Category Archives: Prominent figures

Lake Springfield

Posted on October 21, 2013 by editor

Lake Springfield is a 4,000-acre artificial lake constructed by the city of Springfield in the early 1930s. The lake first reached full pool (560 feet above sea level) on May 2, 1935; it was dedicated in a three-day-long celebration in … Continue reading →

Posted in Local government, Prominent figures, Public health | 4 Comments

Robert Carr Lanphier meets Thomas Edison

Posted on October 21, 2013 by editor

Robert C. Lanphier (right)was the engineering genius behind the creation of Sangamo Electric Co., which was incorporated in 1899. In his section of a privately published booklet, “Sangamo: A History of 50 Years” (1949), Lanphier related his first meeting with … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Industry, Prominent figures | 2 Comments

Maydie Spaulding Lee

Posted on October 21, 2013 by editor

Mary Thankful Spaulding Lee — known universally as “Maydie” — has been overshadowed in history by her dynamic brothers, Willis and Charles Spaulding. But some of those involved in Springfield’s early 1900s’ progressive movement, including poet Vachel Lindsay, suggested that … Continue reading →

Posted in Lindsay, Vachel, Prominent figures, Women | Tagged | Leave a comment

Edward Levanius

Posted on October 21, 2013 by editor

Edward Levanius (1877-1970) ,who worked in Springfield for more than 65 years, was a master of tombstone art. Born in Landskrona, Sweden, Levanius immigrated to the United States at the age of 16. Before he moved to Springfield, Levanius lived in … Continue reading →

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Lincoln Memorial Garden and Nature Center

Posted on October 16, 2013 by editor

Envisioned by Harriet Knudson in 1936, Lincoln Memorial Garden was created as a living memorial to Abraham Lincoln, representing “the landscape … Lincoln would have known growing up and living in the Midwest.” The 100-acre garden on the banks of … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts and letters, First Citizens, Parks, Prehistory, Prominent figures, Social services, Women | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Lincoln Home neighborhood

Posted on October 16, 2013 by editor

Although the Lincoln family home at Eighth and Jackson streets in Springfield reflected Abraham Lincoln’s status as a prominent attorney and politician, the National Park Service points out that the neighborhood surrounding the home was a diverse one. The following … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Early residents, Historic Sites, Lincoln Home, Lincoln, Abraham, Maps, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

Mary Lincoln

Posted on October 16, 2013 by editor

Mary Lincoln (1818-82) was a sad and complicated figure — an intelligent, ambitious and attractive young woman whose later life was bedeviled by tragedy and physical and emotional breakdown. Her life and her impact on her husband’s career and presidential … Continue reading →

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Charles Lindbergh’s airmail flights

Posted on October 16, 2013 by editor

Before Charles Lindbergh became famous for his nonstop solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean in 1927, he flew the U.S. mail between Springfield, Chicago and St. Louis for the Robertson Aircraft Corporation. The first official flight, piloted by Lindbergh, was … Continue reading →

Posted in Air travel, Airport, Prominent figures, Spectacles, Transportation | Tagged , , , | 11 Comments

Lafore Lock

Posted on October 16, 2013 by editor

Note: This entry was significantly expanded in July 2021. Springfield’s Lafore Lock Post 755 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars is named after World War I U.S. Army Pvt. Farley Lafore Lock. Lock died Oct. 18, 1918, of wounds he … Continue reading →

Posted in Military, Prominent figures | Tagged , | 5 Comments

Harry Loper (1908 race riot)

Posted on October 16, 2013 by editor

Harry Loper, a successful white restaurateur, owned one of the few motorcars in Springfield in 1908. So when Sangamon County Sheriff Charles Werner wanted to move two black accused murderers out of the county jail before a white mob stormed … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Coal mines and mining, Disasters, Prominent figures, Race riot of 1908 | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment