Author Archives: editor

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.

Posted in Transportation | Leave a comment

Elizabeth Magie (‘Monopoly’ precursor)

Posted on March 3, 2015 by editor

Elizabeth Magie, who designed the heart of what later became the board game Monopoly, spent much of her youth in Springfield. Magie (1866-1948) moved with her family to Springfield in the late 1870s, after her father, formerly a newspaper editor … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Media, Politics, Prominent figures, State government | 2 Comments

Dorothea Dix letter about the Sangamon County Jail (1847)

Posted on February 26, 2015 by editor

See Sangamon County Jail conditions, 1847.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Alfred S. Harkness (illustrator)

Posted on February 26, 2015 by editor

See “Poor House Rules — the drawings of Alfred S. Harkness.”

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‘Poor House Rules’ — the drawings of Alfred S. Harkness

Posted on February 26, 2015 by editor

Alfred S. Harkness (1866-1941) was an artist, illustrator and engraver whose specialty — at least for part of the time he lived in Springfield — was public health illustration. Harkness had been a member of the artist staff of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts and letters, Illustrations, Media, Medicine, Prominent figures, Public health, Social services, Springfield Survey | Leave a comment

Springfield, 1916 (map)

Posted on February 25, 2015 by editor

The Capitol Engraving Co. artists who created this map of 1916 Springfield for the Sangamon County Abstract Co. were Alfred S. Harkness and Frank Melin (credits, top left corner). Green areas are parkland. The red lines denote trolley routes. Original … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts and letters, Maps | Leave a comment

Buffalo’s bicycle-riding bank bandit

Posted on February 25, 2015 by editor

The sensational robbery of the Bank of Buffalo on May 14, 1896, became even more sensational when authorities learned the supposed stickup was an inside job perpetrated by two sons of one of Springfield’s most prominent German residents. The original … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and vice, Law enforcement, Prominent figures | 2 Comments

Chinchilla rescue, 1957

Posted on February 25, 2015 by editor

Springfield firefighters in 1957 saved 72 comatose chinchillas via what sounds like a form of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. The chinchillas were being raised in cages next to a garage at 722 S. 25th St., home of a business called the Capitol … Continue reading →

Posted in Disasters | Tagged | Leave a comment