Search Results for: helmle

Hotel Abraham Lincoln opens (1925)

Posted on October 29, 2018 by editor

The Hotel Abraham Lincoln opened in 1925 with 300 rooms, a five-piece house band, its own radio station, and lavish décor. And, it turned out, with lousy timing. “The Abe,” which was on the southwest corner of Fifth Street and … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Buildings, Business, Hotels & taverns, Prominent figures, Social life | 2 Comments

The first Lincoln home (214 S. Fourth St.)

Posted on February 11, 2018 by editor

Immediately after their marriage on Nov. 4, 1842, Abraham and Mary Lincoln rented a single room at the Globe Tavern, 315 E. Adams St. In the fall of 1843, following the birth at the Globe of their son Robert, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Hotels & taverns, Illustrations, Lincoln, Abraham, Markers | 3 Comments

The Harrison Revival, 1886

Posted on November 8, 2017 by editor

Thomas Harrison, “the boy preacher,” was well past boyhood when he arrived in Springfield for a revival series in January 1886. It’s not clear, in fact, that he was ever that boyish in the pulpit – Harrison, born in Boston … Continue reading →

Posted in Churches, Media, Spectacles | Leave a comment

Gambling rivalry, 1931

Posted on August 3, 2016 by editor

Threats to bomb one of Springfield’s most visible mansions illuminated the murky connections between city fathers and the local underworld in 1931. Machine-gun toting police officers took up guard posts at 1303 Wiggins Ave. in May 1931, in the midst … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and vice, Law enforcement, Local government, Politics, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

YWCA building

Posted on January 24, 2016 by editor

Springfield’s former YWCA building, on the verge of demolition, was built in the afterglow of evangelist Billy Sunday’s six-week-long local revival in early 1909. In his colorful way, Sunday had called out Springfield on its lack of attention to women’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Index A-J

Posted on October 8, 2015 by editor

A&P (first supermarkets) Abortion death trials, 1949 & 1951 Abortion murder trials, 1894 Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library survey (Fever River) Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum controversies ‘Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight’ (Vachel Lindsay) Abrams Hotel … Continue reading →

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St. Francis of Assisi Church

Posted on April 14, 2014 by editor

St. Francis of Assisi Church, designed by the Springfield architectural firm of Helmle & Helmle and built in the 1920s, has been called “one of the undiscovered treasures of Springfield.” Also see Franciscan Life Center.

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Franciscan Life Center (former Franciscan motherhouse)

Posted on December 12, 2013 by editor

The Hospital Sisters of St. Francis  operated a convent and church on a 300-acre site northeast of Springfield from 1917 until 2021. The order of Roman Catholic nuns, which began providing medical care in central Illinois in 1875, bought the … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Arts and letters, Churches, Public health, Social services, Women | Tagged , , , | 16 Comments

Black honor student controversy, 1907

Posted on November 11, 2013 by editor

White students in the January 1907 graduating class at Springfield High School objected when it appeared that two black students, both girls, were in line to become the class’s valedictorian and salutatorian. In a suspiciously sudden reversal of fortune, however, … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Education, Prominent figures, Women | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Merchants and Shippers Association

Posted on October 14, 2013 by editor

The Merchants and Shippers Association of Springfield was organized in 1876. The group differed from the recently defunct Springfield Board of Trade only in name; the focus on industrial development and, to some extent, the membership of the two organizations … Continue reading →

Posted in Business | Leave a comment