Author Archives: editor

Women win civil service hiring rights in Illinois, 1920

Posted on January 23, 2017 by editor

Harriett Reid of Springfield placed first in the 1918 examination for arbitrator with the Illinois Industrial Commission. But when the commission decided to hire two more arbitrators in 1920, it advertised that it wanted men for both posts. That set … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Prominent figures, State government, Women | Leave a comment

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, 1933

Posted on January 16, 2017 by editor

“The Greatest Show on Earth” might have been at the height of its glory when the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus arrived in Springfield on Aug. 28, 1933. The traveling Big Top promised 100 clowns and 800 “arenic … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Spectacles | Leave a comment

Carver Convalescent Center fire, 1972

Posted on January 15, 2017 by editor

This entry was updated in 2026 with information about one of the fire victims, Brunette Warfield Leland. SangamonLink is indebted to Duane D. Perry of Indianapolis, a relative of Leland, for giving us access to his research. (The revised entry … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Disasters, Fires, Public health | Leave a comment

William Yates Sr. (Republican leader)

Posted on January 8, 2017 by editor

William Yates Sr. (1908-74) was the Sangamon County Republican Party chairman from 1942 to 1950. He also was the primary co-founder of the former Lincoln Center and Ann Rutledge Pancake House at Monument and Sangamon avenues. Read more about Yates, … Continue reading →

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Lincoln Center/Ann Rutledge Pancake House

Posted on January 8, 2017 by editor

Lincoln Center is a strip shopping center at Monument and North Grand Avenues, a few blocks south of Oak Ridge Cemetery and Lincoln’s Tomb. Founded by the Yates and Adams families, the center originally took advantage of its location by … Continue reading →

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Illinois State Fairgrounds Coliseum

Posted on December 29, 2016 by editor

The Illinois State Fairgrounds Coliseum was a huge hit when it first opened to fairgoers in 1901. But not huge enough, because the building had to be substantially expanded only two years later. The Coliseum was designed in 1901 by … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Buildings, National Register, State government | 8 Comments

First Christmas parade (1914)

Posted on December 22, 2016 by editor

Thousands of people turned out to see Santa Claus parade through Springfield on Christmas Eve 1914, but the parade, which was part of a much larger communitywide holiday celebration, wasn’t repeated for another 15 years. Children – “urchins,” as the … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Celebrations, Spectacles | Leave a comment

First escalator

Posted on December 16, 2016 by editor

The first “electric stairway” in Sangamon County was installed when the John Bressmer Department Store was rebuilt following a spectacular fire in 1948. See Bressmer Department Store fire.

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I.A. Madden (first county soil adviser)

Posted on December 16, 2016 by editor

I.A. Madden was hired away from Illinois State University to become the Sangamon County Farm Bureau’s first soil adviser in 1918. See Sangamon County Farm Bureau.

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Sangamon County Farm Bureau

Posted on December 16, 2016 by editor

The Sangamon County Farm Bureau was organized on Oct. 13, 1917, with a membership of 300 farmers, each of whom pledged to donate $10 toward the hiring of a county soil adviser. Sangamon County’s action was part of a wave … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Farming, Prominent figures | 2 Comments