Category Archives: Sangamon River

Drowning of Mayor Griffiths, 1907

Posted on May 12, 2023 by editor

Springfield Mayor David Griffiths and Fire Chief Peter Jacobs were on their way to a day of fishing June 12, 1907. When they took a wrong turn, their buggy overturned in a Sangamon River backwater slough. Neither man could swim. … Continue reading →

Posted in Illustrations, Local government, Politics, Prominent figures, Sangamon River | Leave a comment

Hottest day in Springfield history

Posted on July 12, 2021 by editor

Blazing-hot weather killed two people, one an infant, in July 1954, and Springfield recorded its highest temperature ever – either 112 or 113.8 degrees, depending on which thermometer you followed  – on July 14, 1954. The heat was compounded by … Continue reading →

Posted in Disasters, Local government, Public health, Sangamon River | Leave a comment

The Sangamon River

Posted on September 26, 2018 by editor

In 1831, a new Illinois county was formed from parts of Madison and Bond counties. The new county was named for the river that bisected it: the Sangamon. The headwater of the Sangamon River is a small stream emerging from … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Farming, Mills, Prehistory, Sangamon River, Sports and recreation, Transportation | Leave a comment

Rainfall records, 1926

Posted on September 23, 2017 by editor

Two massive rainstorms made Springfield a virtual island on Sept. 8, 1926, flooding streets and basements, stranding autos, trains and streetcars, and leading to the electrocution of an Illinois Watch Co. worker. Even people using the Knights of Columbus swimming … Continue reading →

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Sangamon County in 1837

Posted on January 6, 2015 by editor

The following description of Sangamon County is taken from Illinois in 1837: A Sketch by H.L. Ellsworth (Philadelphia, 1837); spelling and punctuation from the original. Note that, two years after this was written, the Illinois General Assembly reduced Sangamon County … Continue reading →

Posted in Communities, Histories, Maps, Resources, Sangamon County, Sangamon River, Soil, Transportation | Leave a comment

William Cullen Bryant’s travels in the Sangamon Country, 1832

Posted on October 28, 2014 by editor

In 1832, poet William Cullen Bryant (“Thanatopsis”), traveled from his home in Massachusetts to visit  his brothers in Jacksonville. He took the occasion also to travel briefly through Sangamon and what now is western Logan County into Tazewell County, where … Continue reading →

Posted in Histories, Hotels & taverns, Sangamon County, Sangamon River | Leave a comment

Clear Lake

Posted on June 28, 2014 by editor

When most Sangamon County residents hear the name “Clear Lake,” they think of the avenue or township. However, the body of water that gave these places their names has a rich history all its own. Clear Lake itself is about … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Communities, Local government, Military, Parks, Sangamon River, Sports and recreation | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Camp Glen Olive

Posted on June 25, 2014 by editor

Camp Glen Olive was a seven-acre campground on the banks of the Sangamon River in Riverton that was donated to the Springfield YWCA by Olive Black Wheeland, a YWCA supporter and philanthropist who also created Wheeland Haven, an estate east … Continue reading →

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Sangamon County poets

Posted on December 29, 2013 by editor

For a time in the early 20th century, central Illinois was famed across the country as the home of important poets, writers who were inventing new forms of verse that spoke in the voices of a new age. If it … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts and letters, Lindsay, Vachel, Prominent figures, Sangamon River | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

William and Margaret Carpenter

Posted on October 31, 2013 by editor

This entry has been edited to correct the death date of Margaret Carpenter and to correct the size of Carpenter Park. Carpenter Park and Carpenter Street are among legacies of the family of William (1787-1859) and Margaret Carpenter (1803-83), who … Continue reading →

Posted in Early residents, Mills, Prehistory, Prominent figures, Sangamon River, Transportation | Tagged , | Leave a comment