Monthly Archives: October 2024

Electioneering in early Springfield

Posted on October 30, 2024 by editor

As the 1930 political season got started, Illinois State Journal editor/columnist J. Emil Smith noted, with some regret, that Springfield probably wouldn’t see a classic torchlight parade, the kind he remembered from his youth. Here’s an excerpt from Smith’s “Making … Continue reading →

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‘Rachel,’ the Springfield High School ghost

Posted on October 22, 2024 by editor

There is some truth to the folklore around “Rachel,” the supposed ghost that haunts Springfield High School. SHS was built on the former site of Hutchinson Cemetery, once the city’s largest graveyard. Hutchinson Cemetery covered five acres southwest of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Education, Schools and school districts, Videos | Leave a comment

Springfield cemeteries, past and present

Posted on October 18, 2024 by editor

This entry has been updated. See below. Springfield’s Old City Cemetery had been closed to new burials for more than 30 years when an Illinois State Journal writer visited in February 1890. It wasn’t a pleasant sight. A dreary and … Continue reading →

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Springfield High School sketches, 1930 (Alda Raulin)

Posted on October 8, 2024 by editor

                                    Alda Raulin captured classic views of Springfield High School in five line drawings that led off the 1930 edition of The Capitoline, … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Arts and letters, Buildings, Education, Illustrations, Lithuanians, Lithuanians, Schools and school districts, Uncategorized | 1 Comment