Author Archives: editor

The Blue Danube (restaurant)

Posted on March 18, 2015 by editor

See The political rise of the Adamitis & Yacubasky families.

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Mark Peterman (basketball coach)

Posted on March 18, 2015 by editor

See Springfield High School loses 1933 state basketball championship.

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Don “Doc” Adams (political leader)

Posted on March 18, 2015 by editor

See The political rise of the Adamitis and Yacubasky families.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The Political Rise of the Adamitis & Yacubasky Families

Posted on March 18, 2015 by editor

From Lithuanians in Springfield, Illinois The story goes that for decades, Republican Party leader Don “Doc” Adams (Lith. Adomaitis) of Springfield exercised significant patronage power in both the public and private sectors. When Doc died in 2011 at age 75, … Continue reading →

Posted in Coal mines and mining, Hotels & taverns, Lithuanians, Politics, Prominent figures, Restaurants, Social life | 4 Comments

Springfield High loses 1933 state championship basketball game (YouTube)

Posted on March 14, 2015 by editor

H.V. Porter, who made his biggest mark on sports by inventing the laceless, molded basketball and standardizing the rules of the game, was assistant director of the Illinois High School Association from 1928 to 1940. In that role, he also … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Media, Schools and school districts, Sports and recreation | 7 Comments

Victory Loan Flying Circus, 1919

Posted on March 12, 2015 by editor

The Victory Loan Flying Circus, a barnstorming group of World War I pilots using WWI combat aircraft, put on a show for thousands of central Illinoisans in front of the Illinois State Fairgrounds Grandstand on April 15, 1919. An unbilled … Continue reading →

Posted in Air travel, Journalism, Media, Military, Prominent figures, Spectacles, Women | Leave a comment

Stephen A. Douglas’ missing finger

Posted on March 10, 2015 by editor

Before he was Abraham Lincoln’s foil in the 1858 contest for U.S. Senate in Illinois and then for the presidency in 1860, Stephen A. Douglas was a regular presence and sometime resident in Springfield. Douglas also was, briefly, Lincoln’s rival … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Early residents, Historic Sites, Illinois capital, Lincoln, Abraham, Politics, Presidential candidates, Prominent figures, State government | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Springfield public high schools timeline

Posted on March 9, 2015 by editor

1857: First public high school opens in Springfield in rented quarters on Market Street (now Capitol Avenue) near Spring Street. The school would move twice more before the city of Springfield – which then operated the public schools – constructed … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Education, Schools and school districts | Leave a comment

Nelson Howarth (Springfield mayor)

Posted on March 7, 2015 by editor

Nelson Howarth (1911-91) was the colorful, combative mayor of Springfield for three terms between 1955 and 1971. During his administrations, Springfield was named an All American city, city boundaries were greatly expanded, and the city initiated construction of a new … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Crime and vice, Law enforcement, Lincoln Home, Local government, Politics, Prominent figures, Springfield | 7 Comments

‘The mule line’

Posted on March 6, 2015 by editor

“The mule line” railroad ran between Mechanicsburg and Buffalo from 1882 until the early 1900s. See entry on Mechanicsburg.

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