Search Results for: reisch

Timeline

*186,000 to 128,000 years ago: Illinois Glacier covers most of Illinois; leaves spruce and pine forest when it recedes. *24,000-17,000 years ago: Wisconsin Glacier covers Illinois down to about present-day Shelbyville; floodwaters caused by glacier cut Sangamon River valley; alluvial … Continue reading

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Hickox Mill

The Hickox Mill was located on Spring Creek, near modern-day Veterans Parkway north of Jefferson Street in Springfield. Abraham Lanterman submitted the first mill dam application ever in Sangamon County to the Commissioners’ Court in December 1823, but in May … Continue reading

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Ice harvesting

Before artificial refrigeration was invented, ice was cut from rivers, ponds, and lakes during the winter and sent to storehouses, businesses, and homes. Bigger customers included produce shippers, grocery stores, and breweries, which needed huge quantities of ice. Springfield’s old … Continue reading

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Illinois State Fair

This entry, first published in 2013, was significantly expanded in 2023. The first Illinois State Fair was held in Springfield in October 1853 under the direction of the Illinois State Agricultural Association. The association’s president, James N. Brown (considered the … Continue reading

Posted in Agriculture, Amusements, Buildings, Celebrations, Farming, Illinois capital | 3 Comments

Kun Brewery

During its heyday, the Kun Brewery was one of the most prominent in the city, and one of its flamboyant brewmaster/owners erected a locally famed mansion at Walnut and Carpenter streets. Though long forgotten, the brewery came to light, literally, … Continue reading

Posted in Breweries, Business, Fever River, Prominent figures | 11 Comments

‘The Power of Music’, Jefferson House hotel, 1885 (painting)

This painting, a gift to Lincoln Library’s Sangamon Valley Collection from Dr. James Donelan, depicts a red-coated trumpeter whose music disturbs hotel patrons, makes women and police officers faint, and upsets children, dogs and goats. The Jefferson House (“Good accommodations, … Continue reading

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