Author Archives: editor

John McGredy (nurseryman)

John McGredy built the home, then more than a mile east of Springfield, that today is the Chesapeake Seafood House. See Chesapeake Seafood House.

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William Colby (probate judge)

William Colby was the second owner of the home on Clearlake Avenue that today is the Chesapeake Seafood House. See Chesapeake Seafood House.

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Chesapeake Seafood House

NOTE: This entry has been edited. See below. The home that makes up the core of the Chesapeake Seafood House, 3045 Clear Lake Ave., was built sometime after 1857 by John McGredy, a 19th-century Scottish immigrant turned nurseryman. McGredy apparently … Continue reading

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Villa Valencia

The Villa Valencia, operated by Nick Campo and Joe Bardi, was a nightclub that preceded the Lake Club at 2840 Fox Road. See The Lake Club.

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Peacock Inn

The Peacock Inn was a short-lived predecessor of the Lake Club at 2840 Fox Road. See The Lake Club.

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O’Joy Inn

The O’Joy Inn, operated by Gertrude Joy, was the first amusement venue to occupy the building best known as the Lake Club, 2840 Fox Road. Gertrude Joy built the club. See The Lake Club. 

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The Lake Club

NOTE: This entry has been edited. See below. The Lake Club, 2840 Fox Road, brought top national performers – Mickey Rooney, the Mills Brothers, Guy Lombardo, Pearl Bailey, Lawrence Welk and many more – to Springfield in the 1940s, ‘50s … Continue reading

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A. Morris Williams (lawyer, developer)

A. Morris Williams was a prominent African-American attorney and real estate developer in Springfield from the 1900s to the 1930s. See Dudley Hotel.

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Brown Hotel

The Brown Hotel (or Hotel Brown) was the original name of a building at 11th and Adams streets that was built expressly as a hotel exclusively for African-Americans. See Dudley Hotel.

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Dudley Hotel

The Negro Motorist Green Book, a nationwide guide for the African-American traveler, for 20 years listed only one hotel in Springfield as open to blacks: the Dudley Hotel, 130 S. 11th St. The Dudley and its predecessors at the same … Continue reading

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