Category Archives: Business

Western Cartridge Co. explosion, 1920

Posted on November 5, 2016 by editor

Four men were killed on June 24, 1920, when an explosion and fire wrecked part of a smokeless gunpowder plant northeast of Springfield. The Western Cartridge Co., based in East Alton, opened the plant in 1915. Powder manufactured in Springfield … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Disasters, Industry, Military | Leave a comment

Zoo Park

Posted on September 14, 2016 by editor

Zoo Park was an ambitious, but short-lived amusement park set on nearly 200 acres of land off Eighth Street Road north of the Illinois State Fairgrounds. Early ideas for the park included not only a zoo, but also a mile-long … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Business, Parks, Social life, Sports and recreation, Transportation | 2 Comments

Dineen family (hoteliers)

Posted on September 1, 2016 by editor

When Robert Dineen died in 1970, his obituary stated he had been an owner of the Palmer Hotel and the Illinois Hotel in downtown Springfield. Although not mentioned in the obituary, he also was the past president and a founding … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Hotels & taverns, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

Downtown business map, 1913

Posted on August 19, 2016 by editor

The Oct. 7 and 8, 1913, editions of the Illinois State Register, published during the Illinois State Fair (then held in the fall) included a map of the area surrounding Springfield’s courthouse square that showed many of the city’s downtown … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Business, Illustrations, Maps | 8 Comments

Alice Gilliland (Royal Neighbors of America)

Posted on August 14, 2016 by editor

Alice Gilliland (1863-1926) helped found the Royal Neighbors of America, the first “fraternal” benefit society to offer life insurance to women, and rose to become the group’s Supreme Oracle, its top post. Gilliland, who was among the first 500 members … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Prominent figures, Women | Leave a comment

The Lake Club

Posted on July 14, 2016 by editor

NOTE: This entry has been edited. See below. The Lake Club, 2840 Fox Road, brought top national performers – Mickey Rooney, the Mills Brothers, Guy Lombardo, Pearl Bailey, Lawrence Welk and many more – to Springfield in the 1940s, ‘50s … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Buildings, Business, Crime and vice, Hotels & taverns, Law enforcement, Prominent figures, Social life | 22 Comments

Dudley Hotel

Posted on July 11, 2016 by editor

The Negro Motorist Green Book, a nationwide guide for the African-American traveler, for 20 years listed only one hotel in Springfield as open to blacks: the Dudley Hotel, 130 S. 11th St. The Dudley and its predecessors at the same … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Buildings, Business, Hotels & taverns, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

Oriental Cafe

Posted on June 1, 2016 by editor

The Oriental Café was Springfield’s most popular Chinese restaurant for more than 40 years – and, when it closed in 1955, the only one. The café, on the second floor of the buildings at 424 and 426 E. Monroe St., … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Prominent figures, Restaurants, Social life | 1 Comment

Springfield Brewing Co.

Posted on May 10, 2016 by editor

The Springfield Brewing Co. operated at 11th and Madison streets from 1933 until late 1946, when it closed in the wake of wartime grain shortages, a federal tax lawsuit, and an embezzling scandal. The grain shortage was unavoidable. The United … Continue reading →

Posted in Breweries, Business, Crime and vice, Prominent figures | 5 Comments

DICKEY-john Corp.

Posted on April 9, 2016 by editor

Auburn-based DICKEY-john Corp. got its start in 1960, when Chatham-area farmer Robert Dickey was in the hospital recuperating from a lawn-mower accident that had cost him his right eye. One of his visitors was a minister. “In talking about farming, … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Business, Farming, Industry, Prominent figures | 2 Comments