Category Archives: Prominent figures

Buster Bartholomew, coach & educator

Posted on April 7, 2024 by editor

As an athlete, Buster Bartholomew was a one-armed wonder. But he made his mark as a coach, teacher and booster of country schools. Homer “Buster” Bartholomew (1891-1943), born in Tuscola, was the son of Charles and Susan Myrtle Bartholomew. His … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Prominent figures, Schools and school districts, Sports and recreation | 1 Comment

Edmund D. Taylor, (not the) ‘father of the greenback’

Posted on March 22, 2024 by editor

Edmund “Dick” Taylor was a legislator, businessman and investor. He was one of the winners in the only direct election Abraham Lincoln ever lost. And he probably wasn’t “the father of the greenback.” Taylor (1804-91) lived in Springfield in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Lincoln, Abraham, Politics, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

Top income tax payers, 1863

Posted on February 8, 2024 by editor

To finance the Civil War, Congress and President Abraham Lincoln imposed the first nationwide income tax in 1861. Changes the next year made the tax progressive – people with incomes of less than $600 a year (about $18,000 in 2024) … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Industry, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

Frank Simmons Books, Stationery and Art

Posted on January 31, 2024 by editor

The Frank Simmons stationery store commemorated the 100th anniversary of George Washington’s inauguration as president with a unique and potentially lucrative certificate: If someone paid $100 on the anniversary date, April 30, 1889, the certificate said, the store would repay … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts and letters, Business, Prominent figures | 2 Comments

The Hammerslough/Rosenwald family, clothiers

Posted on January 22, 2024 by editor

The Capitol Clothing House opened in Springfield in 1856 with the slogan “Low Prices and Good Goods.” Aside from providing inexpensive, ready-to-wear clothes to pre-Civil War Springfield, the Capitol Clothing House is the reason Springfield can boast that it was … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Historic Sites, Jewish, Lincoln Home, Lincoln Tomb, Lincoln, Abraham, Prominent figures | 1 Comment

Christmas at the Wonder Store, 1881

Posted on December 21, 2023 by editor

Frank Myers was no relation to Springfield’s later department store dynasty, the Myers Brothers, but he apparently had some of the same merchandising instincts – down to the monkeys both used as advertising gimmicks. From the 1870s to 1904, Myers’ … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Animals, Business, Children, Department stores, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

First talking movie

Posted on November 21, 2023 by editor

Harry T. Loper (1860-1948), historically linked to Springfield’s race riot of 1908, also introduced talking movies to Springfield. Loper went into the restaurant business when he moved to Springfield from Greenfield in 1883, and Loper’s Restaurant at 223 S. Fifth … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Architecture, Buildings, Business, Prominent figures, Restaurants, Social life, Theaters, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

First Rochester schools

Posted on November 3, 2023 by editor

The 1881 History of Sangamon County, Illinois, Together with Sketches of Its Cities, Villages and Townships includes two short accounts of the earliest schoolhouses and teachers near Rochester. As described, the schools were rough and improvised, and one burned down in … Continue reading →

Posted in Communities, Early residents, Education, Histories, Prominent figures, Schools and school districts, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Thorne Deuel, museum director

Posted on October 20, 2023 by editor

Thorne Deuel, director of the Illinois State Museum for nearly 25 years, literally made it the institution it is today. Deuel (1890-1984) was a research associate at the University of Chicago, specializing in anthropology and archaeology related to Native Americans … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts and letters, Buildings, Illinois capital, Military, Museums, Prominent figures, Science, State government | Leave a comment

The Georg family, photographers

Posted on October 17, 2023 by editor

The Georg photo dynasty documented Springfield’s history for a century. But much of that history went up in flames when a fire destroyed the Herbert Georg Studio in 1980. The three best-known family members were Victor Emmanuel Georg (1858-1911) and … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts and letters, Business, Fires, Illustrations, Media, Prominent figures | 2 Comments