Author Archives: editor

Lincoln circuit marker, Sangamon-Christian county line

Posted on May 16, 2022 by editor

Down a tiny back road southeast of Breckenridge, out of view but within earshot of Illinois 29, stands a century-old monument to the legal career of Abraham Lincoln. Nearly forgotten today, it is one of three dozen markers the Daughters … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Historic Sites, Lincoln, Abraham, Markers | 2 Comments

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

Benjamin Stephenson and the Grand Army of the Republic

Posted on May 9, 2022 by editor

Update: The Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Museum, mentioned in this entry and featured in photos above and below, closed in 2023. Its collection was moved to the Gen. John A. Logan Museum in Murphysboro. Somewhere in Mississippi in … Continue reading →

Posted in Military, Museums, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

Joseph Ludgate, “long distance singer”

Posted on May 4, 2022 by editor

The “champion long distance singer of the world” called Springfield home for about four months in 1895. Joseph C. Ludgate (1864-1947) arrived in December 1894 to command the local corps of the Salvation Army “with a history,” the Illinois State … Continue reading →

Posted in Churches, Spectacles | Leave a comment

Joseph McCoy and the McCoy brothers

Posted on April 23, 2022 by editor

Joseph, William and James McCoy, in a sense, created the Wild West. The McCoys, three brothers from Cartwright Township, organized the original cattle drives and turned Abilene, Kansas, into the West’s first great cow town. A giant segment of American … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Business, Prominent figures | 1 Comment

Allen Cigar Store explosion, 1929

Posted on April 18, 2022 by editor

“Springfield’s original optimist” died in a soda fountain explosion on Sept. 7, 1929. Matt Reavley (1879-1929) was an employee and part-owner of Allen Cigar Store, which at the time had operated for 20 years on the northwest corner of Sixth … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Prominent figures, Restaurants, Social life | 7 Comments

The Booker’s Tavern corner (11th and South Grand)

Posted on April 11, 2022 by editor

“Squire Butler is Dead”, proclaimed a headline in the April 12, 1902, Illinois State Journal. “George H. Butler, familiarly known as ‘Squire’ Butler, was a character in the neighborhood of his home at 1124 South Grand avenue, east,” the Journal … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Buildings, Business, Hotels & taverns, Social life | 2 Comments

Edward Baxter (sheriff)

Posted on March 27, 2022 by editor

Edward Baxter was Sangamon County sheriff from 1894 to 1898. See Pawnee posse captures burglars, 1899.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Pawnee posse captures burglars, 1899

Posted on March 27, 2022 by editor

A posse of Pawnee citizens corralled two burglars in a remote crossroads schoolhouse on Dec. 9, 1899. The two surrendered after a tense standoff. But their criminal careers would include one last episode in Springfield. The men, identified as Frank … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and vice, Law enforcement, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

171 Springfield grocery stores, 1917 (list)

Posted on March 20, 2022 by editor

In February 1917, Quaker Oats partnered with Pettijohn’s Breakfast Food (Pettijohn’s made a wheat bran cereal that, like oatmeal, needed to be cooked) to offer a deal to Springfield households: anyone who sent in trademarks from the two cereals could … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Grocery markets, Uncategorized | Leave a comment