Category Archives: Agriculture

First radio weather report (Illiopolis, 1915)

Posted on August 18, 2015 by editor

What apparently was the first weather report ever transmitted by radio was a test sent from an experimental station based in Illiopolis sometime in April 1915. Although the Illiopolis transmitter, operating on call letters 9ZK, reached most of Illinois, the … Continue reading →

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Illinois State Fair butter cow

Posted on August 4, 2015 by editor

The Illinois State Fair’s first butter cow, sculpted in 1922, was the image of an actual champion cow, the University of Illinois’ Raleigh’s Sibyl. Raleigh’s Sibyl produced 18,847 pounds of milk in 1920, a record at the time. Nebraska sculptor … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Amusements, Celebrations, Spectacles | 1 Comment

Sangamon Ordnance Plant

Posted on July 7, 2015 by editor

Dozens of seemingly out-of-place structures dot farm fields west of Illiopolis, the last reminders of what once was one of the U.S.’s largest producers of World War II artillery ammunition. From 1942 to 1945, the Sangamon Ordnance Plant produced 24 … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Agriculture, Buildings, Communities, Disasters, Industry, Military, Transportation, Women | 47 Comments

Early farming changes (William Herndon description)

Posted on January 25, 2015 by editor

On Aug. 31, 1876, William Herndon (1818-91), Abraham Lincoln’s last law partner and biographer, spoke to the ninth annual meeting of the Old Settlers of Sangamon County. Here is part of his speech, in which he recounts changes in farming … Continue reading →

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Soybeans

Posted on August 30, 2014 by editor

Soybeans, now the second-leading crop in Sangamon County (as they are in most of the Midwest), became a staple on county farms in the 1920s. The increase in soybean production already had been dramatic, but it had started from a … Continue reading →

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Spaulding (village)

Posted on July 10, 2014 by editor

The village of Spaulding, off Illinois 54 east of Springfield, got its name from a mammoth nursery and orchard. In central Illinois, the name Spaulding today is synonymous with Lake Springfield and City Water, Light and Power. But before Willis … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Business, Coal mines and mining, Communities, Farming, Prominent figures | 10 Comments

Wheeland Haven, Riverton

Posted on June 25, 2014 by editor

In the early 1900s, in the midst of coal mines and cornfields east of Riverton, was a 17-acre oasis of beauty — Wheeland Haven, the home of Olive Black Wheeland and her husband Cyrus. Cyrus Wheeland was a farmer, grain … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Architecture, Buildings, Historic Sites, National Register, Parks, Prominent figures, Women | 17 Comments

Sangamon County farm statistics, 1860

Posted on April 25, 2014 by editor

The 1860 federal census of agriculture for Sangamon County reported the county had 2,237 farms encompassing a total of 379, 512 acres.  The average farm size was about 170 acres. County residents owned 12,607 horses, 8,121 milk cows, 17,363 beef … Continue reading →

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Adams Wildlife Sanctuary

Posted on November 2, 2013 by editor

The Adams Wildlife Sanctuary in the 2300 block of Clear Lake Avenue was donated to the Illinois Audubon Society by Margery Adams, whose family had owned the property for more than 100 years. Margery Adams (1897-1983) lived in the home on … Continue reading →

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Black farmers at Chinkapin Hill

Posted on November 1, 2013 by editor

Chinkapin Hill was the colloquial name for an area northwest of Springfield that was settled starting in the 1830s by a cluster of African-American farmers. Curtis Mann profiled the Chinkapin Hill settlement in the Sangamon County Historical Society’s newsletter, Historico, … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Agriculture, Early residents, Farming, Uncategorized | Leave a comment