Category Archives: Business

Tuxhorn Mine

Posted on January 12, 2026 by editor

The Tuxhorn Coal Mine, which opened in 1903 in the Round Prairie/Rochester area, produced more than 3 million tons of coal before it closed two decades later. As many as 250 miners worked at the mine during its most productive … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Coal mines and mining, Communities, Labor unions, Railroads, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Glenwood Park and the Kalb family

Posted on November 16, 2025 by editor

Glenwood Park was a small resort that operated along the South Fork of the Sangamon River from the mid-1890s until the early 1900s. Facilities included a small dam, docks and rowboats, an excursion steamboat and a pavilion with a dance … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Business, Communities, Parks, Sangamon River, Social life, Sports and recreation, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Krous Park

Posted on November 7, 2025 by editor

Beer was the lifeblood of Krous Park, which operated west of Amos Avenue in Springfield from about 1878 until the early 1910s. John G. Krous (1847-94), who owned a saloon on the northwest corner of Edwards and Baker streets (today’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Business, Celebrations, Germans, Hotels & taverns, Local government, Markers, Prominent figures, Social life, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The automobile as ‘devil wagon’ – Illinois State Register, 1907

Posted on August 13, 2025 by editor

The Illinois State Register, in an editorial published on Friday, Nov. 8, 1907, reluctantly admitted “the automobile has doubtless come to stay.” But the writer – probably the Register’s longtime editor, Henry W. Clendenin (1837-1927) – wasn’t happy about it. … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Business, Communications, Journalism, Media, Politics, Prominent figures, Transportation | 4 Comments

Kiddie Land amusement park

Posted on August 7, 2025 by editor

Kiddie Land was Springfield’s home-grown amusement park in the 1950s and ‘60s. On opening day, May 27, 1950, every child received a balloon, and rides – on the merry-go-round, ponies, boats and a fire engine – cost 13 cents each, … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Business, Children, Parks, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Pillsbury, 1940: 100 steps between wheat & flour (illustration)

Posted on July 29, 2025 by editor

The Pillsbury Flour Mills Co. celebrated the 10th anniversary of its Springfield plant with, among other things, this advertisement in the Feb. 29, 1940, edition of the Illinois State Register. As this entry is written in summer 2025, the plant, … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Business, Illustrations, Industry | Leave a comment

‘Bee-Keeping for Women’ (1909) by Louisa C. Kennedy

Posted on July 20, 2025 by editor

John A. (1808-92) and Elizabeth Kennedy (1812-92) moved with their six children from Pennsylvania in 1860 and took up farming in the Curran area. For some period of time, possibly beginning as soon as the Kennedys arrived in Sangamon County, … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Business, Early residents, Farming, Women | Leave a comment

Peter Vredenburgh Lumber Co. & its Alabama company town

Posted on July 16, 2025 by editor

The Vredenburgh family operated lumber businesses in Springfield for 145 years. One of the main reasons for the Vredenburghs’ success, though overlooked in Springfield, was the logging empire the Vredenburghs built in the forests of southern Alabama. That venture even … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Early residents, Industry, Mills, Prominent figures | 1 Comment

Charles Coe, “Texas immigration agent”

Posted on June 23, 2025 by editor

Charles C. Coe took an unusual approach to his Springfield real estate business: he tried to get people to leave town. Coe  (1860-1926) worked in central Illinois from about 1901 until 1920, billing himself in city directories as “Real Estate … Continue reading →

Posted in Business | Leave a comment

Henrietta Ulrich, businesswoman

Posted on May 25, 2025 by editor

Henrietta Ulrich, the story goes, sold her fabulous pearl necklace to buy what became the near west side of Springfield. Sadly, the story probably isn’t true. As a young woman, Ulrich (1797-1887) hobnobbed with Russian aristocrats and married into German … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Early residents, Germans, Prominent figures, Women | Leave a comment