Monthly Archives: May 2016

Abraham Lincoln sits atop a reproduction Alaskan totem pole outside the Illinois State Museum. For information on the totem pole’s creation and why it’s in Springfield, see Mid-Day Luncheon Club.

Newspaper bill collector Elmer Kneale was the behind-the-scenes maestro of Springfield’s Mid-Day Luncheon Club from its founding in 1915 until his death in 1944. See Mid-Day Luncheon Club.

Springfield’s Mid-Day Luncheon Club played host to world leaders, past and future presidents, philosophers, magnates and monarchs in a speech series that lasted more than 50 years. And then there was that totem pole. The club was made official in … Continue reading →

In April 1896, an unnamed Illinois State Journal writer attempted to determine the origins of Sangamon County place names. The results were two articles, published April 6 and April 13, that covered every township and most cities and villages in … Continue reading →

Harry “H.D.” Anderson was accused of embezzling as much as $300,000 from the Springfield Brewing Co., which operated at 11th and Madison streets from 1933 until the mid-1940s. See Springfield Brewing Co.

Nicholas Schlangen owned the Springfield Brewing Co. from 1937 until its demise in the mid-1940s. See Springfield Brewing Co.

Conrad Engelking owned the Springfield Brewing Co. from 1934 to 1937. See Springfield Brewing Co.