Author Archives: editor

Crow’s Mill Covered Bridge (photo)

Posted on February 19, 2025 by editor

Sangamon County still had a half-dozen covered bridges at the start of the 1930s, more than any other county in the state of Illinois. By the time the decade ended, only two remained. The first of the bridges to fall … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Historic Sites, Photos and photosets, Transportation | Leave a comment

‘Mayor of Bronzeville’ election, 1939

Posted on February 11, 2025 by editor

This entry has been updated. See “Hat tip” below. The 1939 election for “mayor of Bronzeville” was designed to “encourage good sportsmanship and develop leadership among the young colored male residents” of Springfield, organizers said. The election was purely a … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Ethnic groups, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

Antifreeze drinking party kills five, 1931

Posted on February 7, 2025 by editor

Just after Christmas 1931, a dozen ne’er-do-wells huddled in a boxcar parked along Springfield’s 10th Street railroad line, passing around a bottle of white lightning. Over the next couple of days, passersby found seven of the drinkers – sick, dying … Continue reading →

Posted in Disasters, Public health, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

First printed map of Springfield (1856)

Posted on January 31, 2025 by editor

In Here I Have Lived: The Story of Lincoln’s Springfield (1935), Paul Angle identified this map as the first one ever printed showing the city of Springfield. It was published in E.H. Hall’s Springfield City Directory and Sangamon County Advertiser … Continue reading →

Posted in Histories, Illustrations, Maps, Springfield | Leave a comment

Island Grove United Methodist Church

Posted on January 23, 2025 by editor

Island Grove United Methodist Church, located on Old Jacksonville Road two miles west of Berlin, was founded as a church by the Island Grove Society in 1822. In its earliest days, the congregation was serviced by circuit-riding preachers. According to … Continue reading →

Posted in Churches, Early residents, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

Springfield city charter brawl, 1840

Posted on January 19, 2025 by editor

A brawl between two of Springfield’s leading citizens enlivened the 1840 election that converted the community from a town to a city. The fight was over who should be allowed to vote in the referendum. The combatants were Dr. Alexander … Continue reading →

Posted in Early residents, Lincoln, Abraham, Local government, Politics, Prominent figures, Springfield | Leave a comment

Five-minute murder verdict, 1930

Posted on January 13, 2025 by editor

A jury turned in the fastest murder verdict in Sangamon County history on June 18, 1930. It took jurors only five minutes to rule that Ulysses Brazier, accused of murdering three men and then burning their bodies, was not guilty. … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Crime and vice, Law enforcement | 2 Comments

Springfield market house, 1832-1880

Posted on January 7, 2025 by editor

When residents of early Springfield wanted fresh meat or vegetables, the city market house was the place to go. But you had to get up early. City fathers decided in 1832 to build a market house, a central point where … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Business, Early residents, Grocery markets, Local government, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Ku Klux Klan rally at Illinois State Fairgrounds, 1922 (photo)

Posted on December 29, 2024 by editor

A Ku Klux Klan rally held in the Illinois State Fairgrounds Coliseum in October 1922 became a political flashpoint when Len Small sought a third term as governor six years later. The anti-Small Chicago Tribune published the photograph above on … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Illinois capital, Illinois State Fair, Photos and photosets, State government | Leave a comment

Springfield’s Ku Klux Klan legislator, 1920s

Posted on December 26, 2024 by editor

James H. Ashby didn’t mention his Ku Klux Klan membership when he ran for a seat in the Illinois House in 1924. But it was no secret – Ashby had already been identified in two lawsuits as one of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Prominent figures, State government | Leave a comment