Author Archives: editor

Jerome

Posted on April 17, 2013 by editor

Like Grandview and Southern View, the village of Jerome, which is nearly surrounded by Springfield on the city’s south and west sides, was incorporated in 1939 so the village could obtain water from the city of Springfield. Founded and named: … Continue reading →

Posted in Communities, Disasters, Local government, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

Illinois State Armory

Posted on April 15, 2013 by editor

The Illinois State Armory at 107-11 E. Monroe St. in Springfield was built in 1936 to replace the State Arsenal, which previously stood on the site but had been destroyed in an arson fire. The new Armory was equipped with what was … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Historic Sites, Illinois capital, State government | Tagged | 17 Comments

Illinois Watch Co.

Posted on April 15, 2013 by editor

For a half-century, Springfield’s Illinois Watch Company was a nationally respected maker of timepieces. At its peak, between 1900 and 1928, Illinois Watch employed 1,300 workers, turned out 800 watches a day and was one of Sangamon County’s largest employers. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Industry, Prominent figures | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Park Sherman Company

Posted on April 15, 2013 by editor

The Park Sherman Company operated in Springfield from the early 1930s, when founder Jacob Sherman bought a plant formerly operated by the Springfield-based Shanklin Manufacturing Co.,  until 1960. Shanklin Manufacturing, 2725 S. 11th St., founded by George Shanklin, marketed an … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Coal mines and mining, Industry | Tagged , | 66 Comments

Dr. Gershom Jayne (1828 pioneers)

Posted on April 14, 2013 by editor

Dr. Gershom Jayne (1791-1867), born in New York, moved to Sangamon County in 1819 and practiced medicine in the area for 47 years. When he arrived, he was the only physician that far north in Illinois. He was remembered in … Continue reading →

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

Portuguese immigrants

Posted on April 14, 2013 by editor

Note: This entry has been updated and expanded. Religious differences on the  island of Madeira were the unlikely backdrop for an equally unlikely influx of immigrants — people of Portuguese descent — to Sangamon County in 1850. Members of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Churches, Early residents, Portuguese, Prominent figures | Tagged | 53 Comments

Lincoln’s Farewell Address to Springfield

Posted on April 13, 2013 by editor

The occasion of Abraham Lincoln’s leaving for Washington, D.C., on the morning of Feb. 11, 1861 inspired an eloquent farewell to Springfield. Made from the rear of the train to an estimated 1,000 of his friends and neighbors, the speech … Continue reading →

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Jameson Jenkins

Posted on April 13, 2013 by editor

(Alternative spellings: Jamieson Jenkins, Jimison Jarkins) Jameson Jenkins (1810?-1873) was an African American drayman – a carter or teamster – in Springfield from the late 1840s through the 1860s. He was a neighbor of the Lincoln family and was active … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Early residents, Ethnic groups, Historic Sites, Lincoln, Abraham, Prominent figures | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Martin Van Buren meets Abraham Lincoln

Posted on April 13, 2013 by editor

Former president Martin Van Buren visited Springfield between June 16 and 19, 1842, and while there he visited the home of his first cousin, George Brunk, in Cotton Hill Township near Rochester. The house still stands today. Van Buren, a Democrat … Continue reading →

Posted in Hotels & taverns, Lincoln, Abraham, Prominent figures | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Rochester

Posted on April 12, 2013 by editor

Prior to European settlement, Rochester Township was one of the most heavily wooded sections of Sangamon County, and as a result, became one of the earliest areas to be settled. The first permanent European resident was probably James McCoy, who … Continue reading →

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