Category Archives: Local government

Police officer killings, 1885

Posted on August 21, 2022 by editor

When Leonard Gardnier left his Springfield apartment the evening of Aug. 23, 1885, he told his wife to “dress up real nice, because he wanted her to make as pretty a corpse as possible.” An hour or so later, Gardnier, … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and vice, Law enforcement, Local government | Leave a comment

East Springfield village hall and ‘calaboose’

Posted on August 17, 2022 by editor

Invisible and almost inaccessible, tucked into the side of the 19th Street overpass, a tumbledown brick building was in 2022 the last remnant of the once-feisty village of East Springfield. When constructed in 1901, the building served as the East … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Communities, Local government, Railroads, Springfield | 1 Comment

Memorial Pool

Posted on August 14, 2022 by editor

On June 16, 1928, a crowd of about 750 people attended the grand opening of Soldiers’ and Sailors Memorial Pool on Springfield’s north end. The pool was named to honor all U.S. service personnel who perished in wars spanning the … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Local government, Parks, Public health, Social services, Sports and recreation, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Illinois State Fair crisis, 1922-23

Posted on August 11, 2022 by editor

The big question after the 1922 Illinois State Fair was whether there would be another one in 1923. On one level, the problem involved ownership of the fairgrounds. When Sangamon County turned the former site of the county fair over … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Business, Historic Sites, Illinois State Fair, Local government, Prominent figures, Sangamon County, State government | 1 Comment

Gov. Len Small arrested, 1921

Posted on August 9, 2022 by editor

The Aug. 9, 1921, arrest of Gov. Len Small for alleged corruption created a daylong drama in Springfield. It was performed on three stages: the Capitol, the governor’s mansion and the Sangamon County Courthouse. Stars included Small, county Sheriff Henry … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and vice, Illinois capital, Law enforcement, Local government, Politics, Prominent figures, Spectacles, State government, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Stray dog eradication, 1935

Posted on July 19, 2022 by editor

Hoping to stop a rabies epidemic, authorities declared open season on stray dogs in Sangamon County in 1935. Police and dog catchers killed hundreds of dogs that year in what one Illinois State Journal headline called a “brutal” eradication campaign. … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Journalism, Local government, Media, Medicine, Prominent figures, Public health | Leave a comment

First school for Black children

Posted on May 31, 2022 by editor

Springfield’s Colored Baptist Church created what apparently was the city’s first school open to African-American children in the late 1840s. It was a struggle to keep open, but it took a decade before the city finally opened a public school … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Children, Churches, Education, Local government, Schools and school districts | Leave a comment

First parking meters (1941)

Posted on February 16, 2022 by editor

Update: The city of Springfield announced in May 2026 that downtown parking meters were slated to be removed. The city eliminated the requirement for people to feed meters during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic. — Ed.  Confusion, reluctance and a little … Continue reading →

Posted in Law enforcement, Local government, Transportation, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

First traffic signals (1924)

Posted on February 7, 2022 by editor

Struggling with out-of-control auto traffic downtown, Springfield decided in 1924 to experiment with traffic signals. Officials chose the intersection of Sixth and Monroe streets for the city’s first set of stop-and-go lights. They started working Nov. 5, 1924. One set … Continue reading →

Posted in Law enforcement, Local government, Transportation | 4 Comments

Statehouse entrance revamped (1885-86)

Posted on December 31, 2021 by editor

For the first decade of its existence, people entering the east doors of the Illinois Statehouse had to stagger up a massive “grand staircase” to the building’s second floor. That changed in the 1880s, thanks to what was cutting-edge technology … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Buildings, Disasters, Fires, Historic Sites, Illinois capital, Irish, John T. Stuart, Local government, Prominent figures, State government | Leave a comment