Category Archives: Prominent figures

Dr. Alonzo Kenniebrew (physician)

Posted on October 14, 2015 by editor

Dr. Alonzo Kenniebrew lived and died in Springfield, and his wife later became one of the most honored Springfieldians of her generation. His most notable achievements as a pioneering African-American physician, however, were accomplished elsewhere. Kenniebrew (1875-1943) founded the world’s … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, First Citizens, Medicine, Prominent figures, Women | 2 Comments

North Side State Bank collapse, 1927

Posted on September 22, 2015 by editor

The North Side State Bank operated from 1920 to 1927, when state auditors ordered it closed in the wake of a complicated financial scandal involving two banks, three insurance companies, and a former Springfield resident who may have absconded with … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts and letters, Buildings, Business, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

Springfield Muni Opera

Posted on September 8, 2015 by editor

The Springfield Muni Opera’s earliest ancestor was a play named “Good News,” performed by the Springfield Municipal Choir at Lanphier Park on July 28, 1938. But today’s outdoor community musical theater more accurately dates from a presentation of “Bye Bye … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Arts and letters, Local government, Prominent figures, Social life, Theaters | 8 Comments

Hay-Edwards School (1914-2000)

Posted on August 27, 2015 by editor

The former Hay-Edwards School, for which redevelopment plans were announced in August 2015, got its name from a former mayor and school board chairman and a prominent Springfield family. Charles Hay (1841-1916), a brother of President Abraham Lincoln’s secretary (and later … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Local government, Prominent figures, Schools and school districts | 4 Comments

Maternal Health Center/Planned Parenthood

Posted on August 9, 2015 by editor

The Maternal Health Center, Springfield’s first avowed birth control clinic, was created in 1938 by about a dozen socially prominent women. Its early leaders included Elizabeth “Libby” Lanphier (1908-97), Calista Herndon (1902-83) and Mary “Dougie” Funk (1900-80). The center faced several obstacles … Continue reading →

Posted in Prominent figures, Public health, Women | Leave a comment

Louis Lehmann (band director)

Posted on July 27, 2015 by editor

Professor Louis Lehmann (1851-1923) led the Illinois Watch Factory Band for 42 years, until he collapsed and died at a band rehearsal. William Dodd Chenery described the scene in 1933: For forty-two years, almost to a day, he carried on, … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Amusements, Local government, Prominent figures, Social life | Leave a comment

Paul Powell shoebox scandal

Posted on July 15, 2015 by editor

The discovery of hundreds of thousands of dollars stuffed in suitcases, an attache case, loose envelopes and, of course, a shoebox within days after the October 1970 death of Illinois Secretary of State Paul Powell remains clouded by confusion and … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and vice, Illinois capital, Politics, Prominent figures, State government | 2 Comments

John E. Hickey (pioneer aviator)

Posted on June 19, 2015 by editor

John E. Hickey (1890-1970), a founder of aviation’s Silver Wings Fraternity, had been a pilot for longer than anyone else in Illinois when he died in 1970. Hickey’s first flight took place in a hot-air balloon in 1908. He told … Continue reading →

Posted in Air travel, Airport, Prominent figures | 6 Comments

Gehrmann Park

Posted on June 7, 2015 by editor

The development of Gehrmann Park in 1946 caused the destruction of what then probably was Springfield’s oldest building – a log cabin built by one of the Kellys, the city’s first European settlers. The three-acre park between Third and Fourth … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Early residents, Parks, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

St. Barbara Slovenian Catholic Church

Posted on June 2, 2015 by editor

St. Barbara Church, 15th and Laurel streets, was Springfield’s Slovenian Catholic parish from 1911 until 1947. Thirty-seven Slovenian residents of the Springfield area – many of them coal miners – formed a Slovenian Church Building Association in 1909, each pledging … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Churches, Depression, Labor unions, Prominent figures, Schools and school districts | 9 Comments