Monthly Archives: December 2014

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

Dr. C. Robert Fults (elm cleanup)

Posted on December 23, 2014 by editor

Dr. C. Robert Fults (1911-66) headed a massive volunteer effort to remove dead elms from Springfield streets following an epidemic of elm disease in 1949.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Elm devastation, 1940s

Posted on December 23, 2014 by editor

The malady that killed thousands of Sangamon County’s elm trees in the late 1940s wasn’t the dreaded Dutch elm disease. It was worse. The Illinois State Journal sounded the first alarm in its Aug. 3, 1945 edition: “Elm attacked by … Continue reading →

Posted in Disasters, Local government | 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

Sangamon County Lithuanians in World War I

Posted on December 20, 2014 by editor

More than 50,000 Lithuanian-Americans fought for the United States in World War I. This remarkable number was later leveraged to lobby U.S. President Woodrow Wilson to recognize the newly independent Lithuanian state that emerged from the War’s aftermath. The vast … Continue reading →

Posted in Coal mines and mining, Ethnic groups, Lithuanians, Military | 3 Comments

The Historic Preservation Association of Springfield

Posted on December 19, 2014 by editor

Note: This post has been revised by the author. By the middle 1980s, the preservation of historically and architecturally significant buildings had become the subject of growing attention in Springfield. This attention reflected national trends, as well as regret over … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Historic Sites, Local government, National Register, Springfield | 3 Comments

Henry M. Lutz (Capital Airport, Franklin Life)

Posted on December 17, 2014 by editor

See Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport.

Posted in Prominent figures, Transportation | Leave a comment

Vito Impastato (restaurateur, organized crime suspect)

Posted on December 14, 2014 by editor

Vito Impastato, though often suspected of crimes including kidnapping, bank robbery and murder, built an enduring career as a restaurant operator in Springfield. His restaurants began in the 1930s with the Club Holiday, MacArthur Boulevard and North Grand Avenue. Later, … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Crime and vice, Law enforcement, Prominent figures, Restaurants, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Frank Zito and the Zito brothers (organized crime)

Posted on December 14, 2014 by editor

Frank Zito, usually characterized as “Springfield’s godfather,” remains a fabled figure in the history of Springfield organized crime decades after his death. He attended the notorious Apalachin, N.Y., conference of Mafia chieftains, seriocomically invoked the Fifth Amendment before a Congressional … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and vice, Law enforcement, Prominent figures | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 67 Comments