Category Archives: Arts and letters

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

Bobby Watson (movies’ Hitler)

Posted on April 24, 2015 by editor

Bobby Watson (1888-1965), born Robert Kuecher in Springfield, portrayed Adolf Hitler in movies more times (nine) than any other Hollywood actor. The most  colorful account of Watson’s show business career is his IMDB biography, which says Watson got his showbiz start at … Continue reading →

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Hall-Hagler chapter, Disabled American Veterans

Posted on April 12, 2015 by editor

Springfield’s Hall-Hagler chapter of the Disabled American Veterans is named in honor of two World War I casualties who hailed from the city. Sgt. Joe Hall (1891-1918) died during the waning hours of the war – at 8:45 a.m. on … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts and letters, Military, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

‘The Wedding of the Rose and the Lotus’ (Vachel Lindsay)

Posted on March 22, 2015 by editor

Springfield poet Vachel Lindsay wrote The Wedding of the Rose and the Lotus in 1912 to recognize the importance of the Panama Canal, which connected the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The rose signifies the West and the lotus the East. … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts and letters, Buildings, Lindsay, Vachel, Markers, Prominent figures | 1 Comment

‘Poor House Rules’ — the drawings of Alfred S. Harkness

Posted on February 26, 2015 by editor

Alfred S. Harkness (1866-1941) was an artist, illustrator and engraver whose specialty — at least for part of the time he lived in Springfield — was public health illustration. Harkness had been a member of the artist staff of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts and letters, Illustrations, Media, Medicine, Prominent figures, Public health, Social services, Springfield Survey | Leave a comment

Springfield, 1916 (map)

Posted on February 25, 2015 by editor

The Capitol Engraving Co. artists who created this map of 1916 Springfield for the Sangamon County Abstract Co. were Alfred S. Harkness and Frank Melin (credits, top left corner). Green areas are parkland. The red lines denote trolley routes. Original … Continue reading →

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Lincoln Library Carnegie building, 1904-74

Posted on February 5, 2015 by editor

Springfield residents fondly remember the city’s Carnegie library, opened in 1904 and demolished in 1974, for some of the same features that ultimately made the building unsuitable as a library. The library was memorably described by Margaret Boswell in an … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Arts and letters, Buildings, Local government | 13 Comments

Springfield Library Association

Posted on January 24, 2015 by editor

The forerunner of today’s Lincoln Library, Springfield’s municipal library, was the Springfield Library Association, a private library supported by membership dues and donation. (Lincoln Library, Springfield’s public library, should not be confused with the state-operated Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library.) But … Continue reading →

Posted in Abolitionism, Arts and letters, Local government, Prominent figures, Social services | Leave a comment

Joey Mack, dance man

Posted on January 23, 2015 by editor

Perhaps the most famous Lithuanian-American in Springfield in the 1940s was in show business: Joey Yanaitis (Janaitis or Jonaitis) Mack. Famous in Boston, Rockford, Cleveland, Augusta, Ga., and dozens of places in between from the late 1930s through the 1940s, … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Arts and letters, Ethnic groups, Lithuanians, Social life | Leave a comment

Sangamon County Historical Society

Posted on January 4, 2015 by editor

Historic preservation was the impetus for the founding of the Sangamon County Historical Society more than 50 years ago. Specifically, the founders wanted to preserve the Old State Capitol. The impetus came from members of the Springfield Historic Monuments Commission … Continue reading →

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