Author Archives: editor

Ruth DeFrates Miller (women’s softball)

Posted on April 14, 2026 by editor

Ruth “Gabby” DeFrates Miller (1917-1996) was a freshman at Jacksonville High School when she began playing  high-level softball throughout central Illinois. Over the years, she played for Jacksonville, Springfield’s Madison Furniture Co., the Springfield Merchanettes, and the Californian Packing Co. … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Sports and recreation, Women, Women's softball | Leave a comment

Madison Furniture Co. women’s softball team

Posted on April 14, 2026 by editor

Some of the best women athletes in Springfield history drew throngs to the Iles Park softball diamond in the 1940s. Madison Furniture Co. sponsored men’s teams in multiple sports, but its women’s softball team – fast-pitch, of course – was … Continue reading →

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Helen Westerman Austin (women’s softball)

Posted on April 14, 2026 by editor

Helen Westerman Austin (1926-2006) graduated from Feitshans High School and grew up playing softball with the Springfield Merchants and the Madison Furniture Co. women’s softball teams. Westerman was a shortstop and catcher. Westerman and her Madison Furniture teammate, Janice “Jerry” … Continue reading →

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Janice “Jerry” O’Hara (women’s softball)

Posted on April 14, 2026 by editor

Janice “Jerry” O’Hara (1918-2001), a talented athlete who excelled in basketball and softball, was born in Beardstown and graduated from Springfield High School in 1937. O’Hara was a mainstay of several of Springfield’s top softball teams in the 1930s and … Continue reading →

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‘Sundown Corner,’ Divernon

Posted on March 20, 2026 by editor

Sundown Corner near Divernon was a landmark in the early days of Route 66. The “corner”, at the intersection of Divernon Road and U.S. 66, got its name because the bar/restaurant/service station was a convenient stop for people traveling the … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Hotels & taverns, Restaurants, Route 66, Social life, Transportation | Leave a comment

The Curve Inn’s curve

Posted on March 3, 2026 by editor

The Curve Inn once sat on an actual curve. The nightspot, housed in a 94-year-old building at 3219 S. Sixth Street Road, was badly damaged by fire in February 2026. The inn originally was near a long curve that connected … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Business, Crime and vice, Fires, Hotels & taverns, Restaurants, Route 66, Social life, Transportation, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Route 66: Where are all the people going? (1946)

Posted on March 3, 2026 by editor

Wilford Kramer, chief editorial writer for the Illinois State Journal, saw problems with the post-World War II widening of Route 66 from two lanes to four. This is a reprint of “Upon Reflection,” Kramer’s regular editorial page column, printed on … Continue reading →

Posted in Journalism, Media, Prominent figures, Route 66, Transportation, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

National Public Radio in Springfield

Posted on February 16, 2026 by editor

This is WSSR, Springfield, Illinois, with our inaugural broadcast. WSSR is operated by Sangamon State University and licensed to the Board of Regents of the state of Illinois. WSSR is heard at 91.9 megahertz on the FM dial and is … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts and letters, Communications, Higher education, Journalism, Media | Leave a comment

Samuel S. Ball investigates Liberia emigration, 1848

Posted on February 8, 2026 by editor

Editor’s note: This bulk of this entry comes from a talk, titled “The Spirit of Springfield’s Early African-Americans,” delivered by local historian Richard E. Hart on May 20, 2002, to the Sangamon County Historical Society. Hart (1942-2022), an indefatigable researcher, … Continue reading →

Posted in Abolitionism, African Americans, Early residents, Histories, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

First motorized police & fire vehicles

Posted on January 26, 2026 by editor

Springfield city government entered the automobile age on July 30, 1913, when the police department’s first gasoline-powered vehicle went into service. The wagon collected its first prisoner and its nickname a few hours later. The arrestee was Arthur Luckey, a … Continue reading →

Posted in Local government, Springfield, Transportation | Leave a comment