Category Archives: Churches

Ursuline Sisters: Pioneer educators

Posted on April 21, 2013 by editor

The Ursuline order of Catholic nuns played an important role in educating Springfield’s young from the mid-1800s through most of the 20th century, founding Ursuline Academy, a high school originally for girls only and Springfield Junior College, for decades Springfield’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Churches, Education, Prominent figures | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Pleasant Plains

Posted on April 21, 2013 by editor

The first Europeans settled near what is now Pleasant Plains about 1819, and a “Mr. Spillars” was operating a horse-powered grist mill by almost the same time. From the 1830s to the 1850s, a stagecoach line connected Springfield to Beardstown, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Churches, Communities, Early residents, Historic Sites, Prominent figures | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Portuguese immigrants

Posted on April 14, 2013 by editor

Note: This entry has been updated and expanded. Religious differences on the  island of Madeira were the unlikely backdrop for an equally unlikely influx of immigrants — people of Portuguese descent — to Sangamon County in 1850. Members of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Churches, Early residents, Portuguese, Prominent figures | Tagged | 53 Comments

Church of the Immaculate Conception (‘Old St. Mary’s’)

Posted on March 21, 2013 by editor

The Church of the Immaculate Conception, a Catholic parish church that stood at the northeast corner of Seventh and Monroe streets from 1858 until 1952, should not be confused with the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, which became the episcopal … Continue reading →

Posted in Churches | Tagged | 13 Comments