Category Archives: Museums

Susan Lawrence Dana

Note: This entry was significantly expanded in July 2023. See “Hat tips” below. Susan Lawrence Dana (1862-1946) was a Springfield socialite, activist and philanthropist best known for commissioning architect Frank Lloyd Wright to transform her family’s Civil War-era home at … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Buildings, Historic Sites, Museums, Prominent figures, Schools and school districts, Social services, State government, Women | 2 Comments

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library site (Fever River)

The site of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential  Library and Museum is one of five areas of Springfield that Fever River Research has studied exhaustively.  The resulting reports  are extraordinarily informative historical and archaeological analyses. Fever River Research says it “specializes … Continue reading

Posted in Early residents, Fever River, Histories, Lincoln, Abraham, Museums, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

Culver Marble and Stone Co.

The Culver Marble and Stone Co. and its offshoots, headed by Col. James S. Culver (1852-1911), were among the Springfield area’s most prominent builders from the early 1870s until 1912. As a contractor, the Culver firm was given credit for … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Buildings, Business, Industry, Museums, Prominent figures | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Elizabeth Graham (First Citizen)

Elizabeth Graham (1892-1982), though a Springfield High School English teacher and department head for nearly 40 years, is best known for her unswerving dedication to the poetry and memory of Vachel Lindsay. Graham. born in Galena, attended a Lindsay recitation … Continue reading

Posted in Arts and letters, Education, First Citizens, Historic Sites, Lindsay, Vachel, Museums, Prominent figures, Women | Leave a comment

Elijah Iles House

The house pioneer merchant Elijah Iles is thought to have had built for his family near Sixth and Cook streets in the 1830s* now is a museum and display place for exhibits focused on Springfield history. Both Abraham Lincoln and … Continue reading

Posted in Buildings, Early residents, Historic Sites, Lincoln, Abraham, Local government, Museums | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Illinois State Arsenal (1903)

President Theodore Roosevelt dedicated the new Illinois State Arsenal  at Second and Monroe streets on June 4, 1903. The structure, designed by Bullard & Bullard architects and built at a cost of $150,000 by the Culver Stone and Marble Co., … Continue reading

Posted in African Americans, Amusements, Buildings, Celebrations, Disasters, Lincoln, Abraham, Military, Museums, Race riot of 1908, Sports and recreation, State government | 7 Comments

Larkin Mead, Lincoln Tomb designer

Larkin Mead (1835-1910), who designed the Lincoln Tomb State Historic Site, got his artistic start from a snow angel. Not the kind children make by lying down in snow, but an 8-foot-tall, highly detailed snow statue of the biblical Recording … Continue reading

Posted in Arts and letters, Buildings, Historic Sites, Lincoln, Abraham, Museums, Presidents | Tagged | 1 Comment

Santa Anna’s artificial leg

One of the more popular attractions at the Illinois State Military Museum in Springfield is the artificial leg that belonged to Mexican General Antonio Lopez De Santa Anna, conqueror of the Alamo. The limb was captured during the battle of … Continue reading

Posted in Historic Sites, Military, Museums, Prominent figures | Tagged , | 2 Comments