Category Archives: Photos and photosets

‘Lawsonomy’ in Springfield

Posted on October 8, 2015 by editor

Lawsonomy was the general term for a system of philosophy, physics and economics created and promoted by an ex-baseball player and aircraft developer named Alfred W. Lawson (1869-1954). Lawsonomy’s political and economic offshoot was the Direct Credits Society, which, according … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Depression, Photos and photosets, Politics | Leave a comment

Assembly Ball, 1889 (photo)

Posted on July 25, 2015 by editor

This obviously staged photograph was taken by William Patton in the lobby of the Leland Hotel, Sixth Street and Capitol Avenue, in 1889. The photo was later printed in the lllinois State Journal. The caption said, in part: Here in … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Celebrations, Hotels & taverns, Photos and photosets, Social life | Leave a comment

Cadillac garage, 1912 (photo)

Posted on November 12, 2014 by editor

L. Lee Savage sold Cadillacs in Springfield from 1911 into 1914. His first dealership was at 312 W. Washington St. This photo, from 1912, shows Savage’s second location at Fifth Street and Lawrence Avenue. The Cadillac Co. of Springfield took … Continue reading →

Posted in Auto dealers, Business, Photos and photosets, Transportation | Leave a comment

Springfield in 1912 (‘General Facts’)

Posted on November 12, 2014 by editor

Above is a page from Springfield: The Capital of the State of Illinois (1912), published by the Springfield Commercial Association, a forerunner of the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce. Perhaps the most illuminating “general fact” to the modern reader is … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Industry, Media, Photos and photosets, Railroads | Leave a comment

1850s Springfield, in four mysterious paintings

Posted on March 18, 2014 by editor

The four paintings below show all four sides of the Springfield square in the late 1840s or early 1850s. They are unusual in two ways: their perspective, presumably from the cupola of what now is the Old State Capitol; and … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts and letters, Historic Sites, Histories, Hotels & taverns, Illustrations, Maps, Photos and photosets, Prominent figures, Springfield, State government | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Photograph collections online

Posted on March 4, 2014 by editor

In addition to photos posted or linked to elsewhere in this index, many websites offer photos related to Sangamon County’s past, with little or no additional text. They are offered here for personal viewing. Important: The Sangamon County Historical Society … Continue reading →

Posted in Photos and photosets | 4 Comments

Fire escape hazards, 1914 (Springfield Survey photo)

Posted on December 15, 2013 by editor

The Springfield Survey was a massive study of local schools, prisons, and other institutions undertaken in 1914 by the Russell Sage Foundation with the help of hundreds of local volunteers. Topics covered included schools, care of “mental defectives, the insane … Continue reading →

Posted in Children, Photos and photosets, Social services, Springfield Survey | Tagged | Leave a comment

Thornton Walker

Posted on November 4, 2013 by editor

Thornton Walker* (1912-45) was the Illinois State Journal’s part-time aviation columnist during the 1930s. A Flickr page set up by his son-in-law, Bill Strouse, contains many photos of Southwest Airport, along with reproductions of some of Walker’s columns for the Journal. … Continue reading →

Posted in Airport, Journalism, Military, Photos and photosets, Prominent figures, State government, Transportation | Tagged | Leave a comment

Bunn School cooking class, 1910 (photo)

Posted on October 31, 2013 by editor

A cooking class at Bunn School, circa 1910. The school was at 12th and Division streets. (Photo: Sangamon Valley Collection)

Posted in Education, Photos and photosets, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Camp Dunne, 1916 (photo)

Posted on October 31, 2013 by editor

This entry was corrected and expanded in 2024. Camp Dunne was a temporary mustering facility at the Illinois State Fairgrounds prior to the United States’ entry into World War I during the military callup that followed Pancho Villa’s raid of … Continue reading →

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