Author Archives: editor

St. John’s Sanitarium

Posted on November 19, 2024 by editor

St. John’s Sanitarium near Riverton was a refuge for tuberculosis patients and disabled children for more than 50 years. The project was the idea of a Catholic priest, the Rev. Joseph Straub, and the final product was almost as elaborate … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Buildings, Churches, Medicine, Prominent figures, Public health, Social services | 2 Comments

Chinch bugs, 1934

Posted on November 10, 2024 by editor

Chinch bugs plowed through Sangamon County cornfields in 1934. Combined with a miserable springtime drought, the infestation drove corn yields statewide to their lowest figure – 20.5 bushels per acre – since 1866. Chinch bugs, tiny bugs that propagate in … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Disasters, Farming, Science, Soil, Weather | Leave a comment

The governor takes a wife (1896)

Posted on November 2, 2024 by editor

Gov. John Riley Tanner “was addicted to pomp and circumstance,” Robert P. Howard wrote in Mostly Good and Competent Men, Howard’s 1988 guide to Illinois’ chief executives. If so, Tanner lived his best life in December 1896 and January 1897. … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Celebrations, Coal mines and mining, Illinois capital, Labor unions, Military, Oak Ridge signs, Politics, Prominent figures, Social life, Spectacles, State government | Leave a comment

Electioneering in early Springfield

Posted on October 30, 2024 by editor

As the 1930 political season got started, Illinois State Journal editor/columnist J. Emil Smith noted, with some regret, that Springfield probably wouldn’t see a classic torchlight parade, the kind he remembered from his youth. Here’s an excerpt from Smith’s “Making … Continue reading →

Posted in Celebrations, Politics, Portuguese, Spectacles | Leave a comment

‘Rachel,’ the Springfield High School ghost

Posted on October 22, 2024 by editor

There is some truth to the folklore around “Rachel,” the supposed ghost that haunts Springfield High School. SHS was built on the former site of Hutchinson Cemetery, once the city’s largest graveyard. Hutchinson Cemetery covered five acres southwest of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Education, Schools and school districts, Videos | Leave a comment

Springfield cemeteries, past and present

Posted on October 18, 2024 by editor

This entry has been updated. See below. Springfield’s Old City Cemetery had been closed to new burials for more than 30 years when an Illinois State Journal writer visited in February 1890. It wasn’t a pleasant sight. A dreary and … Continue reading →

Posted in Early residents, Historic Sites | Leave a comment

Springfield High School sketches, 1930 (Alda Raulin)

Posted on October 8, 2024 by editor

                                    Alda Raulin captured classic views of Springfield High School in five line drawings that led off the 1930 edition of The Capitoline, … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Arts and letters, Buildings, Education, Illustrations, Lithuanians, Lithuanians, Schools and school districts, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Milk dumping protest, 1938

Posted on September 21, 2024 by editor

With negotiations at a standstill in November 1938, militant farmers ambushed four dairy delivery trucks and dumped thousands of gallons of milk on Sangamon County highways. The protest lasted only a day, squelched by court action and lack of support … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Farming | Leave a comment

Sangamon County sheriffs, 1821-2024

Posted on September 20, 2024 by editor

This entry has been updated. Here is a list of people who have served as sheriff of Sangamon County since the county was established on Jan. 30, 1821. Dates indicate when the sheriffs were commissioned unless noted. John Taylor: 1821, … Continue reading →

Posted in Law enforcement, Local government, Politics, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

Kresge shootout, 1933

Posted on September 13, 2024 by editor

A wild shootout erupted when police detectives interrupted a stickup at the Kresge store in downtown Springfield the day after Christmas 1933. As bullets flew, the robbers jumped into a waiting car and drove away. One officer  followed in a … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and vice, Department stores, Law enforcement | Leave a comment