Category Archives: Early residents

Chesapeake Seafood House

Posted on July 19, 2016 by editor

NOTE: This entry has been edited. See below. The home that makes up the core of the Chesapeake Seafood House, 3045 Clear Lake Ave., was built sometime after 1857 by John McGredy, a 19th-century Scottish immigrant turned nurseryman. McGredy apparently … Continue reading →

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Oldest home in Sangamon County

Posted on June 20, 2016 by editor

A log cabin built in 1823 by James Walters – now part of a larger farmhouse, but still standing – was identified in 2016 as the oldest home in Sangamon County. See Riddle Hill.

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Gehrmann Park

Posted on June 7, 2015 by editor

The development of Gehrmann Park in 1946 caused the destruction of what then probably was Springfield’s oldest building – a log cabin built by one of the Kellys, the city’s first European settlers. The three-acre park between Third and Fourth … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Early residents, Parks, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

Robert Irwin (Lincoln banker & friend)

Posted on April 30, 2015 by editor

On May 18, 1861, President Abraham Lincoln wrote to Treasury Secretary Salmon P. Chase about an “old friend who has served me all my life, and who has never before received or asked anything in return.” The friend, Robert Irwin, … Continue reading →

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Stuart Elementary School

Posted on April 5, 2015 by editor

The Sixth Ward Primary School, located between Sixth and Seventh streets and Vine Street and South Grand Avenue, was the first Springfield public school organized after the original four ward schools. Stuart was built in 1883 and closed after the … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Early residents, Education, John T. Stuart, Prominent figures, Schools and school districts, Women | 25 Comments

Stephen A. Douglas’ missing finger

Posted on March 10, 2015 by editor

Before he was Abraham Lincoln’s foil in the 1858 contest for U.S. Senate in Illinois and then for the presidency in 1860, Stephen A. Douglas was a regular presence and sometime resident in Springfield. Douglas also was, briefly, Lincoln’s rival … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Early residents, Historic Sites, Illinois capital, Lincoln, Abraham, Politics, Presidential candidates, Prominent figures, State government | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Sangamon County/Springfield timeline, 1818-1840

Posted on February 17, 2015 by editor

The following timeline is taken from a handout distributed by Melinda Garvert for a talk she presented at the Iles House on Feb. 17, 2015. Reprinted with permission. 1818 —  Illinois becomes the 21st state in the union due to … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Early residents, Illinois capital, Local government, Prominent figures, Sangamon County, Springfield, State government | 14 Comments

Early farming changes (William Herndon description)

Posted on January 25, 2015 by editor

On Aug. 31, 1876, William Herndon, Abraham Lincoln’s last law partner and biographer, spoke to the ninth annual meeting of the Old Settlers of Sangamon County. Here is part of his speech that recounted the changes seen in farming techniques … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Early residents, Farming, Histories, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

Helen Dodge Edwards (obituary)

Posted on December 22, 2014 by editor

The Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society for April 1909 to January 1910 included an obituary of Helen Kissick Dodge Edwards (1819-1909), widow of Benjamin Edwards, matriarch of Edwards Place and, as the obituary says, “the ideal of an … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Early residents, Prominent figures, Social life, Women | Leave a comment

The Pasfield family (1830s to 1930)

Posted on September 28, 2014 by editor

Three men named George Pasfield — father, son and grandson, usually distinguished as “the first George Pasfield,” “Dr. George Pasfield” and “George Pasfield Jr.” — played major roles in the growth of Springfield over nearly a century. 1830s George Pasfield … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Business, Early residents, First Citizens, Historic Sites, Hotels & taverns, Illinois capital, Industry, Local government, Parks, Prominent figures | 3 Comments