Category Archives: Prominent figures

Robert Preston Taylor (Lincoln College of Law, Illinois State Museum)

Posted on February 1, 2023 by editor

By one measurement, Robert Preston Taylor (1876-1951) goes into history as the first African-American graduate of the old Lincoln College of Law in Springfield. But that would ignore Taylor’s more significant achievement: bringing to life exhibits at the Illinois State … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Education, Higher education, Museums, Prominent figures | 2 Comments

Riverton High School boys basketball, 1949-50

Posted on December 13, 2022 by editor

Frank Santarelli assembled what turned out to be a great Riverton boys basketball team on a cold November afternoon in 1949. Santarelli, himself a Riverton alumnus, coached the Hawks from 1935 through 1942 and 1946 through 1957. The 1949-50 team … Continue reading →

Posted in Prominent figures, Sports and recreation, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Roberts Brothers (men’s clothing)

Posted on December 11, 2022 by editor

In the cold, early morning hours of December 12, 1974, smoke billowed from the roof of Roberts Brothers clothing store in downtown Springfield. A fire had started on the second floor, and the Springfield Fire Department was alerted when a … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Department stores, Prominent figures | 6 Comments

Jesse L. McCoy, WWII “daggerman”

Posted on December 5, 2022 by editor

Shortly after Pearl Harbor, Jesse L. McCoy of Springfield converted a ceremonial sword once used by a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows into a couple of daggers. By the time he and World War II were finished, … Continue reading →

Posted in Journalism, Media, Military, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

The Lemon Jelly Cake (Madeline Babcock Smith)

Posted on November 17, 2022 by editor

Madeline Babcock Smith earned her spot in the literary limelight. But she never got to enjoy it. Smith’s first novel, The Lemon Jelly Cake, published Aug. 4, 1952, “enjoyed an immediate and astounding success,” Dan Guillory wrote in his introduction … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts and letters, Children, Communities, Crime and vice, Family life, Media, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

Springfield postal service/postmasters

Posted on November 3, 2022 by editor

Receiving mail was a hit-or-miss proposition before Springfield got its first post office, and it wasn’t a picnic afterwards, either. The Springfield post office will celebrate its 200th anniversary in 2023. The first postmaster was pioneer storekeeper Elijah Iles. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Communications, Journalism, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

Mazeppa (vanished town)

Posted on October 31, 2022 by editor

Long before there was any Ukrainian presence to speak of in Sangamon County, there was a town with a Ukrainian name. The town of Mazeppa stood for a few years after 1837 in what is now Ball Township, on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Communities, Early residents, Prominent figures | 1 Comment

Carl T. Meyer, architect

Posted on October 29, 2022 by editor

In 1927, the Illinois State Register called Springfield architect Carl Theodore Meyer “one of the younger-and progressive-generation of architects, a man who has carved a credible niche for himself in local construction.” Meyer, just 32, had already completed several commissions. … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Buildings, Local government, Prominent figures, Sangamon County, Theaters | 2 Comments

Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame members, Sangamon County

Posted on September 19, 2022 by editor

The Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame includes plaques for a dozen – or so, depending on how you count them – inductees from Williamsville to Divernon in Sangamon County. U.S. Route 66, “the Mother Road,” probably the most famous … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Business, Hotels & taverns, Maps, Markers, Museums, Prominent figures, Restaurants, Route 66, State government, Transportation | Leave a comment

Dick Sullivan, political ‘boss’

Posted on September 8, 2022 by editor

Dick Sullivan, reputed to be Sangamon County’s behind-the-scenes political master for the first two decades of the 20th century, died in a violent train collision in New York state in 1923. Richard M. Sullivan (1874-1923), his wife Clara (1875-1923), their … Continue reading →

Posted in Disasters, Local government, Politics, Prominent figures, Sangamon County, Springfield, State government | Leave a comment