Author Archives: editor

Washington Park

Posted on October 5, 2013 by editor

Washington Park is one of the largest and the most popular of the parks in the Springfield Park District system. Built in 1900-01, the park is home to lagoons, tennis courts, and playgrounds as well as a botanical garden and … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Sports and recreation | Tagged | 1 Comment

Weaver extortion and shootout, 1930

Posted on October 5, 2013 by editor

Springfield’s police superintendent narrowly missed being shot to death while on a stakeout related to an extortion attempt aimed at a prominent businesswoman in 1930. Police superintendent T.P. Sullivan and a special police officer were patrolling near the home of … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Law enforcement, Prominent figures | Tagged | 1 Comment

Weaver Manufacturing

Posted on October 4, 2013 by editor

Weaver Manufacturing, founded in Springfield by brothers Ira and Gailard Weaver, was for a time the nation’s largest manufacturer of automobile garage equipment, such as jacks, safety test equipment, hydraulic presses and other items. Ira “I.A.” Weaver (1871-1965), was the … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Industry, Prominent figures | Tagged , | 34 Comments

Susan Wilcox

Posted on October 4, 2013 by editor

Susan Wilcox (1866-1943) taught English and other subjects at Springfield High School for 46 years, nurturing such budding talents as Vachel Lindsay and Robert Fitzgerald. Lindsay later called Wilcox his “noblest and most faithful friend of my life.” Wilcox was … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Prominent figures, Schools and school districts | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Springfield Survey, 1914

Posted on October 4, 2013 by editor

The Springfield Survey of 1914 was a massive study of local schools, prisons, and other institutions, and it’s still well-known in the fields of sociology and social work. But, partly because it was so ambitious, nothing similar was ever attempted … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Children, Education, Law enforcement, Local government, Medicine, Parks, Photos and photosets, Public health, Resources, Schools and school districts, Social services, Springfield, Springfield Survey | Tagged | 4 Comments

‘Well and privy menace,’ 1914 (Springfield Survey photo)

Posted on October 4, 2013 by editor

This photo is taken from a report done for the Springfield Survey, which 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. … Continue reading →

Posted in Public health, Springfield Survey | Leave a comment

West Side Capitol Neighborhood (Fever River report)

Posted on October 4, 2013 by editor

The West Side Capitol neighborhood, an area  of Springfield running west of the Statehouse, is one of five areas of Springfield that have been exhaustively studied by Fever River Research of Springfield. The resulting reports  are extraordinarily informative historical and … Continue reading →

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WICS television

Posted on October 4, 2013 by editor

WICS signed on for the first time on Sept. 30, 1953, broadcasting the World Series between the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Yankees, according to Doug Quick, who has compiled a massive online history of central Illinois broadcasting. The station’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Business | Tagged , | 2 Comments

John Williams (1828 pioneers)

Posted on October 4, 2013 by editor

John Williams (1808-90) was an early Springfield merchant and later, according to his Illinois State Journal obituary, a banker, railroad developer, mine owner and farmer. A friend and political ally of Abraham Lincoln, Williams later was a member of the … Continue reading →

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

Police Officer Porter Williams, 1916 (photo)

Posted on October 3, 2013 by editor

Porter Williams held the rank of detective sergeant in the Springfield Police Department when he was shot to death during rioting by coal miners on Sept. 25, 1932. Williams’ killer was never identified. The Springfield Police Department now sponsors the … Continue reading →

Posted in Coal mines and mining, Law enforcement, Photos and photosets, Springfield | Tagged | Leave a comment