Author Archives: editor

Sangamon County Historical Society

Posted on January 4, 2015 by editor

Historic preservation was the impetus for the founding of the Sangamon County Historical Society more than 50 years ago. Specifically, the founders wanted to preserve the Old State Capitol. The impetus came from members of the Springfield Historic Monuments Commission … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts and letters, Histories, Prominent figures, Resources | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Abraham Lincoln’s pallbearers

Posted on January 3, 2015 by editor

UPDATED with information from Lincoln’s Springfield: The Funeral of Abraham Lincoln, by Richard Hart (2015). Some confusion exists regarding who were the pallbearers for President Abraham Lincoln in May 1865 in Springfield. Springfield newspapers published two slightly different lists preceding … Continue reading →

Posted in Lincoln Tomb, Lincoln, Abraham, Prominent figures | Tagged , | 8 Comments

Allen Cole (sheriff, 1933-34)

Posted on January 1, 2015 by editor

Allen Cole succeeded Samuel Metcalf as Sangamon County sheriff following Metcalf’s dismissal on grounds of insanity. See Sheriff’s ouster, 1933.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Samuel T. Metcalf (ousted sheriff)

Posted on January 1, 2015 by editor

Samuel Metcalf was dismissed as Sangamon County sheriff on grounds of insanity in 1933. See Sheriff’s ouster, 1933.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Sheriff’s ouster, 1933

Posted on January 1, 2015 by editor

This entry has been updated. Sangamon County Sheriff Samuel T. Metcalf (1867-1945) was ousted from office in 1933 on the grounds of insanity, a condition apparently brought on by a head injury Metcalf suffered in a fistfight with an Illinois … Continue reading →

Posted in Law enforcement, Local government, Media, Politics, Prominent figures | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Sangamon County circuit clerks, 1821-2023 (list)

Posted on December 30, 2014 by editor

The histories of most of the 28 people – 26 men and two women – who have held the office of Sangamon County circuit clerk were researched in 2011 by Savannah Little. The resulting brief biographies can be read on … Continue reading →

Posted in Local government, Politics, Prominent figures, Sangamon County | Leave a comment

Dr. C. Robert Fults (elm cleanup)

Posted on December 23, 2014 by editor

Dr. C. Robert Fults (1911-66) headed a massive volunteer effort to remove dead elms from Springfield streets following an epidemic of elm disease in 1949.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Elm devastation, 1940s

Posted on December 23, 2014 by editor

The malady that killed thousands of Sangamon County’s elm trees in the late 1940s wasn’t the dreaded Dutch elm disease. It was worse. The Illinois State Journal sounded the first alarm in its Aug. 3, 1945 edition: “Elm attacked by … Continue reading →

Posted in Disasters, Local government | Leave a comment

Helen Dodge Edwards (obituary)

Posted on December 22, 2014 by editor

The Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society for April 1909 to January 1910 included an obituary of Helen Kissick Dodge Edwards (1819-1909), widow of Benjamin Edwards, matriarch of Edwards Place and, as the obituary says, “the ideal of an … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Early residents, Prominent figures, Social life, Women | Leave a comment

Sangamon County Lithuanians in World War I

Posted on December 20, 2014 by editor

More than 50,000 Lithuanian-Americans fought for the United States in World War I. This remarkable number was later leveraged to lobby U.S. President Woodrow Wilson to recognize the newly independent Lithuanian state that emerged from the War’s aftermath. The vast … Continue reading →

Posted in Coal mines and mining, Ethnic groups, Lithuanians, Military | 3 Comments