Category Archives: Historic Sites

New Salem residents: ‘hard to cheat, hard to whip, and still harder to fool’

Posted on September 14, 2026 by editor

The site of New Salem, the village where Abraham Lincoln lived as a young man, is in Menard County today. When Lincoln lived there, however, New Salem was part of Sangamon County. See below. In researching his foundational biography, Herndon’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Communities, Early residents, Historic Sites, Lincoln, Abraham, Markers, Museums, Parks, Presidents, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Illinois State Armory cornerstone (1937)

Posted on August 14, 2026 by editor

Gov. Henry Horner personally laid the first trowel of mortar for the cornerstone of the Illinois State Armory on Nov. 27, 1936. The 90-year-old Armory, undergoing massive reconstruction following decades of disuse, was renamed the Jim Edgar State Office Building … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Buildings, Historic Sites, Illinois capital, Military, Prominent figures, State government, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Illinois Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Posted on May 24, 2026 by editor

On Memorial Day 1986, a small group of camouflage-clad Vietnam veterans walked through Oak Ridge Cemetery, anticipating construction of a memorial for Illinoisans killed or missing in the war. “People are coming to realize we did our job,” veteran Robert … Continue reading →

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Auburn’s double-decker bandstand

Posted on January 18, 2026 by editor

The double-decker bandstand on the Auburn square evokes the early 1900s, when growing pains preoccupied Auburn residents. Today’s bandstand is a 21st-century replica of Auburn’s original two-story bandstand. The first bandstand was built in 1905, shortly after Auburn residents voted … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Architecture, Celebrations, Communities, Historic Sites, Local government, Markers, Prominent figures, Route 66, Social life, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Robert Lincoln’s letter regarding the Lincoln Tomb, 1901 (photos)

Posted on June 13, 2025 by editor

The letter shown here is part of an online exhibit, “The 100 Most Valuable Documents at the Illinois State Archives.” Robert Todd Lincoln, only surviving son of President Abraham Lincoln, wrote it to Gov. Richard Yates Jr. in June 1901, … Continue reading →

Posted in Historic Sites, Illustrations, Lincoln Tomb, Photos and photosets, Presidents, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

‘German Settlers Row’ (300 block of West Cook Street)

Posted on March 23, 2025 by editor

German Settlers Row, a group of buildings centered around the 300 block of West Cook Street, takes its name from the families who built the first homes there in the 1860s: Mack, Schutte, Lauer, Godenrath, Dressendorfer. From Cook Street today, … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Buildings, Ethnic groups, Family life, Germans, Historic Sites | 2 Comments

Crow’s Mill Covered Bridge (photo)

Posted on February 19, 2025 by editor

Sangamon County still had a half-dozen covered bridges at the start of the 1930s, more than any other county in the state of Illinois. By the time the decade ended, only two remained. The first of the bridges to fall … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Historic Sites, Photos and photosets, Transportation | Leave a comment

Springfield cemeteries, past and present

Posted on October 18, 2024 by editor

This entry has been updated and corrected. See notes below. Springfield’s Old City Cemetery had been closed to new burials for more than 30 years when an Illinois State Journal writer visited in February 1890. It wasn’t a pleasant sight. … Continue reading →

Posted in Early residents, Historic Sites | 2 Comments

U.S. Grant speech at Lincoln Tomb dedication, 1874

Posted on June 23, 2024 by editor

President Ulysses Grant was not the main speaker when Abraham Lincoln’s tomb was dedicated on Oct. 15, 1874. Grant was asked to deliver the official dedication address, but declined. He did, however, did give a short speech at the ceremony, … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Historic Sites, Lincoln Tomb, Museums, Presidents, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The Hammerslough/Rosenwald family, clothiers

Posted on January 22, 2024 by editor

The Capitol Clothing House opened in Springfield in 1856 with the slogan “Low Prices and Good Goods.” Aside from providing inexpensive, ready-to-wear clothes to pre-Civil War Springfield, the Capitol Clothing House is the reason Springfield can boast that it was … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Historic Sites, Jewish, Lincoln Home, Lincoln Tomb, Lincoln, Abraham, Prominent figures | 1 Comment