Category Archives: Labor unions

The Battle of Virden (1898)

Posted on November 13, 2016 by editor

The 1898 “Battle of Virden,” a 10-minute gunfight that killed 13 men and had lasting significance for Illinois coal mining, was fought in Macoupin County, just south of the Sangamon County line. However, the Virden confrontation also led to turmoil … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Business, Coal mines and mining, Labor unions, Markers, Oak Ridge signs, State government | 10 Comments

Bobby pin manufacturer

Posted on January 2, 2016 by editor

New Modern Machine Products Co. made bobby pins in a factory at 10th and Miller streets from 1950 to 1959. Specifically, the company’s products were described in a Dec. 31, 1953, Illinois State Journal article as “rubber tipped, hair setting … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Industry, Labor unions | 4 Comments

The Coal Palace

Posted on June 10, 2015 by editor

Sangamon County showed off its most valuable mineral by building a “grand coal palace” for the 1889 county fair. The idea for the palace apparently originated with an unidentified Illinois State Journal staff member only two weeks before the scheduled … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Architecture, Buildings, Business, Coal mines and mining, Industry, Labor unions, Spectacles | Leave a comment

St. Barbara Slovenian Catholic Church

Posted on June 2, 2015 by editor

St. Barbara Church, 15th and Laurel streets, was Springfield’s Slovenian Catholic parish from 1911 until 1947. Thirty-seven Slovenian residents of the Springfield area – many of them coal miners – formed a Slovenian Church Building Association in 1909, each pledging … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Churches, Depression, Labor unions, Prominent figures, Schools and school districts | 9 Comments

Noah Roll (slain police officer)

Posted on August 7, 2014 by editor

Police Officer Noah Roll was attempting to protect two streetcars from a mob at Ninth Street and North Grand Avenue about 9:15 p.m. Aug. 7, 1917, when he was struck in the head by two shots fired by someone on … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and vice, Labor unions, Law enforcement, Local government, Transportation | Leave a comment

General strike, 1917

Posted on August 7, 2014 by editor

Union members shut down mines, railroads, bakeries, restaurants, laundries and construction sites across Sangamon County in September 1917 following the violent breakup by police and the Illinois state militia of a pro-labor march. The march — for which city officials … Continue reading →

Posted in Labor unions, Law enforcement, Local government, Politics, Prominent figures, Transportation, Women | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments