Author Archives: editor

Auburn

Posted on April 2, 2013 by editor

Auburn was founded twice. The first time was in 1835 by the Eastman family – George and Asa, along with their sister Hannah, who chose “Auburn” as the name of the fledgling community. (An 1896 Illinois State Journal article hypothesized that … Continue reading →

Posted in Coal mines and mining, Communities, Disasters, Prominent figures, Sports and recreation | Tagged | 1 Comment

New Berlin (and Berlin): Following the railroad

Posted on April 2, 2013 by editor

When Europeans arrived, three villages of Pottawatomie and Delaware Indians were in the Berlin/New Berlin area. “During the first few years after the first settlers came, the Indians were as numerous as the whites,” reports a New Berlin history in … Continue reading →

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Berlin

Posted on April 2, 2013 by editor

Founded: When Europeans arrived, three villages of Pottawatomie and Delaware Indians were in the Berlin/New Berlin area. “During the first few years after the first settlers came, the Indians were as numerous as the whites,” reports a New Berlin history in … Continue reading →

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Thayer

Posted on April 1, 2013 by editor

Founded: Thayer was incorporated in 1901, centered around a railway station on the Chicago & Alton line and a Chicago, Wilmington & Vermilion Coal Co. mine that, by 1910, employed 450 miners. As of 1910, Thayer had a population of … Continue reading →

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National Register of Historic Places

Posted on March 31, 2013 by editor

The National Register of Historic Places includes more than 60 listings in Sangamon County. In addition to the linked list, more information on many of the sites is available on SangamonLink.org. Other entries will be added periodically. Use SangamonLink’s Index or the Search … Continue reading →

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Photosets: My Old Postcards (Randy Von Liski)

Posted on March 31, 2013 by editor

http://www.flickr.com/photos/myoldpostcards/

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Chatham

Posted on March 31, 2013 by editor

The village of Chatham was laid out in October 1836 by Luther Ransom, who also built the first house in the community. Chatham got its first burst of growth following the building of the Alton & Sangamon Railroad (later the … Continue reading →

Posted in Communities, Early residents, Historic Sites, National Register | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Dawson

Posted on March 31, 2013 by editor

The village of Dawson is near an old Native American trail that ran from Clear Lake to Buffalo Hart. The village itself was incorporated in 1883, two years after the Wabash Coal & Mining Co. opened a mine shaft in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Coal mines and mining, Communities, Prominent figures | Tagged | 1 Comment

John L. Lewis

Posted on March 26, 2013 by editor

For 40 years the head of the biggest coal miners union in the U.S. in an era when the country depended almost entirely on coal for its energy needs, John Llewellyn Lewis (1880-1969) was a household name from the 1920s … Continue reading →

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Williamsville

Posted on March 26, 2013 by editor

European settlers lived in the Williamsville area by the early 1820s, but the village itself wasn’t laid out until 1853. The community’s first house was built by Jacob Flagg in the fall of that year. Williamsville is named after Col. … Continue reading →

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