Category Archives: Communities

Bradfordton

Posted on May 6, 2021 by editor

Bradfordton owes its existence to a short-lived railroad and its name to a veteran of the War of 1812. Never an incorporated community, Bradfordton – on Illinois 97 (Jefferson Street extended) west of Springfield – originally was known as “Bradfordton … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Business, Communities, Early residents, Fires, Prominent figures, Transportation | Leave a comment

Cotton Hill

Posted on April 23, 2021 by editor

Cotton Hill was the only community wiped from the map by the construction of Lake Springfield in the 1930s. But there wasn’t much there to begin with. The Illinois State Journal explained the origin of Cotton Hill in an editorial … Continue reading →

Posted in Communities, Local government, Parks | 11 Comments

The Lochridge brothers, Pawnee merchants

Posted on April 14, 2021 by editor

The Lochridge brothers began as farmers, but became grocers, businessmen, investors and, for a time, bankers. In the process, they helped build the town of Pawnee. The first Lochridges, Revolutionary War veteran Capt. John Lochridge (1761-1851) and his son William … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Business, Communities, Early residents, Prominent figures, Railroads | 1 Comment

Harvard Park

Posted on September 17, 2019 by editor

The person who named Harvard Park, one of Springfield’s largest early subdivisions, won $100 in a contest sponsored by the Springfield Improvement Association. He or she – the winner, one of 570 entrants, asked to remain anonymous – promptly donated … Continue reading →

Posted in Communities, Industry | 7 Comments

Springfield in 1939, according to the Federal Writers Project

Posted on June 10, 2019 by editor

Editor: This entry, originally published in 2014, has been revised and expanded. Illinois: A Descriptive and Historical Guide was part of the American Guide series, which profiled each of the then-existing 48 states during the 1930s. The American Guides were … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Communities, Depression, Historic Sites, Histories, Illinois capital, Lincoln, Abraham, Maps, Markers, Springfield, Transportation | 2 Comments

‘Fossil Boulder,’ Auburn Township Park

Posted on January 7, 2019 by editor

Fossil Boulder is the most notable feature of Auburn Township Park southeast of Auburn. The boulder was unearthed in the mid-1980s in Auburn itself, according to a sign at the park. Information on the sign was researched by Marilyn “’lyn” … Continue reading →

Posted in Communities, Parks, Prehistory | Leave a comment

Wimmer Cemetery, Auburn

Posted on October 10, 2018 by editor

Wimmer Cemetery, an inactive but by no means abandoned graveyard east of Auburn, is one of Sangamon County’s oldest burying places. No one has been buried at Wimmer since 1934, and by 1999, the site was overgrown, dilapidated and vandalized. … Continue reading →

Posted in Communities, Historic Sites | 2 Comments

Buffalo Hart tornado deaths, 1927

Posted on April 18, 2018 by editor

Three people, including two children from one family, died when a tornado destroyed Buffalo Hart the afternoon of April 19, 1927. “Until yesterday this town was a quiet and contented village,” the Illinois State Journal reported in a story written … Continue reading →

Posted in Communities, Disasters | 1 Comment

Pensacola

Posted on March 19, 2017 by editor

“Pensacola” was the name given to a tiny, unincorporated community in Cotton Hill Township, southeast of Springfield, in the 1800s. The area is designated for inundation if and when Hunter Lake is ever created as a backup water source for … Continue reading →

Posted in Communities, Early residents, Historic Sites, Hotels & taverns, Mills, Politics, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

Rural mail delivery begins, 1896

Posted on December 2, 2016 by editor

The first rural mail deliveries in Sangamon County – in fact, in all of Illinois – took place in the Auburn area on Dec. 10, 1896. Rural Free Delivery, as it became known, started as a nationwide experiment, one many … Continue reading →

Posted in Communities, Politics, Prominent figures | 9 Comments