The demise of child labor in Springfield

Nicotine poisoning was a hazard when kids made cigars

In the late 1800s reformers in Illinois became concerned about child labor in manufacturing, especially in the state’s larger cities. They had good reason to be. In some shops young children wor

Springfield whipped up a storm

Justice on the square was swift and cheaper than jail

Today, Springfield’s downtown square is a peaceful place. Its manicured lawn and grand Old State Capitol suggest that it was a location of thoughtful debate and mannered discourse among our earl

Illinois and the Panic of 1819

Financial problems are nothing new to the Prairie State. Sadly, neither are inept responses by governmental officials. After the Panic of 1819 one of our own townsmen, an esteemed founding father, was

Getting to know the natives

The story of this area’s earliest residents, before they were forced to walk the Trail of Death

It’s easy in this Land of Lincoln Obsession to think that our area’s history began with the sixteenth president or with white settlers in general. But doing so ignores the many Native Amer

Abolition, the spark that ignited a revolution

A tumultuous time in Illinois, to be explored at history symposium March 7-9

One hundred fifty years ago this year, Abraham Lincoln was elected president and the slavery question was threatening to dissolve the nation.In Illinois, Lincoln’s allegedly “free” s

A pictorial history of the ‘city of the dead’

New book marks 150 years for Oak Ridge Cemetery, the nation’s second most-visited

One hundred fifty years ago this year, Springfield’s Oak Ridge Cemetery was dedicated by former mayor James Conkling as a “city of the dead.” A new book by former city historian Edwa

Killer flu hits Springfield

October 1918: Death rules the capital city

A few weeks ago, as I nursed my son through swine flu, I frequently thought about my great-grandmother. She had lived in Athens, northwest of Springfield, and nursed her son during another flu pandemi

Springfield’s own Rosie the Riveter

“All the day long, Whether rain or shine, She’s a part of the assembly line. She’s making history, Working for victory, Rosie the Riveter…” -from

When the railroad first came to Springfield

In the 1830s, when people traveled by foot, horse, stagecoach or boat, Illinois developed a railroad. It was ahead of its time.

A 19th century pop star finds Springfield bad news

It’s never easy being a star, but if you believe a superstar concert pianist from that time, it was especially difficult in Springfield in the 1860s. The New Orleans-born Louis Moreau Gottschalk