Author Archives: editor

Vachel Lindsay

Posted on April 10, 2013 by editor

Hear Vachel Lindsay declaim A Dirge for a Righteous Kitten, 1931 (Pennsound) Sangamon County has produced its share of poets, but taken together they do not rival Nicholas Vachel Lindsay (1879-1931) for celebrity, achievement, and tragedy. The novelist Mark Harris summarized … Continue reading →

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Robert S. Fitzgerald: Poet, translator

Posted on April 10, 2013 by editor

 Robert Stuart Fitzgerald (1910-1985) was an educator, poet, journalist, translator, editor and author who lived in Springfield for 20 years in his youth. While Fitzgerald was a student at Springfield High School, his talent for poetry came to the attention … Continue reading →

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Coal mining

Posted on April 10, 2013 by editor

For several years in the middle of the 20th century, Sangamon County was a leader among Illinois counties in the production of bituminous coal. Coal was discovered in Illinois as early as 1673, when French explorers Marquette and Joliet noted … Continue reading →

Posted in Coal mines and mining, Disasters, Industry | Tagged , , | 22 Comments

Pre-1900 baseball

Posted on April 8, 2013 by editor

Baseball hit Springfield around the 1860s. That’s probably when its precursor, “town ball,” arrived, according to lifelong Springfieldian John C. Cook, quoted in the March 20, 1927 Illinois State Journal. “The ball was generally of solid rubber or cork, with … Continue reading →

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Baker Manufacturing Co.

Posted on April 8, 2013 by editor

The Baker Manufacturing Company, founded in Springfield in 1908, was a predecessor of Springfield’s Allis-Chalmers (later Fiatallis) construction equipment plant. Baker Manufacturing produced a wide range of road construction and maintenance products, in its later years specializing in crawler tractor … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Industry | Tagged | 1 Comment

Illiopolis

Posted on April 7, 2013 by editor

The founding of Illiopolis was described in the Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois, Vol. 2  (1912): In 1834, when the question of the removal of the State Capital began to be agitated, a beautiful city was laid out by John Taylor, Eli … Continue reading →

Posted in Communities, Disasters, Industry, State government | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Mechanicsburg

Posted on April 7, 2013 by editor

Mechanicsburg, south of Interstate 72 18 miles northeast of Springfield, was platted in 1832 by William Pickrell. In hopes of boosting settlement, Pickrell offered a free town lot to any “mechanic” who would build a building and pay for the title. … Continue reading →

Posted in Communities, Early residents, Schools and school districts, Sports and recreation | Tagged | Leave a comment

Buffalo

Posted on April 7, 2013 by editor

Buffalo, founded as a station on the Wabash Railroad, was platted in 1854  and incorporated as a village in 1872. Entrepreneur Josiah Green built the first house in what later became Buffalo in 1848; it was used as a boarding … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Communities, Railroads, Transportation | 1 Comment

Riverton

Posted on April 7, 2013 by editor

Like many early towns, the village of Riverton’s proximity to the Sangamon River contributed to its beginnings. A ferry across the Sangamon, operated by Ezikiel Judd, was the first enterprise in the area. He later transferred the ferry to his … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Coal mines and mining, Communities, Early residents, Lincoln, Abraham, Local government, Mills, Railroads, Sangamon River, Schools and school districts, Sports and recreation, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , | 13 Comments

Albert Ide and the Ideal Engine

Posted on April 5, 2013 by editor

Inventor and businessman Albert L. Ide (1841-1897) won international fame as the creator of the Ideal steam engine, which was used in early electric generation systems around the turn of the 20th century. Born in Ohio in 1841, Ide arrived … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Industry, Prominent figures | 24 Comments