Category Archives: Sports and recreation

Shaheen’s Springfield Speedway

Posted on October 8, 2013 by editor

Joe Shaheen (1905-89)  operated the Springfield Speedway on the southeast corner of Dirksen Parkway and Clear Lake Avenue from 1947 to 1988. Shaheen’s, also known as Little Springfield, was  a quarter-mile dirt oval. Races over the years featured midgets, stock … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Sports and recreation, Transportation, Uncategorized | 18 Comments

Springfield Boiler Co.

Posted on October 7, 2013 by editor

The Springfield Boiler Co., established in 1890, operated for 73 years in the 1900 block of East Capitol Avenue. The firm, originally named Springfield Boiler and Manufacturing Co., produced a variety of steam boilers for power plants, breweries and manufacturers … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Industry, Sports and recreation | Tagged | 6 Comments

Washington Park children’s corner, 1914 (Springfield Survey photo)

Posted on October 5, 2013 by editor

The Springfield Survey, where this photo originated, 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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Children, Sports and recreation, Springfield, Springfield Survey | Tagged | Leave a comment

Washington Park

Posted on October 5, 2013 by editor

Washington Park is one of the largest and the most popular of the parks in the Springfield Park District system. Built in 1900-01, the park is home to lagoons, tennis courts, and playgrounds as well as a botanical garden and … Continue reading →

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Pre-1900 baseball

Posted on April 8, 2013 by editor

Baseball hit Springfield around the 1860s. That’s probably when its precursor, “town ball,” arrived, according to lifelong Springfieldian John C. Cook, quoted in the March 20, 1927 Illinois State Journal. “The ball was generally of solid rubber or cork, with … Continue reading →

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Mechanicsburg

Posted on April 7, 2013 by editor

Mechanicsburg, south of Interstate 72 18 miles northeast of Springfield, was platted in 1832 by William Pickrell. In hopes of boosting settlement, Pickrell offered a free town lot to any “mechanic” who would build a building and pay for the title. … Continue reading →

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Riverton

Posted on April 7, 2013 by editor

Like many early towns, the village of Riverton’s proximity to the Sangamon River contributed to its beginnings. A ferry across the Sangamon, operated by Ezikiel Judd, was the first enterprise in the area. He later transferred the ferry to his … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Coal mines and mining, Communities, Early residents, Lincoln, Abraham, Local government, Mills, Railroads, Sangamon River, Schools and school districts, Sports and recreation, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , | 13 Comments

Auburn

Posted on April 2, 2013 by editor

Auburn was founded twice. The first time was in 1835 by the Eastman family – George and Asa, along with their sister Hannah, who chose “Auburn” as the name of the fledgling community. (An 1896 Illinois State Journal article hypothesized that … Continue reading →

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New Berlin (and Berlin): Following the railroad

Posted on April 2, 2013 by editor

When Europeans arrived, three villages of Pottawatomie and Delaware Indians were in the Berlin/New Berlin area. “During the first few years after the first settlers came, the Indians were as numerous as the whites,” reports a New Berlin history in … Continue reading →

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Bowling alleys

Posted on March 17, 2013 by editor

Organized bowling certainly was offered in Springfield by 1874 and perhaps even as early as the 1860s. The Greater Springfield Bowling Association web site formerly included an extensive list of Springfield-area bowling establishments over the years, with about 45 of them … Continue reading →

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