Category Archives: Ethnic groups

St. John’s Hospital

Posted on March 11, 2021 by editor

Mary Lincoln may have been one of the earliest patients to benefit from care provided by what is now the Hospital Sisters Health System. The story was handed down by a Franciscan nun, Sister Francis Dreisvogt (1849-1933), who was among … Continue reading →

Posted in Germans, Lincoln, Abraham, Medicine, Public health, Social services, Uncategorized | 8 Comments

Pekin Theatre

Posted on February 12, 2021 by editor

In segregated Springfield, the Pekin Theatre was the only movie house that not only catered specifically to African-Americans, but was managed by African-Americans as well. The Pekin was at 811-15 E. Washington St. The block, the site of both Black- … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Amusements, Social life, Theaters | Leave a comment

Murder-extortion gang, 1932

Posted on July 13, 2020 by editor

A wild shootout in Christian County in 1932 ended the bloody history of a Springfield-based murder and extortion gang. Authorities claimed their followup investigation solved a half-dozen area slayings. But Springfield’s chief of detectives struggled to explain why police hadn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and vice, Italians, Law enforcement | Leave a comment

Danube Swabians in Sangamon County

Posted on February 16, 2020 by editor

In February 1903, the SS Pennland docked at Philadelphia, offloading scores of immigrants. One of the newcomers walking off the ship that day was Josef Kohlrus, a 31-year-old miner from Central Hungary.  With $14 in his pocket, Josef’s final destination … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Swabians | 21 Comments

Italian Villa fire (1932)

Posted on October 28, 2019 by editor

The explosion that wrecked the Italian Villa nightclub on East Monroe Street in 1932, killing two, was never explained. Suspicion, fueled by testimony from passersby, the track records of the club’s owners, and a rash of explosions around central Illinois … Continue reading →

Posted in Disasters, Hotels & taverns, Italians, Prominent figures, Restaurants, Social life, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

DeWitt Smith Building fire, 1918

Posted on September 3, 2019 by editor

When the DeWitt Smith Building caught fire in 1918, modern firefighting equipment saved the building, and a heroic elevator operator rescued many of its tenants. Even so, the top floors of the building, on the southeast corner of Fourth and … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Architecture, Auto dealers, Buildings, Disasters, Local government | 2 Comments

St. Patrick Parish, Springfield

Posted on August 22, 2019 by editor

The flag of Ireland lay draped beside the Stars and Stripes at a banquet held at the St. Nicholas Hotel on St. Patrick’s Day 1915. Springfield’s Irish Fellowship, led by the Irish-born Rev. Timothy Hickey, had organized Lá Fhéile Pádraig, … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Churches, Ethnic groups, Irish, Irish, Schools and school districts | 2 Comments

First African-American mail carrier

Posted on June 19, 2019 by editor

When Charles Ellis Sr. was appointed a Springfield mail carrier in 1890 – the first African-American to hold the job – his predecessor refused to show him the route, and the Illinois State Register erupted with a racist personal attack … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Ethnic groups, Media | Leave a comment

Ruth Ellis, lesbian activist

Posted on June 19, 2019 by editor

Ruth Ellis was an openly lesbian woman at a time when that was almost unheard of, the first 40 years of her life in her hometown of Springfield and for 60 more years in Detroit. She became celebrated in 1999, … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Ethnic groups, Prominent figures, Women | 2 Comments

Dr. Sheppard A. Ware, physician

Posted on May 27, 2019 by editor

Dr. Sheppard Anderson Ware (1872-1948) was a physician in Springfield for 40 years. He was also was a member of the Sangamon County Medical Society and additionally worked for the Illinois State Department of Health. Born in Brownsville, Tenn., Ware … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Ethnic groups, Politics, Prominent figures, Public health | Leave a comment