was a massive study of local schools, prisons, and other institutions undertaken in 1914 by the Russell Sage Foundation with the help of hundreds of local volunteers. Topics covered included schools, care of “mental defectives, the insane … Continue reading →

Posted in Children, Photos and photosets, Social services, Springfield Survey | Tagged | Leave a comment

Church of St. Francis of Assisi

Posted on December 13, 2013 by editor

The ornate Church of St. Francis of Assisi, built from 1920 to 1924, is the centerpiece of the motherhouse of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis northeast of Springfield. See Franciscan Motherhouse.

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Springfield Junior College

Posted on December 13, 2013 by editor

Springfield Junior College was founded in 1929 by the Ursuline order of Catholic nuns. Its name was changed to Springfield College in Illinois in 1968. The school became affiliated with Benedictine University of Lisle, Ill. in 2003. It now is … Continue reading →

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Franciscan Life Center (former Franciscan motherhouse)

Posted on December 12, 2013 by editor

The Hospital Sisters of St. Francis  operated a convent and church on a 300-acre site northeast of Springfield from 1917 until 2021. The order of Roman Catholic nuns, which began providing medical care in central Illinois in 1875, bought the … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Arts and letters, Churches, Public health, Social services, Women | Tagged , , , | 22 Comments

St. Augustine’s Episcopal Mission

Posted on December 6, 2013 by editor

St. Augustine’s Episcopal Mission was a congregation of black Episcopalians founded in Springfield in 1891. The congregation was renamed St. Luke’s in 1908, when Episcopal Bishop Edward Osborne authorized the membership to begin using the building formerly occupied by the … Continue reading →

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St. Luke’s Episcopal Church

Posted on December 6, 2013 by editor

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 1218 South Grand Ave. E., began in 1876 under the name of Lincoln Memorial Chapel, an Episcopal mission directed at former slaves. The mission was short-lived, but local Episcopal bishops Revs. George Seymour and Edward Osborne … Continue reading →

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Progressive Mine Workers Auxiliary march, 1933

Posted on November 27, 2013 by editor

One of the signal events of the struggle between the United Mine Workers of American and the insurgent Progressive Miners of America union was a march by the PMA Women’s Auxiliary to the Statehouse on Jan. 25, 1933. See Coal … Continue reading →

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Andrew train bombing, 1933

Posted on November 27, 2013 by editor

The bombing of a Chicago & Illinois Midland railroad train at Andrew on Feb. 24, 1933, was one of the most serious of the bombings aimed at coal haulers during the central Illinois mine union war of the early 1930s. … Continue reading →

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