Category Archives: Spectacles

Old Capitol Art Fair beginnings

Posted on May 17, 2016 by editor

Springfield’s first Old Capitol Art Fair was a one-day affair in 1962 that featured 174 artists from around the Midwest. The event, held Saturday, May 26, 1962 (see note below), was one of the earliest events created by the Springfield … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Arts and letters, Celebrations, Prominent figures, Spectacles | Leave a comment

Illinois State Fair butter cow

Posted on August 4, 2015 by editor

The Illinois State Fair’s first butter cow, sculpted in 1922, was the image of an actual champion cow, the University of Illinois’ Raleigh’s Sibyl. Raleigh’s Sibyl produced 18,847 pounds of milk in 1920, a record at the time. Nebraska sculptor … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Amusements, Celebrations, Spectacles | 1 Comment

The Coal Palace

Posted on June 10, 2015 by editor

Sangamon County showed off its most valuable mineral by building a “grand coal palace” for the 1889 county fair. The idea for the palace apparently originated with an unidentified Illinois State Journal staff member only two weeks before the scheduled … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Architecture, Buildings, Business, Coal mines and mining, Industry, Labor unions, Spectacles | Leave a comment

Victory Loan Flying Circus, 1919

Posted on March 12, 2015 by editor

The Victory Loan Flying Circus, a barnstorming group of World War I pilots using WWI combat aircraft, put on a show for thousands of central Illinoisans in front of the Illinois State Fairgrounds Grandstand on April 15, 1919. An unbilled … Continue reading →

Posted in Air travel, Journalism, Media, Military, Prominent figures, Spectacles, Women | Leave a comment

Ku Klux Klan, 1920s

Posted on March 5, 2014 by editor

The high point of Ku Klux Klan activity in Sangamon County probably was a parade from the Statehouse to the Illinois State Fairgrounds on Oct. 11, 1924. About 2,000 Klan members participated in the march, the Illinois State Journal reported … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Politics, Schools and school districts, Spectacles, State government | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Chatterton Opera House

Posted on October 30, 2013 by editor

The Chatterton Opera House at the southeast corner of Sixth and Jefferson streets was for nearly a half-century Springfield’s principal venue for stage entertainments of all kinds, and a major stop for national touring companies, recitalists, and speakers. The theater … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Buildings, Prominent figures, Spectacles, Theaters | 2 Comments

Illinois State Fairgrounds Dome Building

Posted on October 29, 2013 by editor

The Dome Building, which was on the Illinois State Fairgrounds from 1895 to 1917, originally was built for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The glass dome, 222 feet in diameter, was the world’s second-largest unsupported dome. Following the … Continue reading →

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Charles Lindbergh’s airmail flights

Posted on October 16, 2013 by editor

Before Charles Lindbergh became famous for his nonstop solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean in 1927, he flew the U.S. mail between Springfield, Chicago and St. Louis for the Robertson Aircraft Corporation. The first official flight, piloted by Lindbergh, was … Continue reading →

Posted in Air travel, Airport, Prominent figures, Spectacles, Transportation | Tagged , , , | 11 Comments

The Orpheum Theatre

Posted on October 13, 2013 by editor

The Orpheum Theatre in the 100 block of North Fifth Street was Springfield’s preeminent movie palace from 1927 to 1965. It was demolished to make way for expansion by the Illinois National Bank. The theater, with a spectacular Art Deco … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Spectacles, Theaters | Tagged , | 2 Comments