Category Archives: Early residents

Mechanics and Farmers Bank

Posted on October 15, 2013 by editor

Although it is mentioned briefly in Paul Angle’s Here I Have Lived: A History of Lincoln’s Springfield, little is known about the short-lived Mechanics and Farmers Bank of Springfield. The bank was created in the late summer of 1852, when … Continue reading →

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John Todd Stuart’s memoir of Springfield

Posted on October 15, 2013 by editor

John Todd Stuart (1807-85) was Abraham Lincoln’s mentor and first law partner. He served three terms in both the Illinois General Assembly and U.S. Congress. Stuart, who arrived in Springfield from Kentucky in 1828, described the community as he found … Continue reading →

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Zimri Enos’ memoir of early Springfield

Posted on October 15, 2013 by editor

Zimri Enos (1821-1907), the son of Pascal and Salome Paddock Enos, came to Springfield with his family at age two. He became a lawyer, engineer, surveyor and property developer and served as a Springfield city alderman and member of the … Continue reading →

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Mildred Park (Bunn Park)

Posted on October 14, 2013 by editor

Mildred Park had rides, a swimming, boating and fishing lagoon with a suspension bridge and other attractions. The area is now Bunn Park. The suspension bridge was the site of a near-tragedy on Aug. 16,1905, when one of its cables … Continue reading →

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Mordecai Mobley (1828 pioneers)

Posted on October 14, 2013 by editor

Mordecai Mobley was an early merchant who had a store on Jefferson Street west of First Street, according to John Todd Stuart’s recollection of 1828 Springfield. (The store is listed as No. 11 on the reconstructed map of 1828 Springfield.) … Continue reading →

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Lucretia (‘Aunt Cressy’) Moore (1828 pioneers)

Posted on October 14, 2013 by editor

Lucretia (“Aunt Cressy” or “Aunt Creecy”) Moore, “a woman of colour,” paid $25 to buy a lot at the northeast corner of Fourth and Washington streets from Elijah Iles in 1827. John Todd Stuart remembered her living there in 1828. … Continue reading →

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Elizabeth and Ninian Edwards home (Lincoln marriage site)

Posted on October 14, 2013 by editor

Abraham and Mary Lincoln were married in the dining room of Elizabeth Todd Edwards (1816-88), Mary’s sister, and her husband, Ninian Wirt Edwards (1809-99), in the 500 block of South Second Street in Springfield on Nov. 4, 1842. Mary Lincoln … Continue reading →

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Oak Ridge Cemetery

Posted on October 14, 2013 by editor

Oak Ridge Cemetery was founded as about a 28-acre site in 1856. Dedication ceremonies were held on May 24, 1860, with the highlight being a lengthy, fulsome oration by James C. Conkling (1816-99). A sense of Conkling’s speaking style — … Continue reading →

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George Power Farmstead

Posted on October 12, 2013 by editor

The George Power Farmstead , east of Cantrall off County Road 9.5N, is Sangamon County’s best remaining example of a 19th-century farm layout — and perhaps the site where fledgling lawyer Abraham Lincoln argued his first case. Kentucky-born George “Squire” … Continue reading →

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John Carroll Power on the founding of Springfield

Posted on October 12, 2013 by editor

John Carroll Power (1819-94), custodian of the Lincoln Tomb from 1874 to 1894, also wrote several books, including two important early histories: History of Springfield, Illinois, its attractions as a home and advantages for business, manufacturing, etc. (1871); and History … Continue reading →

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