Category Archives: Early residents

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library site (Fever River)

Posted on November 2, 2013 by editor

The site of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential  Library and Museum is one of five areas of Springfield that Fever River Research has studied exhaustively.  The resulting reports  are extraordinarily informative historical and archaeological analyses. Fever River Research says it “specializes … Continue reading →

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Abrams Hotel (1828 pioneers)

Posted on November 2, 2013 by editor

The Abrams Hotel was described as “the principal hotel of the city” in John Todd Stuart’s later reminiscence of 1828 Springfield. It was near the southeast corner of First and Jefferson streets and is No. 5 on the reconstructed map … Continue reading →

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Rev. John Bergen (1828 pioneers)

Posted on November 1, 2013 by editor

Rev. John Bergen (1790-1872) was the first full-time pastor of Springfield’s original Presbyterian church, which was founded in 1828. He, his wife Margretta (1793-1853) and their family moved to Springfield in late 1828 from New Jersey, where John Bergen had … Continue reading →

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Bettie Stuart Institute

Posted on November 1, 2013 by editor

The Bettie Stuart Institute educated young women, mainly from the Springfield area, from the 1860s into the 1930s. Courses ranged from English, math and foreign languages to art, vocal and instrumental music, but, as an advertisement for the school pointed … Continue reading →

Posted in Early residents, Education, Prominent figures, Schools and school districts, Uncategorized, Women | Leave a comment

Black farmers at Chinkapin Hill

Posted on November 1, 2013 by editor

Chinkapin Hill was the colloquial name for an area northwest of Springfield that was settled starting in the 1830s by a cluster of African-American farmers. Curtis Mann profiled the Chinkapin Hill settlement in the Sangamon County Historical Society’s newsletter, Historico, … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Agriculture, Early residents, Farming, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Charles Boyd (1828 pioneers)

Posted on November 1, 2013 by editor

Charles Boyd (1794-1881) was a tailor who lived in Springfield from 1820 to 1830. A family history credits him with building the third cabin, first brick chimney and first dry well in Springfield, as well as making the first tax … Continue reading →

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Broadwell Inn

Posted on October 31, 2013 by editor

Moses Broadwell (1764-1827), a Revolutionary War veteran, moved to Sangamon County with his family in 1820 and settled along Richland Creek, a mile east of the present-day community of Pleasant Plains. There they built a home and a traveler’s inn … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Early residents, First Citizens, Historic Sites, Hotels & taverns, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

The Bunn family

Posted on October 31, 2013 by editor

Grocer Jacob Bunn Sr. (1814-97) and his younger brother John Whitfield Bunn (1831-1920) began a family whose energy and initiative have helped mold Springfield for more than 150 years.  Their business interests have ranged from the original Springfield Marine Bank … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Early residents, First Citizens, Historic Sites, Lincoln, Abraham, Prominent figures | Tagged , , , , , | 16 Comments

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 →

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Ebenezer Capps (1828 pioneers)

Posted on October 31, 2013 by editor

Ebenezer Capps (1797-1877), a native of London, England, operated a grocery on Jefferson Street west of First Street in 1828 Springfield, according to John Todd Stuart’s later recollections. (Capps’ store is listed as No. 12 on the reconstructed map of … Continue reading →

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