Category Archives: Prominent figures

Women’s suffrage in Illinois

Posted on November 4, 2013 by editor

A carefully calibrated legislative strategy in Springfield led to Illinois becoming, in 1913, the first state east of the Mississippi to grant women the right to vote. On June 10, 1919, the state then became the first in the nation … Continue reading →

Posted in Illinois capital, Local government, Politics, Prominent figures, Schools and school districts, State government, Women | 5 Comments

Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport

Posted on November 2, 2013 by editor

Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport was dedicated, under its original name of Capital Airport, on Nov. 2, 1947. The ceremony culminated a nearly decade-long effort to build a new airport, an initiative sparked when the two airlines that previously served Springfield … Continue reading →

Posted in Airport, Journalism, Local government, Military, Prominent figures, Transportation | 2 Comments

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 →

Posted in Early residents, Fever River, Histories, Lincoln, Abraham, Museums, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

Adams Wildlife Sanctuary

Posted on November 2, 2013 by editor

The Adams Wildlife Sanctuary in the 2300 block of Clear Lake Avenue was donated to the Illinois Audubon Society by Margery Adams, whose family had owned the property for more than 100 years. Margery Adams (1897-1983) lived in the home on … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Buildings, Farming, Lincoln, Abraham, Prominent figures | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Trip to Springfield, 1852 (letter)

Posted on November 2, 2013 by editor

Mark Bangs of Lacon, while on a business trip to Springfield in 1852, wrote a letter to his wife Nellie, describing his trip and giving his impressions of the elite American House Hotel, the largest in Illinois at the time. … Continue reading →

Posted in Hotels & taverns, Presidents, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

Bank run of 1932 (George Bunn Jr. memoir)

Posted on November 2, 2013 by editor

George “Gib” Bunn Jr. remembered Springfield’s banking crisis of December 1932 in an oral interview conducted in 1973. The interviewer was John Bucari. Below is an edited transcript of the section of the interview dealing with the failure of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Business, Depression, Prominent figures | Tagged , | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Churches, Early residents, Parks, Prominent figures, Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment

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

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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John Bressmer Co.

Posted on October 31, 2013 by editor

The John W. Bressmer Co. was founded as a dry goods store in 1861 and later expanded into a full-fledged department store, selling men’s and women’s clothing, furniture and household items. With Myers Brothers, it was one of downtown Springfield’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Business, Department stores, Disasters, Historic Sites, National Register, Prominent figures | 15 Comments