Category Archives: Ethnic groups

Sam Willis, chef

Posted on April 30, 2023 by editor

Thousands of African-Americans fled Springfield in the wake of the 1908 race riot. The city’s best chef may have been one. Samuel Willis (1856-1920), a native of Virginia, moved to Springfield in the 1870s. He apparently learned the restaurant business … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Business, Prominent figures, Restaurants, Uncategorized | 6 Comments

Dreamland Park/Amos Duncan

Posted on April 6, 2023 by editor

“To my way of thinking, the colored people should at least have a place where they can congregate for the purpose of holding picnics, celebrations and public gatherings,” Sangamon County Republican Party chairman George Fish told the Illinois State Journal … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Amusements, Business, Law enforcement, Parks, Prominent figures, Social services, Sports and recreation, Theaters | 1 Comment

Robert Preston Taylor (Lincoln College of Law, Illinois State Museum)

Posted on February 1, 2023 by editor

By one measurement, Robert Preston Taylor (1876-1951) goes into history as the first African-American graduate of the old Lincoln College of Law in Springfield. But that would ignore Taylor’s more significant achievement: bringing to life exhibits at the Illinois State … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Education, Higher education, Museums, Prominent figures | 2 Comments

Ethnic Festival (1974-2014)

Posted on September 1, 2022 by editor

Where could you go for a bowl of Polish biogs and a side of Irish soda bread, Lithuanian kugelis and a plate of nutty rugelach, some Greek spanakopita and then top it off with homemade German apfelstrudel?  The Ethnic Festival … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Celebrations, Ethnic groups, Social life | Leave a comment

German newspapers

Posted on July 31, 2022 by editor

German-language newspapers came and went for more than 60 years in Springfield. Abe Lincoln even had a hand in one. But the Staats Wochenblatt had staying power. German immigration to the U.S. took off after the failure of the German … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Communications, Ethnic groups, Germans, Journalism, Lincoln, Abraham, Media, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

Lincoln Tomb streetcar line (1880)

Posted on July 23, 2022 by editor

The Lincoln Tomb State Historic Site is a mile-and-a-half from downtown Springfield. That distance isn’t a problem in the 21st century, but it was a considerable obstacle when the tomb was new 150 years earlier. Distance was a big reason … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Germans, Historic Sites, Lincoln Tomb, Prominent figures, Transportation, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

First Black U of I trustee

Posted on June 17, 2022 by editor

John J. Bird became the first African-American trustee of the University of Illinois more than a decade before the school even had any Black students. Bird’s tombstone in Oak Ridge Cemetery doesn’t mention that distinction, but its text does include … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Education, Higher education, Illinois capital, Politics, Prominent figures, State government, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

First school for Black children

Posted on May 31, 2022 by editor

Springfield’s Colored Baptist Church created what apparently was the city’s first school open to African-American children in the late 1840s. It was a struggle to keep open, but it took a decade before the city finally opened a public school … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Children, Churches, Education, Local government, Schools and school districts | Leave a comment

Comer Cox, Urban League leader

Posted on May 12, 2022 by editor

Comer Cox, the namesake of Comer Cox Park in Springfield, was an Alabama native and star athlete in his  youth who went on to lead the Springfield Urban League. Comer Lane Cox was born May 9, 1905, in Athens, Ala. … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Business, Parks, Prominent figures, Social services | 1 Comment

The Krehbiel murals (Illinois Supreme Court)

Posted on January 20, 2022 by editor

The first public art Albert Krehbiel created apparently was on the buggies, carriages and delivery wagons his father manufactured in Iowa. His most famous works, however, are the 13 allegorical murals that decorate the Illinois Supreme Court Building in Springfield. … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Architecture, Arts and letters, Buildings, Illinois capital, State government | Leave a comment