Category Archives: Prominent figures

Smokey’s Den

Posted on January 30, 2015 by editor

Smokey’s Den, originally at 127 N. Fifth St., was the first bar in Springfield that openly catered to gay men and women. When Smokey’s closed in 2003, after nearly four decades in business, it was thought to be the oldest … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Business, Hotels & taverns, Prominent figures, Social life | Leave a comment

Early farming changes (William Herndon description)

Posted on January 25, 2015 by editor

On Aug. 31, 1876, William Herndon (1818-91), Abraham Lincoln’s last law partner and biographer, spoke to the ninth annual meeting of the Old Settlers of Sangamon County. Here is part of his speech, in which he recounts changes in farming … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Early residents, Farming, Histories, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

Springfield Library Association

Posted on January 24, 2015 by editor

The forerunner of today’s Lincoln Library, Springfield’s municipal library, was the Springfield Library Association, a private library supported by membership dues and donation. (Lincoln Library, Springfield’s public library, should not be confused with the state-operated Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library.) But … Continue reading →

Posted in Abolitionism, Arts and letters, Local government, Prominent figures, Social services | Leave a comment

Lincoln College of Law

Posted on January 19, 2015 by editor

The Lincoln College of Law educated prospective lawyers, mostly in night classes, for more than 40 years in Springfield. Many graduates went on to distinguished legal careers. The school opened on Sept. 4, 1911, sharing space that first year with … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Higher education, Prominent figures, Schools and school districts | 12 Comments

Rotary Club of Springfield

Posted on January 10, 2015 by editor

Rotary Club of Springfield, Illinois – the city’s original Rotary group and one of five local Rotarys in existence as of 2015 – held an organizational meeting, attended by 23 prospective members, on June 24, 1913, according to A Century … Continue reading →

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Sangamon County Historical Society

Posted on January 4, 2015 by editor

Historic preservation was the impetus for the founding of the Sangamon County Historical Society more than 50 years ago. Specifically, the founders wanted to preserve the Old State Capitol. The impetus came from members of the Springfield Historic Monuments Commission … Continue reading →

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Abraham Lincoln’s pallbearers

Posted on January 3, 2015 by editor

UPDATED with information from Lincoln’s Springfield: The Funeral of Abraham Lincoln, by Richard Hart (2015). Some confusion exists regarding who were the pallbearers for President Abraham Lincoln in May 1865 in Springfield. Springfield newspapers published two slightly different lists preceding … Continue reading →

Posted in Lincoln Tomb, Lincoln, Abraham, Prominent figures | Tagged , | 8 Comments

Sheriff’s ouster, 1933

Posted on January 1, 2015 by editor

This entry has been updated. Sangamon County Sheriff Samuel T. Metcalf (1867-1945) was ousted from office in 1933 on the grounds of insanity, a condition apparently brought on by a head injury Metcalf suffered in a fistfight with an Illinois … Continue reading →

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Sangamon County circuit clerks, 1821-2023 (list)

Posted on December 30, 2014 by editor

The histories of most of the 28 people – 26 men and two women – who have held the office of Sangamon County circuit clerk were researched in 2011 by Savannah Little. The resulting brief biographies can be read on … Continue reading →

Posted in Local government, Politics, Prominent figures, Sangamon County | Leave a comment

Helen Dodge Edwards (obituary)

Posted on December 22, 2014 by editor

The Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society for April 1909 to January 1910 included an obituary of Helen Kissick Dodge Edwards (1819-1909), widow of Benjamin Edwards, matriarch of Edwards Place and, as the obituary says, “the ideal of an … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Early residents, Prominent figures, Social life, Women | Leave a comment