Author Archives: editor

Merchants and Shippers Association

Posted on October 14, 2013 by editor

The Merchants and Shippers Association of Springfield was organized in 1876. The group differed from the recently defunct Springfield Board of Trade only in name; the focus on industrial development and, to some extent, the membership of the two organizations … Continue reading →

Posted in Business | Leave a comment

Mildred Park (Bunn Park)

Posted on October 14, 2013 by editor

Mildred Park had rides, a swimming, boating and fishing lagoon with a suspension bridge and other attractions. The area is now Bunn Park. The suspension bridge was the site of a near-tragedy on Aug. 16,1905, when one of its cables … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Disasters, Early residents, Local government, Parks, Prominent figures, Sports and recreation | Tagged , | 10 Comments

Mordecai Mobley (1828 pioneers)

Posted on October 14, 2013 by editor

Mordecai Mobley was an early merchant who had a store on Jefferson Street west of First Street, according to John Todd Stuart’s recollection of 1828 Springfield. (The store is listed as No. 11 on the reconstructed map of 1828 Springfield.) … Continue reading →

Posted in Early residents, Lincoln, Abraham, Local government, Prominent figures | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Monarch Tractor Corp.

Posted on October 14, 2013 by editor

Monarch Tractor, an offshoot of a Wisconsin manufacturer of crawler tractors, opened a plant south of Springfield’s Harvard Park neighborhood in 1925. Monarch was purchased in 1928 by Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Corp., which took over the Springfield factory. The last Monarch … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Industry | Leave a comment

Lucretia (‘Aunt Cressy’) Moore (1828 pioneers)

Posted on October 14, 2013 by editor

Lucretia (“Aunt Cressy” or “Aunt Creecy”) Moore, “a woman of colour,” paid $25 to buy a lot at the northeast corner of Fourth and Washington streets from Elijah Iles in 1827. John Todd Stuart remembered her living there in 1828. … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Early residents | Tagged | Leave a comment

Myers Brothers Department Store

Posted on October 14, 2013 by editor

“The Store That Quality Built” began with Morris Myers, an immigrant from Germany who opened a general store in Athens in 1858. Myers moved his store to Springfield in 1865. Morris Myers died in 1873, leaving sons Albert, Louis and … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Department stores, Prominent figures | Tagged | 67 Comments

Albert Myers Jr. (First Citizen)

Posted on October 14, 2013 by editor

Albert Myers Jr. (1917-2005), part of the second-generation family management of the Myers Brothers Department Store, was named Springfield’s First Citizen in 1973. His award citation noted Myers’ leadership in both business and charitable activity. Myers served as president of … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Department stores, First Citizens, Prominent figures, Social services | Tagged | Leave a comment

Leslie Nimmo

Posted on October 14, 2013 by editor

Les Nimmo (1905-2003) was a co-founder and the first chief executive officer of the Horace Mann insurance company, which is headquartered in Springfield. Nimmo, born in Waggoner, taught in the Springfield public schools for 18 years.  In 1945, he joined … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Education, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

Elizabeth and Ninian Edwards home (Lincoln marriage site)

Posted on October 14, 2013 by editor

Abraham and Mary Lincoln were married in the dining room of Elizabeth Todd Edwards (1816-88), Mary’s sister, and her husband, Ninian Wirt Edwards (1809-99), in the 500 block of South Second Street in Springfield on Nov. 4, 1842. Mary Lincoln … Continue reading →

Posted in Early residents, Lincoln, Abraham, Prominent figures, Women | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

Northern Cross Railroad

Posted on October 14, 2013 by editor

The Northern Cross Railroad, the first railroad in Illinois, briefly operated from Springfield to Meredosia, giving central Illinois long-coveted access to the Illinois River and then the Mississippi. The line was one of eight railroads called for in the state’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Railroads, State government, Transportation | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment