Search Results for: sangamo club

Sangamo Club

Posted on July 9, 2023 by editor

The very first Sangamo Club boasted a technological marvel: a telephone that could be raised and lowered between the first and second floors. The Sangamo Club, founded in 1890, closed, apparently permanently, in June 2023. Over 133 years in existence, … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Buildings, Prominent figures, Social life, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Moose Club ‘athletic show,’ 1914 (Springfield Survey)

Posted on September 30, 2022 by editor

In March 1914, a couple of social survey experts attended a so-called “athletic show” put on by the Springfield Moose Club. The two – apparently Lee F. Hanmer and Clarence Arthur Perry of the New York-based Russell Sage Foundation – … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Social life, Spectacles, Sports and recreation, Springfield Survey | Leave a comment

Sun ‘n Fun Swimming Club

Posted on July 21, 2022 by editor

There was a time after World War II when swimming pools in the U.S. were built not just for recreation, but as investment opportunities. The Sun ‘n Fun Swimming Club was one such place in Springfield. Sun ‘n Fun opened … Continue reading →

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Springfield Auto Club ‘safety lanes’

Posted on February 5, 2022 by editor

Fifteen hundred motorists pulled their vehicles through the Springfield Automobile Club’s free “safety lane” on the south side of the downtown square in April 1930. Some did it twice. Safety lanes were a nationwide initiative of the American Automobile Association, … Continue reading →

Posted in Auto dealers, Business, Transportation | Leave a comment

Springfield Golf Club

Posted on November 26, 2021 by editor

See Women’s golf, 1899.

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Slovenians in Sangamon County

Posted on December 17, 2018 by editor

In 1909, Slovenian immigrants Josef Grobelnik and Bartol Ramschak operated a popular tavern on South 15th Street. At the time, southeast Springfield was filled with young Eastern European families—most of them new arrivals to the U.S. While Grobelnik and Ramschak … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Business, Churches, Crime and vice, Ethnic groups, Hotels & taverns, Social life | 4 Comments

The Elks Club Group (1952)

Posted on December 11, 2018 by editor

Adlai Stevenson II’s 1952 presidential campaign attracted the most talented, eloquent political team ever assembled in Springfield (well, except for Abraham Lincoln working by himself). Stevenson’s team of speechwriters and idea men (there apparently were no women) was known as … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Buildings, Hotels & taverns, Presidential candidates, Prominent figures, Social life | Leave a comment

Riverton Athletic Club

Posted on October 3, 2018 by editor

The mammoth home run Robin Roberts hit on Oct. 14, 1951, remains a highlight in the 80-year history of the Riverton Athletic Club. Roberts, a Springfield native who had just completed the second of his six 20-win seasons as a … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Parks, Social life, Sports and recreation | 1 Comment

Old Settlers Society of Sangamon County

Posted on November 19, 2017 by editor

Thousands of Sangamon Countians once turned out for the annual reunions of the county’s Old Settlers Society. The events featured games, lavish picnics, speechifying and recognition of some of the county’s earliest residents. The organization began with an appeal in … Continue reading →

Posted in Celebrations, Early residents, Lincoln, Abraham, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

Hangings in Sangamon County, 1826-1927

Posted on July 31, 2017 by editor

  Sangamon County put to death seven men, all convicted of murder, between 1826, five years after the county was established, and 1927, when a new state law required executions to be carried out in state prisons. Those hanged were: … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and vice, Law enforcement, Sangamon County | Leave a comment