Monthly Archives: August 2015

Birds of Sangamon County

Posted on August 28, 2015 by editor

A 40-year study by Illinois State Museum ornithologist H. David Bohlen found 359 different species of birds in Sangamon County. However, Bohlen warns in his report, published online by the museum in 2013, that increasing human population has badly reduced … Continue reading →

Posted in Prehistory, Resources, Science | Leave a comment

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

Frank Sherry (hammer assaults)

Posted on August 20, 2015 by editor

Frank Sherry, then 26, assaulted eight people with a hammer in Springfield on Aug. 4, 1975, killing two. See Hammer attacks, 1975.

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Hammer attacks, 1975

Posted on August 20, 2015 by editor

Two men were killed and eight other people injured in frenzied hammer attacks that took place in Springfield on Aug. 4, 1975. Frank Sherry (1950-2004) later pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in a deal agreed to by relatives of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and vice, Law enforcement | 19 Comments

Harry Knotts (wireless telegrapher)

Posted on August 18, 2015 by editor

Harry Knotts operated a powerful wireless telegraphy station at Illiopolis that originated the first radio-transmitted weather reports.

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Clarence Root (weather forecaster)

Posted on August 18, 2015 by editor

Clarence Root of Springfield suggested “wireless telegraphy” as a way to distribute weather forecasts. See “First radio weather report.”  

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First radio weather report (Illiopolis, 1915)

Posted on August 18, 2015 by editor

What apparently was the first weather report ever transmitted by radio was a test sent from an experimental station based in Illiopolis sometime in April 1915. Although the Illiopolis transmitter, operating on call letters 9ZK, reached most of Illinois, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Journalism, Media, Science | Leave a comment

Illinois State Fair, 1915

Posted on August 12, 2015 by editor

Rain washed out car races and some other activities scheduled for opening day of the 1915 Illinois State Fair, but the fair’s big controversy focused on a different, and unlikely, topic: china painting. The fair was held in September during … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Arts and letters | Leave a comment

Caryl Moy (Planned Parenthood)

Posted on August 10, 2015 by editor

Caryl Towsley Moy revived Planned Parenthood in the Springfield area in the 1970s. See Maternal Health Center/Planned Parenthood.

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‘Dougie’ Funk (Maternal Health Center)

Posted on August 10, 2015 by editor

Mary Douglass “Dougie” Funk was among the early supporters of Springfield’s first birth control clinic. See Maternal Health Center/Planned Parenthood.

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