Category Archives: Business

Chili (‘chilli’) in Springfield

Posted on October 30, 2013 by editor

Springfield’s idiosyncratic two-L spelling of the dish that goes elsewhere by the spelling “chili” was institutionalized when Joe Bockelmann and Thomas McNerney opened The Dew Chilli Parlor in 1909. Although The Dew apparently was the first restaurant to spell it … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Prominent figures, Restaurants | 40 Comments

Citizens Improvement Association

Posted on October 30, 2013 by editor

The Springfield Citizens Improvement Association was formed in 1889. See Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce.

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Clark’s Mill

Posted on October 30, 2013 by editor

Clark’s Mill was on the South Fork of the Sangamon River near Rochester. The Clark brothers, Edward and Phillip, came to the United States from England with the express purpose of building a watermill. They arrived in Sangamon County in … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Industry, Mills | 3 Comments

Commercial Association

Posted on October 30, 2013 by editor

The Springfield Commercial Association was formed by the merger of the Springfield Business Men’s Association and the Springfield Chamber of Commerce in 1910. See Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce.

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Courthouse and Marine Bank, 1860 (drawing)

Posted on October 29, 2013 by editor

The Sangamon County Courthouse (left) and the Marine Fire and Insurance Co., on the east side of what is now the Old Capitol Plaza, in an 1860 lithograph. (Source: Here I Have Lived, Paul Angle; reprinted in Aristocracy Hill survey … Continue reading →

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Cozy Dog Drive-In

Posted on October 29, 2013 by editor

The Cozy Dog, a battered, deep-fried hot dog on a stick, was created by Ed Waldmire Jr. (1916-93) while he was in the U.S. Army Air Corps in Texas.* After discharge, Waldmire brought the idea back to Springfield. Here is … Continue reading →

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Culver Marble and Stone Co.

Posted on October 29, 2013 by editor

The Culver Marble and Stone Co. and its offshoots, headed by Col. James S. Culver (1852-1911), were among the Springfield area’s most prominent builders from the early 1870s until 1912. As a contractor, the Culver firm was given credit for … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Buildings, Business, Industry, Museums, Prominent figures | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Darling’s Mill

Posted on October 29, 2013 by editor

Darling’s Mill was on the North Fork of the Sangamon River in Clear Lake Township, south of the modern Mechanicsburg Road crossing. One of the lesser known mills today, Darling’s Mill is actually well documented in the historical record. The … Continue reading →

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Andrew Elliott (1828 pioneers)

Posted on October 28, 2013 by editor

Andrew Elliott (1792-1864) kept what John Carroll Power called the first hotel in Springfield. However, his main claim to (probably apocryphal) fame was as the guide who secured the county seat for Springfield. According to Power, Elliott, originally from North … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Early residents, Hotels & taverns, Local government, Prominent figures, Sangamon County, Springfield | 2 Comments

Salome Paddock Enos (1828 pioneers)

Posted on October 28, 2013 by editor

Salome Paddock Enos (1791-1877), the wife of Pascal P. Enos, successfully managed her husband’s extensive land holdings following his death and became one of early Springfield’s most generous benefactors. At her death, James Matheny described how Salome Enos dealt with … Continue reading →

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