Category Archives: Histories

‘The Sycamore Sentry’: Memories of Cantrall, 1950s

(This entry is excerpted from Old Cantrall: The History of a Small Village Carved Out of the Illinois Wilderness, a work-in-progress by Cantrall native Andrew Wasilewski.) “It was a special place during a special time with special people, but it … Continue reading

Posted in Communities, Histories | 2 Comments

First printed map of Springfield (1856)

In Here I Have Lived: The Story of Lincoln’s Springfield (1935), Paul Angle identified this map as the first one ever printed showing the city of Springfield. It was published in E.H. Hall’s Springfield City Directory and Sangamon County Advertiser … Continue reading

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Oliver R. Barrett, Lincoln collector

Over a lifetime, starting at age 13, Oliver Barrett amassed an immense collection of documents, relics and source materials related to Abraham Lincoln. When Barrett died in 1950, his heirs offered his entire archive to the Illinois State Historical Library … Continue reading

Posted in Arts and letters, Histories, Lincoln Tomb, Lincoln, Abraham, Museums, Prominent figures, State government | 4 Comments

Sangamon County and Springfield in Peck’s Gazetteer, 1837

John Mason Peck (1789-1858), traveled widely in Missouri and Illinois as a Baptist missionary. He helped establish more than 900 churches and was important in efforts to eliminate slavery in Illinois. He also “wrote prolifically,” Wikipedia says, “including on agriculture, … Continue reading

Posted in Environment, Farming, Histories, Illinois capital, Maps, Sangamon County, Soil, Springfield, Transportation | 1 Comment

First Rochester schools

The 1881 History of Sangamon County, Illinois, Together with Sketches of Its Cities, Villages and Townships includes two short accounts of the earliest schoolhouses and teachers near Rochester. As described, the schools were rough and improvised, and one burned down in … Continue reading

Posted in Communities, Early residents, Education, Histories, Prominent figures, Schools and school districts, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

“The Gay ’90s” in Springfield

In 1943, V.Y. Dallman, longtime editor and columnist for the Illinois State Register, published a three-part reminiscence of the “Gay ‘90s” – at least, as they were experienced by Springfield’s upper crust. The series was written by a certified member … Continue reading

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Making bread, 1819

Even the most necessary tasks were a struggle for the first European residents of Sangamon County. Take baking bread, for instance, as described in the History of the Early Settlers of Sangamon County (1876) by John Carroll Power (1819-94); the … Continue reading

Posted in Agriculture, Early residents, Farming, Histories, Mills, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

‘The Story of the House,’ by Alice Bunn

Alice Bunn (1867-1953) was born and died in the spacious home at 435 S. Sixth St. that was built by her father, Jacob Bunn, in the 1850s. The house was torn down for a parking lot in July 1953, a … Continue reading

Posted in Amusements, Architecture, Buildings, Children, Early residents, Family life, Histories, Prominent figures, Social life, Women | 2 Comments

Sangamon County and Springfield, 1847 (J.H. Buckingham)

In the summer of 1847, writer J.H. Buckingham traveled by stagecoach between Peoria and Springfield in the company of “two members of Congress from the state of Illinois, one Whig and one Locofoco.” The Whig was Abraham Lincoln. Here is … Continue reading

Posted in Histories, Sangamon County, Springfield | 1 Comment

First European buried in Sangamon County

The first European to die in Sangamon County apparently was a U.S. Ranger enlisted to help protect early European settlers from Native Americans during the War of 1812. The man, probably named William Hewitt, was shot in an unprovoked scuffle … Continue reading

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