Category Archives: Museums

Benjamin Stephenson and the Grand Army of the Republic

Posted on May 9, 2022 by editor

Somewhere in Mississippi in early 1864, two comrades in the 14th Illinois Volunteer Infantry agreed that, when the Civil War was over, Union Army soldiers ought to organize “some form of association to preserve the friendships and memories of their … Continue reading →

Posted in Military, Museums, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

Millie, the Illinois State Museum Mastodon

Posted on November 26, 2020 by editor

“Millie,” the Illinois State Museum’s mastodon skeleton, arrived in Springfield in pieces starting in fall 1974. Like those of many mastodon skeletons on display around the world, Millie’s bones actually are fiberglass composites. The original bones came mostly from a … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Museums, Prehistory, Science, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Old Capitol restoration, 1960s

Posted on October 27, 2020 by editor

Before the Old State Capitol was restored to the way it looked in the 1850s, the building housed Springfield’s public restrooms. You could tell by the odor. Earl “Wally” Henderson (1931-2016), co-founder with Don Ferry of the Ferry & Henderson … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Buildings, First Citizens, Historic Sites, Illinois capital, Local government, Museums, National Register, Prominent figures, Sangamon County, State government | Leave a comment

The Lincoln Home after the Lincolns (1861-1953)

Posted on July 30, 2018 by editor

For nearly a century after Abraham and Mary Lincoln left it, other people lived in and managed their former home at Eighth and Jackson streets. Among the eclectic group were a railroad executive, a couple of politicians, a physician, an … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Historic Sites, John T. Stuart, Lincoln Home, Museums, Prominent figures, State government | 3 Comments

Old Stone House, Rochester

Posted on September 7, 2016 by editor

The Old Stone House, a project of the Rochester Historical Preservation Society, is an 1830s dwelling moved from its original site east of town to near Rochester Community Park. It is open periodically as a living history demonstration. The house … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Buildings, Communities, Historic Sites, Lincoln, Abraham, Markers, Museums | 1 Comment

Lincoln Tomb custodians, 1874-1975

Posted on May 8, 2015 by editor

Five men served as custodians of the Lincoln Tomb in the century from 1874, when the still-incomplete tomb was dedicated, and 1975, when tomb management was reorganized. They were: *John Carroll Power (1819-94), a Kentucky native and failed farmer, was … Continue reading →

Posted in Historic Sites, Histories, Lincoln Tomb, Museums, Presidents, Prominent figures | 3 Comments

Lincoln Home neighborhood in 1971 (Nelson Howarth)

Posted on February 11, 2015 by editor

Nelson Howarth, with only a week to go in his third and final term as mayor of Springfield, testified in April 1971 before the U.S. House Subcommittee on National Parks and Recreation in support of designating the Lincoln Home neighborhood … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Historic Sites, Lincoln Home, Lincoln, Abraham, Local government, Museums, National Register, Parks, Presidents, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

Chatham railroad history

Posted on October 5, 2014 by editor

In the early 1800s, like many other places on what was then “the frontier,” lack of reliable transportation was an impediment to the growth of Sangamon County. The Sangamon River was an outlet to the Illinois River, but was too … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Communities, Historic Sites, Museums, Railroads, Transportation | Tagged | 5 Comments

Illinois State Museum

Posted on July 30, 2014 by editor

The Illinois State Museum began, unlikely as it seems, in New Harmony, Ind. Former museum director R. Bruce McMillan described the quandary that faced Illinois’ first state geologist in his article on the museum’s centennial , “The First Century,” published … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts and letters, Buildings, Illinois capital, Museums, Prominent figures, State government | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Payne Stone Age Collection

Posted on July 18, 2014 by editor

Edward W. Payne (1857-1932), a Springfield banker and property investor, amassed a huge collection of stone relics — most, though not all, from pre-Columbian America — with the intention of building a museum to house them. At his death, however, … Continue reading →

Posted in Depression, Historic Sites, Museums, Native Americans, Prehistory, Prominent figures, State government | Tagged , , | Leave a comment