Category Archives: Social services

Springfield Library Association

Posted on January 24, 2015 by editor

The forerunner of today’s Lincoln Library, Springfield’s municipal library, was the Springfield Library Association, a private library supported by membership dues and donation. (Lincoln Library, Springfield’s public library, should not be confused with the state-operated Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library.) But … Continue reading →

Posted in Abolitionism, Arts and letters, Local government, Prominent figures, Social services | Leave a comment

Elizabeth Brown Ide

Posted on August 14, 2014 by editor

Elizabeth Brown Ide (1873-1978), who was born into money and married more, could have been merely a socialite. Instead, she became Springfield’s most prominent children’s advocate during the early 20th century. Ide’s parents were Christopher Brown and Caroline Owsley Brown, … Continue reading →

Posted in Children, Medicine, Prominent figures, Public health, Social services, Springfield Survey, Women | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Women’s literary clubs

Posted on July 14, 2014 by editor

The literary club movement began early in the 19th century as a consequence of the Industrial Revolution. The first recorded occurrence was a lecture series started in Milbury, Mass., in 1826. By 1834, 3,000 groups had been organized to listen … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Arts and letters, Lindsay, Vachel, Prominent figures, Social services, Springfield Survey, Women | 4 Comments

Illinois Agricultural Works

Posted on February 14, 2014 by editor

The Illinois Agricultural Works, founded in 1882, had a farm implement plant at 10th and South streets for a few years. However, it is most notable because of its status as an early, failed business venture of the later cereal … Continue reading →

Posted in Industry, Prominent figures, Social services | 2 Comments

Fire escape hazards, 1914 (Springfield Survey photo)

Posted on December 15, 2013 by editor

The Springfield Survey was a massive study of local schools, prisons, and other institutions undertaken in 1914 by the Russell Sage Foundation with the help of hundreds of local volunteers. Topics covered included schools, care of “mental defectives, the insane … Continue reading →

Posted in Children, Photos and photosets, Social services, Springfield Survey | Tagged | Leave a comment

Franciscan Life Center (former Franciscan motherhouse)

Posted on December 12, 2013 by editor

The Hospital Sisters of St. Francis  operated a convent and church on a 300-acre site northeast of Springfield from 1917 until 2021. The order of Roman Catholic nuns, which began providing medical care in central Illinois in 1875, bought the … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Arts and letters, Churches, Public health, Social services, Women | Tagged , , , | 16 Comments

Susan Lawrence Dana

Posted on November 16, 2013 by editor

Note: This entry was significantly expanded in July 2023. See “Hat tips” below. Susan Lawrence Dana (1862-1946) was a Springfield socialite, activist and philanthropist best known for commissioning architect Frank Lloyd Wright to transform her family’s Civil War-era home at … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Buildings, Historic Sites, Museums, Prominent figures, Schools and school districts, Social services, State government, Women | 2 Comments

Child and Family Service of Sangamon County

Posted on October 30, 2013 by editor

Child and Family Service was created when the Family Welfare Association and the Springfield Day Nursery merged into the existing Children’s Service League in 1953. The Colored Children’s Service Bureau joined CFS in 1959, and the name was changed to … Continue reading →

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Family Service Center

Posted on October 30, 2013 by editor

The original progenitor of the Family Service Center, 919 S. Spring St., was the Home for the Friendless, a residential facility for children and destitute women that was created in 1863. The home operated at Seventh Street and South Grand … Continue reading →

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Children’s Service Bureau

Posted on October 30, 2013 by editor

The Children’s Service League originated as the Children’s Bureau, a subdivision of the Family Welfare Association, in 1925, but soon became an independent entity. In 1928, the Children’s Bureau merged with the Home for the Friendless to become the Children’s … Continue reading →

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