Category Archives: Prominent figures

Bradfordton

Posted on May 6, 2021 by editor

Bradfordton owes its existence to a short-lived railroad and its name to a veteran of the War of 1812. Never an incorporated community, Bradfordton – on Illinois 97 (Jefferson Street extended) west of Springfield – originally was known as “Bradfordton … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Business, Communities, Early residents, Fires, Prominent figures, Transportation | Leave a comment

Southwest Airport

Posted on May 2, 2021 by editor

Craig Isbell, who once told Charles Lindbergh he’d never make it across the Atlantic, helped bring Springfield into the age of air. Isbell and a partner, Gelder Lockwood, founded the Springfield Aviation Co., which operated Southwest Airport, on Chatham Road … Continue reading →

Posted in Air travel, Airport, Business, Prominent figures, Transportation | 6 Comments

Klever’s Model controversy (‘the hog case’)

Posted on April 25, 2021 by editor

The world of Poland China swine revolved around Williamsville in the 1890s, thanks to stockman George G. Council and his prize boar, Klever’s Model. When Council (1864-1944) put Klever’s Model up for sale in 1897, a syndicate made up of … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Animals, Farming, Prominent figures | 3 Comments

Harry Lane, ‘boss gambler’

Posted on April 20, 2021 by editor

Chester M. “Harry” Lane was Springfield’s gambling kingpin at the turn of the 20th century, apparently with the connivance of police, city officials, and the courts. He stepped down in the mid-1900s, after a fatal shooting, the election of a … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Buildings, Business, Crime and vice, Hotels & taverns, Journalism, Law enforcement, Media, Politics, Prominent figures | 1 Comment

St. Nicholas Hotel early days

Posted on April 17, 2021 by editor

J. Emil Smith, editor, publisher and columnist for the Illinois State Journal, wrote the following memory of the early St. Nicholas Hotel on Nov. 28, 1943, a few days before the McCreery family relinquished ownership. The McCreerys had operated the … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Business, Historic Sites, Hotels & taverns, National Register, Prominent figures, Restaurants, Social life, Uncategorized | 4 Comments

The Lochridge brothers, Pawnee merchants

Posted on April 14, 2021 by editor

The Lochridge brothers began as farmers, but became grocers, businessmen, investors and, for a time, bankers. In the process, they helped build the town of Pawnee. The first Lochridges, Revolutionary War veteran Capt. John Lochridge (1761-1851) and his son William … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Business, Communities, Early residents, Prominent figures, Railroads | 1 Comment

Zinc works, Devereux Heights

Posted on April 11, 2021 by editor

Spanish immigrants were skilled zinc workers, but they were also tough labor negotiators, managers of Springfield’s zinc smelter learned. The smelter, owned first by the United Zinc & Chemical Co. and then the National Zinc. Co., operated off Peoria Road … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Coal mines and mining, Ethnic groups, Industry, Prominent figures, Spanish | 2 Comments

B.H. Luers and Sons Shoe Store

Posted on March 31, 2021 by editor

Luers Group, which in 2021 specialized in children’s shoes and school uniforms, can legitimately boast that among the children who have worn the store’s shoes were the sons of Abraham and Mary Lincoln. Luers also might be, as some articles … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Prominent figures, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

The Majestic theatre, 1907-35

Posted on February 23, 2021 by editor

“Springfield society assembled en masse on the evening of May 23, 1907, when the Majestic Theatre opened its doors for the first time”, the Illinois State Register reported in 1935. By then, the Majestic, 415-21 S. Fifth St., was no … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Architecture, Business, Prominent figures, Social life, Theaters | 1 Comment

W.W. Watts, theater impresario

Posted on February 17, 2021 by editor

William Walter “W.W.” Watts flopped the first time he opened a theater in Springfield. But his stepson-in-law persuaded Watts to try again, saying there was “big money in 5-cent picture shows.” The younger man was right. Watts (1868-1937), an Ohio … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Business, Journalism, Media, Prominent figures, Social life, Theaters | Leave a comment