Category Archives: Prominent figures

Rudolph Opera House

Posted on October 12, 2013 by editor

See Robert Rudolph.

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Sangamo Electric Co.

Posted on October 9, 2013 by editor

Editor’s note to readers: We regularly receive technical questions about old Sangamo Electric meters — they obviously were so well made that they practically last forever. Luckily, two readers have responded to some of those questions. (See comments below.) We greatly … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Industry, Prominent figures | Tagged , , , , | 114 Comments

Sangamo Town

Posted on October 9, 2013 by editor

Sangamo Town was a settlement on the Sangamon River that for a time rivaled Springfield as a commercial center, but after only 20 years or so was abandoned and all but forgotten. The man behind Sangamo Town was Moses Broadwell (1764-1827). Born … Continue reading →

Posted in Communities, Early residents, Lincoln, Abraham, Local government, Maps, Prominent figures, Sangamon County, Sangamon River, Transportation | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Santa Anna’s artificial leg

Posted on October 8, 2013 by editor

One of the more popular attractions at the Illinois State Military Museum in Springfield is the artificial leg that belonged to Mexican General Antonio Lopez De Santa Anna, conqueror of the Alamo. The limb was captured during the battle of … Continue reading →

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Charles H. Spaulding

Posted on October 7, 2013 by editor

Charles Herbert Spaulding (1888-1968), described at his death as “the nation’s foremost water technologist,” provided the technical innovations that enabled his brother, Willis J. Spaulding, to carry out his vision of a publicly owned Springfield water system. Charles Spaulding designed … Continue reading →

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Willis J. Spaulding

Posted on October 7, 2013 by editor

“Next to Lincoln, Willis Spaulding was our greatest citizen,” then-Mayor Nelson Howarth said upon Spaulding’s death in 1965. “… His leadership in the fight for public utilities resulted in Lake Springfield, pure water, low electric rates and acres of recreational … Continue reading →

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Rev. Francis Springer

Posted on October 7, 2013 by editor

The Rev. Francis Springer (1810-92) is considered the father of Lutheranism in Springfield. A service he held in his home in 1841 led to the founding of the first Lutheran congregation in the city. That church later evolved into both … Continue reading →

Posted in Churches, Education, Lincoln, Abraham, Prominent figures, Social services | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

Barack Obama in Springfield

Posted on October 7, 2013 by editor

President Barack Obama was an Illinois state senator, representing a Chicago district in Springfield, from 1997 to 2004. As a U.S. senator from 2005 to 2009, he also visited Springfield several times. Notably, he was one of the speakers, with … Continue reading →

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Adlai Stevenson II in Springfield

Posted on October 7, 2013 by editor

As Robert Howard pointed out in his Illinois: History of the Prairie State, most biographers of Adlai Stevenson II (1900-65) “concentrate on the presidential campaigns and United Nations career,” not Stevenson’s single term as Illinois governor. Stevenson, who grew up … Continue reading →

Posted in Presidential candidates, Prominent figures, State government | 3 Comments

U.S. Grant in Springfield

Posted on October 7, 2013 by editor

Ulysses S. Grant’s rise to commander of U.S. forces in the Civil War began at dinner in a now-anonymous Springfield hotel. Because of his earlier military career, Grant had agreed to accompany a company of Union volunteers from Galena to … Continue reading →

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