Category Archives: Transportation

Corky Meyer, test pilot

Posted on April 28, 2024 by editor

Corky Meyer got serious about building and flying model airplanes while a student at Springfield High School in 1936. He had no way to guide his models, though, so he had to chase them by car until they ran out … Continue reading →

Posted in Air travel, Airport, Military, Transportation | Leave a comment

Kayport Package Express implodes, 1983

Posted on April 21, 2024 by editor

Founder F. George Celani called Kayport Package Express a “41-day miracle” when the shipping startup went into business at Capital Airport on March 1, 1983. About 1,200 Springfield dignitaries attended the ceremony, which included champagne, a high-school band and a … Continue reading →

Posted in Airport, Business, Crime and vice, Law enforcement, Spectacles, Transportation | Leave a comment

The Oak Ridge Park pagoda

Posted on January 12, 2024 by editor

In the 19th century, the Oak Ridge Pagoda drew merrymakers, thrill-seekers, and sometimes street gangs to what now is Lincoln Park. But the building’s last users were a few pitiful victims of what might have been smallpox. Oak Ridge Park, … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Buildings, Crime and vice, Local government, Parks, Public health, Social life, Sports and recreation, Transportation | Leave a comment

Sangamon County and Springfield in Peck’s Gazetteer, 1837

Posted on December 17, 2023 by editor

John Mason Peck (1789-1858), traveled widely in Missouri and Illinois as a Baptist missionary. He helped establish more than 900 churches and was important in efforts to eliminate slavery in Illinois. He also “wrote prolifically,” Wikipedia says, “including on agriculture, … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Farming, Histories, Illinois capital, Maps, Sangamon County, Soil, Springfield, Transportation | 1 Comment

First snowplow (1918)

Posted on December 30, 2022 by editor

Springfield’s first motorized snowplow arrived five days late. A massive blizzard, carrying heavy snow, powerful winds and temperatures as low as 20 below, struck the city on Friday, Jan. 11, 1918. Springfield already was under a blanket of snow, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Disasters, Local government, Transportation, Weather | Leave a comment

Bando (a railroad story)

Posted on October 21, 2022 by editor

The only place in the United States named “Bando” is in Sangamon County. If you want to visit it from Springfield, you won’t have to go far. From Stuart Park on the city’s northwest edge, follow the trail that curves … Continue reading →

Posted in Communities, Maps, Railroads, Transportation | Leave a comment

Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame members, Sangamon County

Posted on September 19, 2022 by editor

The Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame includes plaques for a dozen – or so, depending on how you count them – inductees from Williamsville to Divernon in Sangamon County. U.S. Route 66, “the Mother Road,” probably the most famous … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Business, Hotels & taverns, Maps, Markers, Museums, Prominent figures, Restaurants, Route 66, State government, Transportation | Leave a comment

Lincoln Tomb streetcar line (1880)

Posted on July 23, 2022 by editor

The Lincoln Tomb State Historic Site is a mile-and-a-half from downtown Springfield. That distance isn’t a problem in the 21st century, but it was a considerable obstacle when the tomb was new 150 years earlier. Distance was a big reason … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Germans, Historic Sites, Lincoln Tomb, Prominent figures, Transportation, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Louie Mitchell, pioneer aviator

Posted on February 27, 2022 by editor

Louis “Louie” Mitchell not only was one of America’s first air pilots; at 210 pounds, he also was the heaviest. Mitchell had no connection to Sangamon County in life, but his final resting place is in Oak Ridge Cemetery’s Abbey … Continue reading →

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First parking meters (1941)

Posted on February 16, 2022 by editor

Confusion, reluctance and a little apprehension were Springfieldians’ responses to the city’s first parking meters. The Illinois State Journal described their debut in its Oct. 24, 1941, edition. Springfield entered a new era of streamlined parking control yesterday as nearly … Continue reading →

Posted in Law enforcement, Local government, Transportation, Uncategorized | Leave a comment