Category Archives: Prominent figures

William Dodd Chenery, impresario

Posted on August 4, 2020 by editor

The dedication of Lake Springfield on July 12, 1935 featured an elaborate pageant involving more than 100 participants – among them city fathers who portrayed themselves in a drama depicting the planning and construction of the lake. The Illinois State … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Arts and letters, Celebrations, Hotels & taverns, Prominent figures, Social life, Spectacles | Leave a comment

Rev. Charles Dresser (Lincoln marriage, Lincoln Home)

Posted on July 5, 2020 by editor

The man who built the cottage that became the Lincoln Home also officiated the marriage of Abraham and Mary Lincoln. His life’s work, however, was formation of the church that became Springfield’s Cathedral Church of St. Paul. Rev. Charles Dresser … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Churches, Historic Sites, Lincoln, Abraham, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

Albert Booth family, wagon makers

Posted on June 13, 2020 by editor

The A. Booth and Son Wagon Factory once dominated the northeast corner of Eighth and Washington Streets in Springfield. The factory was built by Albert Booth (1813-1873), who moved his family from Menard to Sangamon County around 1840. He first … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Business, Industry, Prominent figures, Uncategorized | 5 Comments

Alfred Booth, grocer, developer

Posted on June 13, 2020 by editor

Alfred Booth was a grocer and property developer in Springfield for more than 60 years. His most obvious legacy is the eight-story Booth Building at 516-18 E. Monroe Street. At the height of his career, Booth (1853-1939) developed single-family residences, … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Buildings, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

Harry Eielson’s miracle touchdown, 1918

Posted on May 30, 2020 by editor

Harry Eielson was a dominant athlete in high school and college. The Springfield High School basketball team, with Eielson as captain, won the 1917 state championship. Eielson took first place in pole vault at the 1915-16 state track meet, setting … Continue reading →

Posted in Local government, Politics, Prominent figures, Sports and recreation | 3 Comments

George Voyzey, union radical

Posted on May 3, 2020 by editor

The radical sympathies of Springfield labor activist George Thomas Voyzey (1893-1950) got him in trouble with both local authorities and other union leaders. Voyzey served as chairman of the Springfield affiliate of Save the Union, a miners’ group that broke … Continue reading →

Posted in Coal mines and mining, Depression, Industry, Labor unions, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

Southern Illinois Medical School 50th anniversary (2020)

Posted on March 31, 2020 by editor

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine indefinitely postponed its 50th anniversary alumni gala, which had been scheduled for April 4, 2020, at the Crowne Plaza in Springfield. The gala was a minor casualty of the … Continue reading →

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

Washington Iles, civic leader

Posted on March 23, 2020 by editor

Washington Iles (1800-71) was often overshadowed by his older brother, Elijah, Springfield’s pioneer merchant and civic leader. But Washington also was a respected, active citizen of the city. The brothers were in step with each other in many of their … Continue reading →

Posted in Early residents, Local government, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

The Palace Hotel

Posted on March 21, 2020 by editor

In the late 1800s, Springfield’s Palace Hotel had a great location at Fourth and Washington streets, a half-block from the Chicago & Alton railroad station (today’s Amtrak station). For a while, the Palace was one of the city’s premier hostelries. … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Business, Hotels & taverns, Illinois capital, Prominent figures, Uncategorized | 4 Comments

‘Huyler’s Ghost,’ a poem by ‘H.’,1832

Posted on March 15, 2020 by editor

“Huyler’s Ghost” is by an early Springfield poet whom scholar John Hallwas considers “the finest poet of the frontier, in not only Illinois but the entire Midwest.” The poet signed his works, which were printed in the Sangamo Journal from … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Arts and letters, Early residents, Prominent figures | 2 Comments