The J. Michael Zimmers Academy, located inside Lawrence Education Center, will be dedicated on Oct. 22. Zimmers, a longtime Springfield District 186 educator, is being remembered for his many years of service to children. Lawrence Education Center, 101 E. Laurel Ave., currently houses the Douglas Alternative program, which serves students who have been expelled from […]
Cinda Ackerman Klickna
Cinda Klickna is a former teacher from Springfield and past president of the Illinois Education Association.
Posted inNews
First Presbyterian plans open house to celebrate renovations
After three years of fundraising and renovation, the First Presbyterian Church onthe corner of Seventh Street and Capitol Avenue in downtown Springfield will host an open house for the public. “We have made spaces for the community to use, added a central elevator for access to those needing mobility help and designed a trauma-informed space,” […]
Posted inMusic
The giver of Springfield
The Springfield Choral Society will host a festival that honors a Springfield native, Julius Rosenwald, under the guidance of music director Jacobsen Woollen. Events will take place Oct. 17-18 with music, film, speakers and a walk to the original Rosenwald home across from Lincoln’s home. “Many in Springfield don’t seem to know about Rosenwald; yet, […]
Posted inNews
Former Norb Andy’s under contract
The mansion built by Virgil Hickox in 1839 at 518 E. Capitol Ave. has been vacant since Anchors Away, the most recent restaurant to occupy the space, closed in 2023, but it is now under contract to a buyer who wants to renovate the historic building. It once housed the Sangamo Club, as well as […]
Posted inNews
World Affairs Council of Central Illinois hosting diplomacy event
The World Affairs Council of Central Illinois is one of 10 councils from across the U.S. to be chosen to host Portraits of American Diplomacy, which will include a reception, exhibit and panel discussion at the Old State Capitol on Oct. 23. “Our chapter continues to grow, and our monthly programs are always sold out,” […]
Posted inLocal History
Clayville Fall Festival happens Sept. 19-20
Head out to Clayville Historic Site, just 20 minutes from Springfield on Route 97, for the Fall Festival on Saturday, Sept. 19, and Sunday, Sept. 20. Watch a Civil War reenactment and shoot off a cannon, just two of the many activities planned. Tour the oldest brick structure in Sangamon County, the Broadwell Inn, which has […]
Posted inOpinion
A teacher remembers 9/11
I was teaching at Southeast High School on Sept. 11, 2001. My American literature class of juniors had just read The Crucible. I was showing the class a clip from the movie when a colleague came to my door, motioned me into the hall and told me what had happened in New York. Two weeks […]
Posted inFall Guide
Echoes of Yesteryear
Enjoy beautiful Oak Ridge Cemetery, meet period actors and learn about six Sangamon County residents who made a difference in our history. The Sangamon County Historical Society will offer its annual Echoes of Yesteryear – A Walk Through Oak Ridge Cemetery tour from 12-3:30 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 4. The walk is easy. Participants will […]
Posted inFall Guide
Virden festivities
Find your kicks on Route 66 – this time in Virden on Oct. 10-11. A weekend of activities and the launching of the Virden Historical Society Museum will be part of a multi-town festival organized through the Great River and Routes Tourism Bureau. The festivals feature sites along the last 100 miles of the Mother […]
Posted inReGen
Exploring Southern Illinois
Join the Illinois State Historical Society’s southern Illinois tour Oct. 14-16 to visit historic sites, natural areas and the beautiful Shawnee National Forest with its bluffs, canyons, boulders and towering trees that will be alive with fall color. Board the bus in Springfield and travel to Shawneetown, Elizabethtown, Golconda and more. Experience the Ohio River, […]
Posted inLocal History
“Three Hot Days in August”
Springfield is the home of Abraham Lincoln, known as the Great Emancipator. We should be proud of that. Yet, we must acknowledge that it was here, in his hometown, that a disturbing event occurred in 1908 – the race riot that lynched two innocent Black men, destroyed people’s homes and left a scar on our […]
Posted inLocal History
A historic undertaking
Springfield resident John Oxford once restored a 1,500-square-foot house built in 1903. He has now taken on a much bigger project as the new owner of the 8,600-square-foot red brick, Italianate mansion at Eighth and Cook streets, which was built in 1865. “This will be a much larger undertaking,” he said. “I’m newly married, […]
