Category Archives: Communities

Orange Judd buildings, Rochester

Posted on May 22, 2014 by editor

Buildings pictured in a 1918 collection, the Orange Judd Farmer Pictorial Community Album of Rochester Township and Village, are part of a walking tour created under sponsorship of the Rochester Historical Preservation Society. The Orange Judd Publishing Co. produced a … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Architecture, Buildings, Communities, Historic Sites, Histories, National Register, Prominent figures | Tagged | Leave a comment

Population changes, 1830-2020

Posted on April 21, 2014 by editor

Below are U.S. Census population figures for Sangamon County as a whole beginning in 1830 and for the city of Springfield alone beginning in 1840. (The 1830 Census did not separate out figures for individual communities.) Racial designations below are … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Communities, Resources, Springfield | Leave a comment

Loami

Posted on November 22, 2013 by editor

Europeans first moved into what now is Loami Township in 1819, but the village of Loami didn’t get its start until William and Ebenezer Colburn erected a steam saw and grist mill there in 1836. A settlement grew up around the … Continue reading →

Posted in Communities, Disasters, Mills | 8 Comments

Aristocracy Hill neighborhood (Fever River)

Posted on November 2, 2013 by editor

Springfield’s Aristocracy Hill neighborhood, which takes in an area just south of downtown, is one of five areas of Springfield that have been exhaustively studied by Fever River Research of Springfield. The resulting reports  are extraordinarily informative historical and archaeological … Continue reading →

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Cantrall

Posted on October 31, 2013 by editor

The community of Cantrall had its beginnings in the winter of 1818-19, when Stephen England and two of his sons-in-law, Andrew Cline and Wyatt Cantrall, traveled through Springfield to the north side of the Sangamon River.  There, each of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Churches, Communities, Early residents, Prominent figures | Tagged | Leave a comment

Enos Park neighborhood (Fever River)

Posted on October 28, 2013 by editor

The Enos Park neighborhood, north of downtown, is one of five areas of Springfield that have been exhaustively studied by Fever River Research. The resulting reports  are extraordinarily informative historical and archaeological analyses. (The Enos Park report formerly was available online; … Continue reading →

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Fancy Grove

Posted on October 28, 2013 by editor

One of the earliest but least known settlements in Sangamon County was the community of Fancy Grove. Located along the headwaters of Fancy Creek about three miles southwest of Williamsville, Fancy Grove was unique in that most of its residents … Continue reading →

Posted in Communities, Early residents, Mills | 4 Comments

Pawnee Railroad

Posted on October 13, 2013 by editor

As railroads became vital to community development in the late 19th century, Pawnee farmers and businessmen took the unusual step of financing and building their own rail link. The line originally ran west from Pawnee to connect to the north-south … Continue reading →

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Sangamo Town

Posted on October 9, 2013 by editor

Sangamo Town was a settlement on the Sangamon River that for a time rivaled Springfield as a commercial center, but after only 20 years or so was abandoned and all but forgotten. The man behind Sangamo Town was Moses Broadwell (1764-1827). Born … Continue reading →

Posted in Communities, Early residents, Lincoln, Abraham, Local government, Maps, Prominent figures, Sangamon County, Sangamon River, Transportation | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Utopian Socialism in Sangamon County

Posted on October 5, 2013 by editor

A brief experiment in the 1840s near Loami brought the ideals of “utopian socialism” to Sangamon County. The experiment, called the Sangamon Association and then the Integral Phalanx, was based on the ideas of French philosopher Charles Fourier. He believed … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Communities | Tagged , | 1 Comment