Author Archives: editor

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

Bressmer department store fire, 1948

Posted on December 11, 2016 by editor

Fire caused by a lightning bolt destroyed the John Bressmer Co. department store in downtown Springfield early on May 2, 1948. First reports estimated damages of $2 million. Even though that figure was later adjusted downward to about $1.3 million, … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Business, Department stores, Fires | 2 Comments

Samuel Lewis (first rural mail carrier)

Posted on December 2, 2016 by editor

Samuel Lewis of Auburn was the first person to contract with the U.S. Post Office to deliver mail to rural residents of Sangamon County. See Rural mail delivery begins, 1896.

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Frank Hatch Jones (politician, postmaster)

Posted on December 2, 2016 by editor

Frank Hatch Jones of Springfield (later Chicago) was U.S. first assistant postmaster general when mail delivery began to rural households. See Rural mail delivery begins, 1896. 

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Rural mail delivery begins, 1896

Posted on December 2, 2016 by editor

The first rural mail deliveries in Sangamon County – in fact, in all of Illinois – took place in the Auburn area on Dec. 10, 1896. Rural Free Delivery, as it became known, started as a nationwide experiment, one many … Continue reading →

Posted in Communities, Politics, Prominent figures | 9 Comments

Boston Store fire, 1915

Posted on November 30, 2016 by editor

What was thought to be Springfield’s most disastrous fire ever, up to that point, demolished The Boston Store on the east side of the downtown square on Dec. 7, 1915. The Boston Store was part of a loosely affiliated chain … Continue reading →

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Most costly fires in Springfield, 1904-48

Posted on November 30, 2016 by editor

The following list of the most destructive fires in Springfield history was published in the May 3, 1948, Illinois State Journal. The list is based solely on the amount of property damage. Damage estimates are not adjusted for inflation. Preliminary … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Business, Department stores, Disasters, Fires | 6 Comments

Corn husking competitions

Posted on November 26, 2016 by editor

Nearly 4,000 “farmers, farmers’ wives and children” jammed the grounds of the F.I. Taylor farm near New Berlin on Nov. 21, 1924, for the first annual Illinois State Corn Husking contest. The competition, sponsored by Prairie Farmer magazine, continued into … Continue reading →

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