Untitled Document To duel or not to duel — that was the question Illinois congressman and Mexican War veteran William H. Bissell faced in 1850. He was challenged by Jefferson Davis, the future president of the Confederate States of America. Bissell’s reply made him a legend in the state and helped propel him to the […]
Tara McClellan McAndrew
Tara McClellan McAndrew is a freelance writer in Springfield.
Posted inArts & Culture
A conductor?
Untitled Document “Eleven run away slaves, belonging to citizens of St. Louis, and for which a reward of $300 each, was offered, were captured in this county yesterday, by individuals of this city,” proclaimed Springfield’s Jan. 17, 1850 Illinois State Register. That was the first of several articles over the next week about this so-called […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Crafting her niche
Untitled Document Tucked away in her farmhouse on Old Rochester Road in the 1940s, using plaster of Paris, brushes, photos, and beeswax, Hettie Bunker Smith shaped medical history. Although Smith had wanted to be a doctor, her father discouraged it, instead encouraging her to pursue the work she did best — art. Smith heeded his […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Beyond the grave
Untitled Document As you walk through Oak Ridge Cemetery’s beautiful 365 acres, it’s easy to forget that each tombstone represents a life — a person with friends, enemies, heartbreaks, and dreams. The recently published local book In Lincoln’s Shadow: Oak Ridge Cemetery Chronicles helps us remember. In Lincoln’s Shadow tells the stories of more than four dozen […]
