Category Archives: Prominent figures

John Schnepp, mayor & embezzler

Posted on June 5, 2018 by editor

John S. Schnepp (1866-1954) was a lawyer, real estate developer and two-time mayor of Springfield. He also was an embezzler and philanderer. With his thefts on the verge of exposure in January 1932, Schnepp disappeared. Discovered three years later selling … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Business, Crime and vice, Local government, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

Springfield fire protection, 1850s-’70s

Posted on May 22, 2018 by editor

Fires that demolished swaths of the downtown square in the 1850s led – eventually – to Springfield creating a full-time fire department. But city fathers first had to remedy another problem that plagued local firefighting efforts: a water shortage. An “incendiary” – … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Disasters, Local government, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

Washington Hall, 1922-26

Posted on May 8, 2018 by editor

In the 1920s, the Washington Street Mission operated a rehabilitation center for young prostitutes in what now (2018) is the Chesapeake Seafood House. The facility closed in 1926, with no publicity and no explanation. Fifty years later, however, the mission’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Churches, Crime and vice, Law enforcement, Prominent figures, Social services, Women | 2 Comments

Carrie Post King’s Daughters Home for Women

Posted on March 14, 2018 by editor

The Carrie Post King’s Daughters Home for Women opened on Oct. 7, 1895 with five women already in residence, room for four more, and a cow. It also had the support of hundreds of local church women, a unique force … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Prominent figures, Social services, Women | 8 Comments

The Helmle family, architects and builders

Posted on February 19, 2018 by editor

Three generations of the Helmle family left their mark on the built environment of Springfield. The original Helmles in Springfield were George William Helmle, a skilled woodcarver from Germany, and his wife, Elise Marschutz Helmle, who arrived in Springfield in … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Business, Prominent figures | 11 Comments

Centennial Co-Operative Educational Congress, 1918

Posted on February 3, 2018 by editor

Black Springfieldians observed Illinois’ 100th anniversary in 1918 with a three-day conference examining the status, progress and prospects of the state’s African-American community. Some 3,000 people attended the Centennial Co-Operative Educational Congress, held Sept. 22-24, 1918, at the Illinois State … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Lincoln, Abraham, Local government, Prominent figures, Social services | Leave a comment

Hunger march blockade, 1933

Posted on January 29, 2018 by editor

Police cordoned off Sangamon County in April 1933 to quell a planned “hunger march” on the Statehouse by unemployed people from around Illinois. Springfield Mayor John “Buddy” Kapp summed up authorities’ opinion of the demonstration: “The law enforcing officers of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Coal mines and mining, Depression, Illinois capital, Labor unions, Law enforcement, Prominent figures, State government | Leave a comment

First electrified home

Posted on December 3, 2017 by editor

The first Springfield home to be equipped with electric lights reputedly was the palatial residence of Frank and Sarah Jones Tracy. It’s not clear when Frank W. Tracy, a banker and civic leader, had the lights installed. The date probably … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Industry, Local government, Prominent figures, Social life, Springfield | 6 Comments

First electric lights

Posted on November 25, 2017 by editor

Many Springfieldians got their first exposure to electric lights from two traveling circuses in 1880. Within a year, however, the city’s first power station was powering 10 “very brilliant” lights downtown, and a group of prominent businessmen had created the … Continue reading →

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Old Settlers Society of Sangamon County

Posted on November 19, 2017 by editor

Thousands of Sangamon Countians once turned out for the annual reunions of the county’s Old Settlers Society. The events featured games, lavish picnics, speechifying and recognition of some of the county’s earliest residents. The organization began with an appeal in … Continue reading →

Posted in Celebrations, Early residents, Lincoln, Abraham, Prominent figures | Leave a comment