Category Archives: Spectacles

Joseph Ludgate, “long distance singer”

Posted on May 4, 2022 by editor

The “champion long distance singer of the world” called Springfield home for about four months in 1895. Joseph C. Ludgate (1864-1947) arrived in December 1894 to command the local corps of the Salvation Army “with a history,” the Illinois State … Continue reading →

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Gov. William H. Bissell

Posted on August 31, 2021 by editor

When Gov. William Bissell was reburied in 1871, the crowd may have been bigger than at any Springfield funeral since that of Abraham Lincoln. Bissell was the first Republican, first college graduate and first disabled person elected governor. He also … Continue reading →

Posted in Illinois capital, Markers, Oak Ridge signs, Politics, Prominent figures, Spectacles, State government, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Fourth of July, 1921

Posted on July 4, 2021 by editor

Springfield residents celebrated the Fourth of July 100 years ago with picnics, sports and reenactment of the World War I battle of Chateau Thierry. There was no single community fireworks show, but a showy sunset, caused by a dust and … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Celebrations, Military, Social life, Spectacles | Leave a comment

Walkathon Derby, 1934

Posted on March 8, 2021 by editor

When Springfield’s Walkathon Derby shut down on May 18, 1934, it left a mountain of unpaid bills and eight groggy couples. The competition, held in a large tent at Second and Mason streets, started May 5 with several dozen pairs … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Spectacles, Sports and recreation, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

The “divine healer” sensation, 1896

Posted on January 15, 2021 by editor

August Schrader, “the divine healer,” set up shop in Springfield for 10 days in 1896. Thousands of people, complaining of maladies ranging from arthritis to kidney disease to blindness, sought treatment. Crowds blocked downtown streets, and trains brought people to … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Journalism, Medicine, Spectacles | 2 Comments

Boys’ Week parade, 1922

Posted on November 14, 2020 by editor

Boys’ Week 1922 culminated May 5 with a mile-long parade through downtown Springfield. Boy Scouts, who had “governed” the city the entire week before, led the march, which also involved non-Scouts from every local school, public and private, joined by … Continue reading →

Posted in Celebrations, Children, Local government, Photos and photosets, Social life, Spectacles | Leave a comment

Sangamon Fair and Springfield Exposition, 1890

Posted on August 17, 2020 by editor

The Sangamon Fair and Springfield Exposition of 1890 would be “one of the grandest events in the way of a local fair that has ever been held in the state of Illinois,” the Illinois State Register proclaimed that August. Everybody … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Amusements, Illinois State Fair, Spectacles | Leave a comment

William Dodd Chenery, impresario

Posted on August 4, 2020 by editor

The dedication of Lake Springfield on July 12, 1935 featured an elaborate pageant involving more than 100 participants – among them city fathers who portrayed themselves in a drama depicting the planning and construction of the lake. The Illinois State … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Arts and letters, Celebrations, Hotels & taverns, Prominent figures, Social life, Spectacles | Leave a comment

Illinois State Fair settles in Springfield (1894)

Posted on December 26, 2019 by editor

An unelected board designated Springfield as the permanent site of the Illinois State Fair in 1894, after lawmakers spent 15 years proving they couldn’t do the job. From 1853, when the first state fair was held in Springfield, the show … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Amusements, Farming, Illinois State Fair, Spectacles | Leave a comment

The jelly-cake controversy of 1891

Posted on December 13, 2019 by editor

When Springfield shoe merchants J.F. Miller and P.P. Powell offered a grand piano as top prize in the jelly-cake bakeoff at the Sangamon Fair and Springfield Exposition in 1891, they expected a bushel of free publicity. They got more than … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Celebrations, Social life, Spectacles, Women | Leave a comment