Category Archives: Springfield

Elijah Iles (1828 pioneers)

Posted on October 23, 2013 by editor

Elijah Iles (1796-1883) was Springfield’s first merchant and perhaps its most dynamic founder. Iles built a log store near the settlement of the John Kelly family shortly after arriving in central Illinois. Iles described his move to Sangamon County and … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Early residents, Historic Sites, Illinois capital, Native Americans, Parks, Prominent figures, Springfield | Leave a comment

Mayor John ‘Buddy’ Kapp

Posted on October 21, 2013 by editor

John “Buddy” Kapp (1888-1978) served four terms as Springfield mayor, from 1931 to 1947, the longest mayoral tenure in city history.  One of his secrets? Kapp never forgot a name,  State Journal-Register reporter Mike Kienzler wrote in a profile of … Continue reading →

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The Kelley (Kelly) family

Posted on October 21, 2013 by editor

The Kelleys – Elisha, John, Henry and their relatives – are usually considered the first Europeans to live in the boundaries of what is now Springfield. (An 1817 settler, Levi Ellis, may actually deserve that designation, but the Kelley family’s cabins … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Early residents, Historic Sites, Oak Ridge signs, Prominent figures, Sangamon County, Springfield | Tagged , | 37 Comments

‘Springfield Magical’ (Vachel Lindsay)

Posted on October 16, 2013 by editor

“City of my discontent” summarizes in a phrase Vachel Lindsay‘s conflicted relationship with his home town. The poem that includes that line, “Springfield Magical,” was contained in Lindsay’s collection “General William Booth Enters into Heaven, and other poems,” 1919. In … Continue reading →

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‘Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight’ (Vachel Lindsay)

Posted on October 16, 2013 by editor

Vachel Lindsay‘s best-known poem, “Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight,” was included in his collection The Congo and Other Poems. The collection was published in 1914, and “Walks” is eerily prescient about the disaster World War I would become. Abraham Lincoln … Continue reading →

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‘The Golden Book of Springfield’ (Vachel Lindsay)

Posted on October 16, 2013 by editor

The Golden Book of Springfield, Vachel Lindsay’s only novel, published in 1920, outlined Lindsay’s ethereal, mythopoetic expectations for the city of Springfield a century hence. (One of the few concrete predictions in Lindsay’s highly metaphorical view of the city’s future … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts and letters, Lindsay, Vachel, Springfield | Tagged | 3 Comments

‘On the Building of Springfield’ (Vachel Lindsay)

Posted on October 16, 2013 by editor

Poet Vachel Lindsay was confounded — not to say obsessed — with his hometown of Springfield. Some of his best-known lines about the city are contained in his 1908 poem, “On the Building of Springfield.” LET not our town be … Continue reading →

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John Carroll Power on the founding of Springfield

Posted on October 12, 2013 by editor

John Carroll Power (1819-94), custodian of the Lincoln Tomb from 1874 to 1894, also wrote several books, including two important early histories: History of Springfield, Illinois, its attractions as a home and advantages for business, manufacturing, etc. (1871); and History … Continue reading →

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Race riot of 1908

Posted on October 12, 2013 by editor

At least 11 people died and many more were injured in connection with the Springfield race riot of August 1908. Another casualty was the image that Springfield, Abraham Lincoln’s home town, was immune to the racial discord that characterized American … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Disasters, Law enforcement, Markers, Race riot of 1908, Resources, Springfield | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Sangamo Township

Posted on October 9, 2013 by editor

Before Sangamon County was created in January 1821, its territory was divided between Madison and Bond counties (mostly in Madison). Between the arrival of the first settler in 1817 and the ultimate formation of the county in 1821, a significant … Continue reading →

Posted in Early residents, Local government, Native Americans, Prehistory, Resources, Sangamon County, Springfield | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment