Category Archives: Buildings

Willard Ice, ‘Mr. Revenue’

Posted on March 30, 2015 by editor

Willard Ice (1915-80) was an attorney and public servant at the Illinois Department of Revenue for more than 30 years, including a brief period as revenue director.  The Revenue Department’s headquarters in Springfield is named after Ice, commemorating his contributions … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Illinois capital, Prominent figures, State government | 8 Comments

‘The Wedding of the Rose and the Lotus’ (Vachel Lindsay)

Posted on March 22, 2015 by editor

Springfield poet Vachel Lindsay wrote The Wedding of the Rose and the Lotus in 1912 to recognize the importance of the Panama Canal, which connected the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The rose signifies the West and the lotus the East. … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts and letters, Buildings, Lindsay, Vachel, Markers, Prominent figures | 1 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

Sangamon County Jail conditions, 1847 (Dorothea Dix)

Posted on February 23, 2015 by editor

Social reformer Dorothea Dix wrote the following letter – Dix characterized similar communications as “memorials” — to the Sangamo Journal and Illinois State Register on Feb. 19, 1847. It was published in the March 4, 1847 edition of the Journal. … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Law enforcement, Local government, Public health, Sangamon County, Social services | Leave a comment

Lincoln Home neighborhood in 1971 (Nelson Howarth)

Posted on February 11, 2015 by editor

Nelson Howarth, with only a week to go in his third and final term as mayor of Springfield, testified in April 1971 before the U.S. House Subcommittee on National Parks and Recreation in support of designating the Lincoln Home neighborhood … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Historic Sites, Lincoln Home, Lincoln, Abraham, Local government, Museums, National Register, Parks, Presidents, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

Executive Mansion demolition plan, 1963

Posted on February 10, 2015 by editor

Postponed maintenance, repair crises and general dilapidation have been recurring problems at the Illinois Executive Mansion – most recently in 2014 and 2015, when a leaky roof and mold in the basement helped create a need for more than $5 … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Buildings, Historic Sites, Illinois capital, State government | 1 Comment

Lincoln Library Carnegie building, 1904-74

Posted on February 5, 2015 by editor

Springfield residents fondly remember the city’s Carnegie library, opened in 1904 and demolished in 1974, for some of the same features that ultimately made the building unsuitable as a library. The library was memorably described by Margaret Boswell in an … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Arts and letters, Buildings, Local government | 13 Comments

Chatham railroad history

Posted on October 5, 2014 by editor

In the early 1800s, like many other places on what was then “the frontier,” lack of reliable transportation was an impediment to the growth of Sangamon County. The Sangamon River was an outlet to the Illinois River, but was too … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Communities, Historic Sites, Museums, Railroads, Transportation | Tagged | 5 Comments

The Pasfield family (1830s to 1930)

Posted on September 28, 2014 by editor

Three men named George Pasfield — father, son and grandson, usually distinguished as “the first George Pasfield,” “Dr. George Pasfield” and “George Pasfield Jr.” — played major roles in the growth of Springfield over nearly a century. 1830s George Pasfield … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Business, Early residents, First Citizens, Historic Sites, Hotels & taverns, Illinois capital, Industry, Local government, Parks, Prominent figures | 3 Comments