Category Archives: State government

The Payne Stone Age Collection

Posted on July 18, 2014 by editor

Edward W. Payne (1857-1932), a Springfield banker and property investor, amassed a huge collection of stone relics — most, though not all, from pre-Columbian America — with the intention of building a museum to house them. At his death, however, … Continue reading →

Posted in Depression, Historic Sites, Museums, Native Americans, Prehistory, Prominent figures, State government | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum controversies

Posted on May 26, 2014 by editor

Design and construction of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum took years and involved a variety of political squabbles and maneuvering. If politics could have been put aside, the facility would have been completed much sooner. Of course, since … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts and letters, Buildings, Historic Sites, Illinois capital, Lincoln, Abraham, Local government, Museums, Politics, Presidential candidates, Presidents, Prominent figures, State government | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

U.S. Senators with Sangamon County links

Posted on March 30, 2014 by editor

Note: The following list of U.S. senators with connections to Sangamon County does not include those who lived here solely because of their involvement in state government or politics.  *Ninian Edwards (senator from 1818 to 1824): Edwards, who was territorial … Continue reading →

Posted in Early residents, Illinois capital, Politics, Presidential candidates, Prominent figures, State government | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

1850s Springfield, in four mysterious paintings

Posted on March 18, 2014 by editor

The four paintings below show all four sides of the Springfield square in the late 1840s or early 1850s. They are unusual in two ways: their perspective, presumably from the cupola of what now is the Old State Capitol; and … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts and letters, Historic Sites, Histories, Hotels & taverns, Illustrations, Maps, Photos and photosets, Prominent figures, Springfield, State government | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Road lane striping plan, 1921

Posted on March 5, 2014 by editor

The editors of the June 5, 1921, Illinois State Journal endorsed a provocative new idea: Painting a line down the middle of roads — well, at least on the curves — to keep drivers on their own sides. Here is … Continue reading →

Posted in Journalism, State government, Transportation | 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

Destruction of the Lincoln Tomb sarcophagus

Posted on January 3, 2014 by editor

How did the marble sarcophagus that covered the coffin of Abraham Lincoln in the early years of the Lincoln Tomb State Historic Site come to be broken?  Was it a workmen’s accident? Or was it done on purpose by souvenir … Continue reading →

Posted in Historic Sites, Lincoln Tomb, Lincoln, Abraham, Museums, State government | 2 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

Thornton Walker

Posted on November 4, 2013 by editor

Thornton Walker* (1912-45) was the Illinois State Journal’s part-time aviation columnist during the 1930s. A Flickr page set up by his son-in-law, Bill Strouse, contains many photos of Southwest Airport, along with reproductions of some of Walker’s columns for the Journal. … Continue reading →

Posted in Airport, Journalism, Military, Photos and photosets, Prominent figures, State government, Transportation | Tagged | Leave a comment

Women’s suffrage in Illinois

Posted on November 4, 2013 by editor

A carefully calibrated legislative strategy in Springfield led to Illinois becoming, in 1913, the first state east of the Mississippi to grant women the right to vote. On June 10, 1919, the state then became the first in the nation … Continue reading →

Posted in Illinois capital, Local government, Politics, Prominent figures, Schools and school districts, State government, Women | 5 Comments