Category Archives: Prominent figures

Henson Robinson Co./Henson Robinson Zoo

Posted on July 25, 2024 by editor

The standard version is that Henson Robinson planned to go to California but got distracted by Springfield. The real story is more complicated, but the result was the same. Robinson (1839-1900), a tinner born in Ohio, became the founder of … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Industry, Museums, Parks, Prominent figures, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Philemon Stout’s big party (1898)

Posted on July 15, 2024 by editor

Philemon Stout knew how to throw a party. It was 1898, and Stout (1822-1910) had had a good life. He owned nearly 2,000 acres of prime farmland near Cotton Hill. He had served as school trustee, highway commissioner, and justice … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Celebrations, Early residents, Farming, Prominent figures, Social life, Spectacles | 1 Comment

Mary Lincoln funeral, 1882

Posted on July 8, 2024 by editor

Thousands of people viewed Abraham Lincoln’s body between the time of his assassination on April 14, 1865, and his burial two weeks later. By contrast, only relatives and friends were given access to a private viewing following the death of … Continue reading →

Posted in Lincoln, Abraham, Presidents, Prominent figures, Spectacles, Women | Leave a comment

George and Winnie Colin, folk art

Posted on June 27, 2024 by editor

George and Winnie Colin came as a set. George (1929-2014) was the artist, self-inspired and self-taught. He produced drawings, paintings, wooden cutouts and quirky sculptures at an amazing pace from a studio in tiny Salisbury. Colin’s style was variously described … Continue reading →

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

George Brinkerhoff mystery, 1893

Posted on May 19, 2024 by editor

George M. Brinkerhoff Sr. and his daughter Bessie climbed aboard an Illinois Central Railroad sleeper the evening of July 28, 1893, on their way home from the World’s Fair in Chicago. When the train arrived in Springfield the next morning, … Continue reading →

Posted in Prominent figures, Uncategorized | 5 Comments

Buster Bartholomew, coach & educator

Posted on April 7, 2024 by editor

As an athlete, Buster Bartholomew was a one-armed wonder. But he made his mark as a coach, teacher and booster of country schools. Homer “Buster” Bartholomew (1891-1943), born in Tuscola, was the son of Charles and Susan Myrtle Bartholomew. His … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Prominent figures, Schools and school districts, Sports and recreation | 1 Comment

Edmund D. Taylor, (not the) ‘father of the greenback’

Posted on March 22, 2024 by editor

Edmund “Dick” Taylor was a legislator, businessman and investor. He was one of the winners in the only direct election Abraham Lincoln ever lost. And he probably wasn’t “the father of the greenback.” Taylor (1804-91) lived in Springfield in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Lincoln, Abraham, Politics, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

Top income tax payers, 1863

Posted on February 8, 2024 by editor

To finance the Civil War, Congress and President Abraham Lincoln imposed the first nationwide income tax in 1861. Changes the next year made the tax progressive – people with incomes of less than $600 a year (about $18,000 in 2024) … Continue reading →

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Frank Simmons Books, Stationery and Art

Posted on January 31, 2024 by editor

The Frank Simmons stationery store commemorated the 100th anniversary of George Washington’s inauguration as president with a unique and potentially lucrative certificate: If someone paid $100 on the anniversary date, April 30, 1889, the certificate said, the store would repay … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts and letters, Business, Prominent figures | 1 Comment

The Hammerslough/Rosenwald family, clothiers

Posted on January 22, 2024 by editor

The Capitol Clothing House opened in Springfield in 1856 with the slogan “Low Prices and Good Goods.” Aside from providing inexpensive, ready-to-wear clothes to pre-Civil War Springfield, the Capitol Clothing House is the reason Springfield can boast that it was … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Historic Sites, Jewish, Lincoln Home, Lincoln Tomb, Lincoln, Abraham, Prominent figures | 1 Comment