Category Archives: African Americans

Beverly Helm-Renfro (African-American history interviews)

Posted on November 19, 2015 by editor

Beverly Helm-Renfro was adopted when she was six months old and moved to Springfield with her foster parents. In an interview for the Springfield African-American History Foundation series, she discusses growing up in Springfield, including the changes she has witnessed … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans | 1 Comment

Rudy Davenport (African-American history interviews)

Posted on November 19, 2015 by editor

Born in Georgia in 1928, Rudy Davenport and his family moved to Chicago the next year.  He grew up in Chicago, graduated from Roosevelt University, and moved to Springfield in 1966. Davenport worked for the state of Illinois and was … Continue reading →

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Rosia Adams (African-American history interviews)

Posted on November 19, 2015 by editor

Rosia Adams moved to Springfield in the early 1970s . In an interview for the Springfield African-American History Foundation series, she discusses finding a job teaching in Springfield schools and her career in the school system. She also talks about … Continue reading →

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Illinois State Informer (newspaper)

Posted on October 19, 2015 by editor

The Illinois State Informer was a weekly newspaper founded by Dr. Alonzo Kenniebrew, a nationally prominent black physician, in the mid-1930s in Springfield. Kenniebrew (1875-1943), a graduate of Tuskegee Institute and close friend of Tuskegee founder Booker T. Washington, had moved to … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Arts and letters, Ethnic groups, Journalism, Media, Prominent figures | 3 Comments

Dr. Alonzo Kenniebrew (physician)

Posted on October 14, 2015 by editor

Dr. Alonzo Kenniebrew lived and died in Springfield, and his wife later became one of the most honored Springfieldians of her generation. His most notable achievements as a pioneering African-American physician, however, were accomplished elsewhere. Kenniebrew (1875-1943) founded the world’s … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, First Citizens, Medicine, Prominent figures, Women | 2 Comments

Louis Lehmann (band director)

Posted on July 27, 2015 by editor

Professor Louis Lehmann (1851-1923) led the Illinois Watch Factory Band for 42 years, until he collapsed and died at a band rehearsal. William Dodd Chenery described the scene in 1933: For forty-two years, almost to a day, he carried on, … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Amusements, Local government, Prominent figures, Social life | Leave a 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 | 47 Comments

Rebecca Woods (servant)

Posted on May 31, 2015 by editor

Rebecca Woods was a longtime servant of the Nicholas Ridgely family and is buried in the Ridgely plot at Oak Ridge Cemetery. See Ridgely family.

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Ridgely family

Posted on May 31, 2015 by editor

Nicholas Ridgely, a Maryland native who moved to Sangamon County in 1835, was the father of 13 children by two wives (both named Jane). Here is a look at several Ridgelys who played prominent roles in 19th-century Springfield. *Nicholas Ridgely … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Business, Industry, Local government, Prominent figures, Railroads | 6 Comments

Lewis Martin, 29th U.S. Colored Troops

Posted on May 11, 2015 by editor

This entry has been updated — ed. Lewis Martin (1840-92) was a free Black man who served in the 29th regiment U.S. Colored Troops during the Civil War. He was severely wounded in the Battle of the Crater before Petersburg, … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Military | 4 Comments