Author Archives: editor

For a brief description of “the Levee,” Springfield’s historic downtown vice district, see “Cocaine Alley.” 

“Shinbone Alley” was the nickname for the 900 blocks of East Mason and East Monroe streets around the turn of the 20th century. See “Cocaine Alley.”

Scottish immigrant Charles Dawson was Springfield’s most notorious gambler for much of the 1920s. He was shot to death gangland-style in December 1931. See Gambling rivalry, 1931. 

The Wentworth Club was a social and political club that challenged Sangamon County’s regular Republican organization from 1925 to 1933. The club’s name came from the middle name of one of its founders, Dr. Charles Compton. See Gambling rivalry, 1931.

Dr. Charles Compton was the guiding spirit behind the Wentworth Club, a social and political organization that challenged Sangamon County’s regular Republican organization from 1925 until 1933. See Gambling rivalry, 1931.

See Green Beret fatal accident, 1966 Illinois State Fair, for a list of all unnatural deaths at the Illinois State Fair.

The Southern Air restaurant operated from 1948 to 1984 at 3045 Clearlake Ave. See Chesapeake Seafood House.