Monthly Archives: December 2015

Manufacturers in Springfield, 1953

Posted on December 19, 2015 by editor

“Industry is big business in Springfield,” the Illinois State Journal declared in a year’s-end wrapup story published Dec. 30, 1953. Products manufactured in Springfield range from bobby pins to bulldozers; from boilers to lawn mowers; from tractors to precision instruments; … Continue reading →

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James Hayes (last person executed in Sangamon County)

Posted on December 17, 2015 by editor

James Hayes was hung in the yard of the Sangamon County Jail on Dec. 17, 1927. See Last execution in Sangamon County.

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Last execution in Sangamon County

Posted on December 17, 2015 by editor

The last person executed in Sangamon County went to the gallows with a new suit, a plucky attitude and one last request – no women were permitted to witness his hanging. James Hayes (1898?-1927) was put to death shortly after … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and vice, Law enforcement, Sangamon County | 5 Comments

‘Hunkie John’ Buskiewich murder trial (1926)

Posted on December 15, 2015 by editor

“Hunkie John” Buskiewich (1903?-69) was the defendant in 1926 in one of Sangamon County’s most sensational murder trials. “Hunkie,” a slang term for immigrants from Eastern Europe — Buskiewich was of Lithuanian descent – was an expression that could be … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and vice, Law enforcement, Lithuanians | 2 Comments

Jimmy Doolittle’s near miss (1930s)

Posted on December 13, 2015 by editor

Famed aviator Jimmy Doolittle almost crashed his plane into the unlit Statehouse dome in the early 1930s. See Statehouse dome lighting.

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Police alert lights (1912-36)

Posted on December 13, 2015 by editor

Flashing red lights on the Statehouse dome once alerted Springfield police to emergencies. See Statehouse dome lighting.

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League Park (Lawless Park)

Posted on December 3, 2015 by editor

League Park, used in the early 1900s by local baseball and football teams, was built in 1902 and demolished by an arson fire in 1911. Today, the site is again a baseball facility. See Richard Kinsella, baseball scout, team owner.

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Three-I League teams, 1903-1915

Posted on December 3, 2015 by editor

Springfield teams in the early Three-I League tended not to last long and to change names frequently. See Richard Kinsella, baseball scout, team owner.

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Richard Kinsella (baseball scout, team owner)

Posted on December 3, 2015 by editor

Richard “Sinister Dick” Kinsella (1862-1939) was a semi-pro baseball player, owner of Springfield’s Three-I League team and a well-known local politician. But he was famous nationally as the right-hand man of John J. McGraw, the Hall of Fame manager of … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Local government, Media | 2 Comments