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Blogroll
Category Archives: Business
Edmund D. Taylor, (not the) ‘father of the greenback’
Edmund “Dick” Taylor was a legislator, businessman and investor. He was one of the winners in the only direct election Abraham Lincoln ever lost. And he probably wasn’t “the father of the greenback.” Taylor (1804-91) lived in Springfield in the … Continue reading
Posted in Business, Lincoln, Abraham, Politics, Prominent figures
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Top income tax payers, 1863
To finance the Civil War, Congress and President Abraham Lincoln imposed the first nationwide income tax in 1861. Changes the next year made the tax progressive – people with incomes of less than $600 a year (about $18,000 in 2024) … Continue reading
Posted in Business, Industry, Prominent figures
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Frank Simmons Books, Stationery and Art
The Frank Simmons stationery store commemorated the 100th anniversary of George Washington’s inauguration as president with a unique and potentially lucrative certificate: If someone paid $100 on the anniversary date, April 30, 1889, the certificate said, the store would repay … Continue reading
Posted in Arts and letters, Business, Prominent figures
2 Comments
The Hammerslough/Rosenwald family, clothiers
The Capitol Clothing House opened in Springfield in 1856 with the slogan “Low Prices and Good Goods.” Aside from providing inexpensive, ready-to-wear clothes to pre-Civil War Springfield, the Capitol Clothing House is the reason Springfield can boast that it was … Continue reading
Christmas at the Wonder Store, 1881
Frank Myers was no relation to Springfield’s later department store dynasty, the Myers Brothers, but he apparently had some of the same merchandising instincts – down to the monkeys both used as advertising gimmicks. From the 1870s to 1904, Myers’ … Continue reading
Posted in Amusements, Animals, Business, Children, Department stores, Prominent figures
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Early movie theaters in Springfield
Motion picture exhibition in Springfield began in earnest around 1905. That year, four local theaters were screening short silent films in addition to presenting live vaudeville acts. Nickelodeon theaters, where movies were the prime attraction instead of a sideshow, became popular … Continue reading
Posted in Amusements, Business, Social life, Theaters
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First moving picture/first full-time movie theater
It’s impossible to know for sure when Springfield residents saw their first “moving picture,” but the likely dates are Jan. 1-2, 1897, when the Stephenson Post of the Grand Army of the Republic held a fundraiser at the Central Music … Continue reading
Posted in Amusements, Buildings, Business, Social life, Theaters
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First talking movie
Harry T. Loper (1860-1948), historically linked to Springfield’s race riot of 1908, also introduced talking movies to Springfield. Loper went into the restaurant business when he moved to Springfield from Greenfield in 1883, and Loper’s Restaurant at 223 S. Fifth … Continue reading
‘The Big O’ fire, 1908
The Olympic theater – better known as “the Big O” – advertised “strictly refined vaudeville.” But newspaper reporters and state regulators suspected patrons got a bit more for their 15 cents. So the Illinois State Journal saw some justice in … Continue reading
Posted in Amusements, Business, Crime and vice, Disasters, Fires, Hotels & taverns, Social life, Theaters
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The Georg family, photographers
The Georg photo dynasty documented Springfield’s history for a century. But much of that history went up in flames when a fire destroyed the Herbert Georg Studio in 1980. The three best-known family members were Victor Emmanuel Georg (1858-1911) and … Continue reading
Posted in Arts and letters, Business, Fires, Illustrations, Media, Prominent figures
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