Category Archives: Military

Army Air Force depot, Illinois State Fairgrounds (WWII)

Posted on July 18, 2018 by editor

Livestock moved out of the Illinois State Fairgrounds with the start of World War II, and soldiers moved in. The U.S. Army Air Force took over the fairgrounds in March 1942 and operated a supply depot and training facility there … Continue reading →

Posted in Military | 8 Comments

Camp Butler (Civil War training camp)

Posted on December 17, 2017 by editor

At the start of the Civil War in 1861, states scrambled to build training facilities for the influx of raw recruits.  Springfield’s first attempt at a location was Camp Yates, an area bordered today by Washington, Governor, Lincoln and Douglas … Continue reading →

Posted in Historic Sites, Military | 11 Comments

Hiram Shumate (last Civil War veteran)

Posted on October 16, 2017 by editor

Sangamon County’s last Civil War veteran, Hiram Shumate of Riverton, died, at age 98, on New Year’s Day 1948. At the time of his death, Shumate had been state commander of the dwindling Grand Army of the Republic since 1940 … Continue reading →

Posted in Markers, Military, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

World War I memorial, First Street and North Grand Avenue (updated)

Posted on October 7, 2017 by editor

Update note: Sangamon County’s memorial to those who died in World War I was moved from First Street and North Grand Avenue to the war memorials section of Oak Ridge Cemetery in September 2019. Wording was added honoring all Illinoisans … Continue reading →

Posted in Lincoln Tomb, Markers, Military, Prominent figures, Women | 2 Comments

Sangamon County’s Confederate memorial

Posted on August 19, 2017 by editor

Note:  Camp Butler itself (see link below) describes its Confederate obelisk as a “monument.” However, it probably is more accurate to call it a “memorial,” because the obelisk was erected, as its inscription says, in memory of  Confederate soldiers buried … Continue reading →

Posted in Historic Sites, Markers, Military | 4 Comments

Western Cartridge Co. explosion, 1920

Posted on November 5, 2016 by editor

Four men were killed on June 24, 1920, when an explosion and fire wrecked part of a smokeless gunpowder plant northeast of Springfield. The Western Cartridge Co., based in East Alton, opened the plant in 1915. Powder manufactured in Springfield … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Disasters, Industry, Military | Leave a comment

Dr. Daniel Ottis (World War I surgeon)

Posted on February 28, 2016 by editor

Dr. Daniel M. Ottis (1870-1929) was a prominent surgeon in Springfield who also was known for organizing the Sangamon County-based Unit W of the U.S. Medical Service during World War I. The Illinois State Journal summarized Ottis’ career in his … Continue reading →

Posted in Medicine, Military, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

Flu epidemic, 1918-20

Posted on February 28, 2016 by editor

Health officials closed churches, schools and theaters, barred street gatherings and set up a special hospital at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, but the influenza epidemic of 1918 nonetheless killed more than 500 county residents. Second and third waves of flu appeared … Continue reading →

Posted in Disasters, Medicine, Military, Public health | 10 Comments

Black Civil War veterans buried at Oak Ridge Cemetery

Posted on January 9, 2016 by editor

At least 28 African-American Civil War veterans are buried at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, according to Kathleen Heyworth’s Private Lewis Martin and African-American Civil War Soldiers in Springfield, Illinois (2015). The following list, taken from Heyworth’s research, lists each … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Military | 1 Comment

Black Civil War soldier’s POW experience

Posted on January 8, 2016 by editor

Isaac Gaskin (ca. 1847-1900), born a slave in Mississippi, served with the 29th Regiment of U.S. Colored Troops during the Civil War and was captured by Confederates in the botched Battle of the Crater outside Petersburg, Va., on July 30, … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Military | Leave a comment