Category Archives: Amusements

Cook’s Hall

Posted on October 29, 2013 by editor

Cook’s Hall, at 122 S. Sixth St. on the east side of the downtown square, was Springfield’s main venue for meetings, speeches and entertainment from 1858 to 1863. It was also known as Illiopolitan Hall. Abraham Lincoln spoke there a … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Buildings, Lincoln, Abraham, Sports and recreation | Leave a comment

Desegregation of the Illinois State Armory

Posted on October 29, 2013 by editor

Springfield journalist and activist Simeon Osby  (1909-93) was among a group of African Americans who forced indifferent white officials to open all seating areas in the Illinois State Armory to anyone. Previously, blacks had been relegated to upper areas of … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Amusements, Buildings, Ethnic groups, Journalism, Local government, Prominent figures, Sports and recreation | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fast food in Springfield

Posted on October 28, 2013 by editor

The first drive-in restaurant in Springfield was the Sugar Bowl at 11th Street and South Grand Avenue, according to Fast Food: Roadside Restaurants in the Automobile Age, written by John Jakle of Champaign-Urbana and Keith Sculle of Springfield. The 11th … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Restaurants | Tagged , | 6 Comments

The horseshoe sandwich (with recipe)

Posted on October 24, 2013 by editor

This entry was significantly expanded in December 2023. Although accounts differ, most people credit Joseph Schweska with creating the horseshoe sandwich, the locally famous open-faced combination of toast, meat and French fries covered in cheese sauce. As the story goes, … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Hotels & taverns, Prominent figures, Restaurants | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Illini Country Club

Posted on October 23, 2013 by editor

Illini Country Club was founded in 1906 on 138 acres of farmland off Chatham Road that was purchased from Noble Wiggins. Illini was an outgrowth of the Springfield Golf Club, which had owned what now is the Pasfield Park Golf … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Sports and recreation | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Illinois State Arsenal (1903)

Posted on October 22, 2013 by editor

President Theodore Roosevelt dedicated the new Illinois State Arsenal  at Second and Monroe streets on June 4, 1903. The structure, designed by Bullard & Bullard architects and built at a cost of $150,000 by the Culver Stone and Marble Co., … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Amusements, Buildings, Celebrations, Disasters, Lincoln, Abraham, Military, Museums, Race riot of 1908, Sports and recreation, State government | 7 Comments

Illinois State Fair

Posted on October 22, 2013 by editor

This entry, first published in 2013, was significantly expanded in 2023. The first Illinois State Fair was held in Springfield in October 1853 under the direction of the Illinois State Agricultural Association. The association’s president, James N. Brown (considered the … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Amusements, Buildings, Celebrations, Farming, Illinois capital | 3 Comments

July 4, 1830s-style

Posted on October 22, 2013 by editor

Sangamon County residents of the 1830s had a special closeness to the American Revolution and the Declaration of Independence. Only 50 years separated them from those historic events. That is fewer years than now separate us from World War II. … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Celebrations, Early residents, Illinois capital | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Robert Rudolph

Posted on October 22, 2013 by editor

Robert Rudolph (1824-68) was a master brewer who came into his fortune when he married Rosa Kun, the widow of Rudolph’s former employer, Andrew Kun, in 1864. Two years later, the Rudolphs built a lavish Italianate mansion at 511 W. … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Breweries, Business, Fever River, Industry, Prominent figures, Theaters | 2 Comments

Kerasotes Theatres

Posted on October 21, 2013 by editor

A candy-store-turned nickelodeon in Springfield was the starting point for what for a time was the sixth-largest theater chain in the U.S. Brothers Gus  (1873-1960)  and Louis Kerasotes, both Greek immigrants, converted Gus’s confectionery at 214 S. Sixth St. into the … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Arts and letters, Business, Prominent figures, Theaters | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments