Category Archives: Communities

Riddle Hill

Posted on June 20, 2016 by editor

Riddle Hill got its name in 1899, when farmers and other residents west of Springfield expected a proposed Springfield-to-Jacksonville electric railway to boost land prices in the area. The Illinois State Journal announced the creation of a new Riddle Hill … Continue reading →

Posted in Communities, Prominent figures, Transportation | 9 Comments

Pawnee High School fire, 1958

Posted on November 8, 2015 by editor

Pawnee High School was demolished by a fire on Feb. 24, 1958, that was ignited by a student attempting to break into the school’s vault. Frank Carlos Ewing Jr., 15, admitted to Sangamon County sheriff’s investigators that he broke into … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Communities, Crime and vice, Disasters, Education, Law enforcement | 13 Comments

Divernon school photos, 1920s

Posted on November 8, 2015 by editor

The above photos of Divernon school students were provided by John Faber. Students’ identifications (except for a few relatives of Mr. Faber) are not available. Divernon opened its first school in 1887, but school enrollment began to jump after the … Continue reading →

Posted in Coal mines and mining, Communities, Education, Photos and photosets, Schools and school districts | 1 Comment

Sangamon Ordnance Plant

Posted on July 7, 2015 by editor

Dozens of seemingly out-of-place structures dot farm fields west of Illiopolis, the last reminders of what once was one of the U.S.’s largest producers of World War II artillery ammunition. From 1942 to 1945, the Sangamon Ordnance Plant produced 24 … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Agriculture, Buildings, Communities, Disasters, Industry, Military, Transportation, Women | 46 Comments

Ridgely village

Posted on May 29, 2015 by editor

The village of Ridgely, which ran from about Fifth Street to 15th Street between Ridgely and Sangamon avenues, was among suburbs that sprang up as residential developments expanded beyond the “Grand avenues,” the traditional city limits of Springfield. Ridgely, incorporated … Continue reading →

Posted in Communities, Local government, Prominent figures, Springfield | 3 Comments

Fire devastates east side of Auburn square, 1910

Posted on March 19, 2015 by editor

A fire that destroyed the entire east side of the Auburn town square early on March 16, 1910, was described in the March 18 edition of the Auburn Citizen. Here is the Citizen’s story.  Auburn has costly fire At about … Continue reading →

Posted in Communities, Disasters | Leave a comment

‘How We Come to School’ — Pleasant Plains High School, 1924

Posted on March 19, 2015 by editor

Page 68 of The Anchor, the yearbook of Pleasant Plains Township High School’s class of 1924, suggested most students commuted to school via horseback or buggy, though a few groups posed with automobiles. The class will, below, suggests high school … Continue reading →

Posted in Communities, Education, Schools and school districts, Transportation | Leave a comment

Sangamon County in 1837

Posted on January 6, 2015 by editor

The following description of Sangamon County is taken from Illinois in 1837: A Sketch by H.L. Ellsworth (Philadelphia, 1837); spelling and punctuation from the original. Note that, two years after this was written, the Illinois General Assembly reduced Sangamon County … Continue reading →

Posted in Communities, Histories, Maps, Resources, Sangamon County, Sangamon River, Soil, Transportation | Leave a comment

Chatham railroad history

Posted on October 5, 2014 by editor

In the early 1800s, like many other places on what was then “the frontier,” lack of reliable transportation was an impediment to the growth of Sangamon County. The Sangamon River was an outlet to the Illinois River, but was too … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Communities, Historic Sites, Museums, Railroads, Transportation | Tagged | 5 Comments

A blended immigrant family: Treinis/Nevada/Zakar

Posted on July 25, 2014 by editor

From Sandy’s Blog, News and Profiles, a section of Lithuanians in Springfield, Illinois: Lithuanian coal-mining families in Springfield at the turn of the 20th Century had many hardships — and virtues — in common. Hard work, faith and determination were … Continue reading →

Posted in Children, Communities, Ethnic groups, Family life, Lithuanians | 8 Comments