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Category Archives: Arts and letters
Springfield Library Association
The forerunner of today’s Lincoln Library, Springfield’s municipal library, was the Springfield Library Association, a private library supported by membership dues and donation. (Lincoln Library, Springfield’s public library, should not be confused with the state-operated Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library.) But … Continue reading
Joey Mack, dance man
Perhaps the most famous Lithuanian-American in Springfield in the 1940s was in show business: Joey Yanaitis (Janaitis or Jonaitis) Mack. Famous in Boston, Rockford, Cleveland, Augusta, Ga., and dozens of places in between from the late 1930s through the 1940s, … Continue reading
Posted in Amusements, Arts and letters, Ethnic groups, Lithuanians, Social life
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Lincoln Tomb statuary (original)
This entry is a lightly edited version of a presentation given by Mark Johnson, historian for the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, to the 2014 volunteer dinner hosted by the now-defunct Lincoln Monument Association, a non-profit support group for the Lincoln … Continue reading
Artie Matthews (ragtime composer)
Acclaimed ragtime composer Artie Matthews apparently got his start as a musician in the bars and bordellos of Springfield’s old Levee district. After composing such ragtime classics as Weary Blues — later recorded by, among others, Louis Armstrong, King Oliver … Continue reading
Posted in African Americans, Arts and letters
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Jessie Mae Finley (African-American history interviews)
Born in Springfield, Danville (see below — ed.), Jessie Mae Finley (1906-2006) was a talented musician and founder of the Voices of Love, Joy and Peace. She also worked for the state of Illinois. Finley was named Springfield’s First Citizen in 1976. In … Continue reading
John Crisp (African-American history interviews)
John Crisp, a Springfield artist and jazz musician, discussed growing up in the John Hay Homes housing project, performing as a musician, and teaching music and art to youth in an interview for the Springfield African-American History Foundation series.
Adelaide O’Brien Rentschler (aviator)
Adelaide O’Brien (1915-99) of Springfield was the first licensed woman pilot in downstate Illinois. During World War II, O’Brien was a local ground instructor for U.S. Army Air Corps flight cadets. O’Brien also was widely known in central Illinois for … Continue reading
Posted in Air travel, Airport, Arts and letters, Military, Women
Tagged Southwest Airport, Springfield Theater Guild
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Virginia Eifert
Virginia Eifert (1911-66) was a self-taught naturalist, artist and newspaper columnist and the founding editor of The Living Museum, published by the Illinois State Museum, which she oversaw from 1939 until her death in 1966. She also was the author … Continue reading
Posted in Arts and letters, Prominent figures, Women
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Duncan McDonald, labor leader
Duncan McDonald (1873-1965), while not as well-known as John L. Lewis, was almost certainly more principled as both a United Mine Workers leader and a politician. The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library’s Chronicling Illinois collection characterizes McDonald’s labor career this way: … Continue reading