Category Archives: Coal mines and mining

Harry Loper (1908 race riot)

Posted on October 16, 2013 by editor

Harry Loper, a successful white restaurateur, owned one of the few motorcars in Springfield in 1908. So when Sangamon County Sheriff Charles Werner wanted to move two black accused murderers out of the county jail before a white mob stormed … Continue reading →

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Sangamon County geology

Posted on October 9, 2013 by editor

Dr. A.R. Crook, curator of the Illinois State Museum of Natural History, analyzed the geology of Sangamon County in a 1912 pamphlet. It included the following description of the soil and rock layers underlying the county down to about 1,700 … Continue reading →

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Police Officer Porter Williams, 1916 (photo)

Posted on October 3, 2013 by editor

Porter Williams held the rank of detective sergeant in the Springfield Police Department when he was shot to death during rioting by coal miners on Sept. 25, 1932. Williams’ killer was never identified. The Springfield Police Department now sponsors the … Continue reading →

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Pawnee

Posted on April 22, 2013 by editor

Pawnee Township saw some of Sangamon County’s earliest European settlers, with Justus Henkle apparently being the first in 1818. He was followed by a number of other settlers from St. Clair County. The new families encountered the indigenous Kickapoo and … Continue reading →

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Coal mining fatalities

Posted on April 21, 2013 by editor

Several hundred coal miners and mine workers lost their lives in Sangamon County mines through 1930, according to researcher Wayne Hinton.* Hinton’s former website also reported on four Sangamon County mine “disasters,” defined as any incident between 1880 and 1986 … Continue reading →

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Divernon

Posted on April 19, 2013 by editor

According to Divernon: Its Place in Time, a centennial history written by David Brady in 2000, the village of Divernon began as one of four depots on a Litchfield-to-Springfield railroad formally known as the St. Louis & Chicago Railway Co. Informally, … Continue reading →

Posted in Coal mines and mining, Communities | Tagged | 15 Comments

Park Sherman Company

Posted on April 15, 2013 by editor

The Park Sherman Company operated in Springfield from the early 1930s, when founder Jacob Sherman bought a plant formerly operated by the Springfield-based Shanklin Manufacturing Co.,  until 1960. Shanklin Manufacturing, 2725 S. 11th St., founded by George Shanklin, marketed an … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Coal mines and mining, Industry | Tagged , | 66 Comments

Coal mining

Posted on April 10, 2013 by editor

For several years in the middle of the 20th century, Sangamon County was a leader among Illinois counties in the production of bituminous coal. Coal was discovered in Illinois as early as 1673, when French explorers Marquette and Joliet noted … Continue reading →

Posted in Coal mines and mining, Disasters, Industry | Tagged , , | 22 Comments

Riverton

Posted on April 7, 2013 by editor

Like many early towns, the village of Riverton’s proximity to the Sangamon River contributed to its beginnings. A ferry across the Sangamon, operated by Ezikiel Judd, was the first enterprise in the area. He later transferred the ferry to his … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Coal mines and mining, Communities, Early residents, Lincoln, Abraham, Local government, Mills, Railroads, Sangamon River, Schools and school districts, Sports and recreation, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , | 13 Comments

Auburn

Posted on April 2, 2013 by editor

Auburn was founded twice. The first time was in 1835 by the Eastman family – George and Asa, along with their sister Hannah, who chose “Auburn” as the name of the fledgling community. (An 1896 Illinois State Journal article hypothesized that … Continue reading →

Posted in Coal mines and mining, Communities, Disasters, Prominent figures, Sports and recreation | Tagged | 1 Comment