Category Archives: Farming

John D. Waters and Highland Farms

Posted on March 23, 2023 by editor

John D. Waters built a livestock empire in eastern Sangamon County. He also built a mansion south of Dawson that was known for, among other things, the large meteorite that adorned the front yard. “He was one of the best … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Business, Family life, Farming, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

Jerome Leland’s pigeons

Posted on June 24, 2022 by editor

In the early 20th century, Springfield hotel menus often included squab – breast of squab, “royal squab sur canape,” etc. But pigeons (the more common name for squab) made their way into the heart, not the stomach, of Jerome A. … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Animals, Buildings, Farming, Hotels & taverns, Parks, Prominent figures | 3 Comments

Strawbridge-Shepherd House

Posted on June 19, 2022 by editor

Thomas Strawbridge Jr. (1798-1880) was born in County Donegal, Ireland, one of seven children of Thomas and Jane Mitchell Strawbridge. Thomas’ mother died in May 1809, when Thomas was only 11 years old. The year following her death, the Strawbridge … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Architecture, Buildings, Early residents, Farming, Historic Sites, National Register, Prominent figures, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Making bread, 1819

Posted on June 11, 2022 by editor

Even the most necessary tasks were a struggle for the first European residents of Sangamon County. Take baking bread, for instance, as described in the History of the Early Settlers of Sangamon County (1876) by John Carroll Power (1819-94); the … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Early residents, Farming, Histories, Mills, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

James N. Brown, founder of Illinois State Fair

Posted on February 21, 2022 by editor

James N. Brown helped create the Republican Party in Illinois. He bred famous shorthorn cattle on a showplace farm that stretched across Sangamon and Morgan counties. He was the second person (behind Cyrus McCormick, but ahead of Jonathan Baldwin Turner … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Animals, Early residents, Environment, Farming, Prominent figures | 2 Comments

Klever’s Model controversy (‘the hog case’)

Posted on April 25, 2021 by editor

The world of Poland China swine revolved around Williamsville in the 1890s, thanks to stockman George G. Council and his prize boar, Klever’s Model. When Council (1864-1944) put Klever’s Model up for sale in 1897, a syndicate made up of … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Animals, Farming, Prominent figures | 3 Comments

Illinois State Fair settles in Springfield (1894)

Posted on December 26, 2019 by editor

An unelected board designated Springfield as the permanent site of the Illinois State Fair in 1894, after lawmakers spent 15 years proving they couldn’t do the job. From 1853, when the first state fair was held in Springfield, the show … Continue reading →

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Osage orange (hedge apple)

Posted on November 11, 2019 by editor

The heyday of living fences on farms lasted less than 30 years. But Osage orange trees, descendants of fencerows planted as early as the 1840s, still line country roads and fill hedge lines throughout central Illinois. As the name suggests, … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Farming | 5 Comments

Hemp in Sangamon County

Posted on July 7, 2019 by editor

Note: This entry has been edited. See below. Long before it was mistakenly confused with marijuana, hemp was, briefly, a big business in Sangamon County. In a lengthy pitch published in the March 23, 1848, Illinois Weekly State Journal, entrepreneur … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Business, Farming, Industry | 2 Comments

‘Alfalfa train,’ 1913

Posted on May 13, 2019 by editor

The alfalfa train was an automobile caravan that traveled to the ends of Sangamon County for five days in June 1913, carrying experts who preached the gospel of alfalfa hay. Over the five days, the half-dozen alfalfa advocates and dozens … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Farming, Science, Soil | Leave a comment