History

You’re an Illinois woman in the middle 1800s and you find yourself pregnant after your sweetheart — who promised marriage — left. Your reputation and chance of finding a husband are ruined and you have to depend on your family for support. What to do? Sue the cad’s sorry behind. In those days, dumped pregnant […]

Academy Award-winning actor Richard Dreyfuss and Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer will present a rare performance of Lincoln Seen and Heard, on Friday, March 27, on the campus of Illinois College in Jacksonville. The dramatic reading has been presented in recent months to audiences at the White House, Ford’s Theatre, The Library of Congress and at […]

One of the grandest homes that Springfield has ever seen is only a memory. Not even a full photograph of it is known to exist. The home was built by Illinois Gov. Joel Matteson in 1856, during his last full year as governor. Matteson was a political opponent of Abraham Lincoln’s and a wealthy man […]

A different kind of Lincoln bicentennial celebration is being held in Springfield, starting March 7. It encourages everyone to search their family roots and see if they reach back to Springfield during Lincoln’s time, or even back to the Lincolns themselves. Rudy Davenport, a member of the Springfield contingent of the Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, says […]

When Abraham Lincoln, his father, stepmother, and step-brother first came to Illinois from Indiana, they settled in a log cabin about three miles west of Decatur on the Sangamon River. The history of that long-gone cabin is a tangle of folklore and interesting facts. The city of Decatur, through its Lincoln Heritage Project, commissioned a […]

Next week, Illinois’ favorite native son finally turns 200. After days, months, and even years of planning and preparing, Springfield residents will tip their hats to the 16th president in a weeklong celebration of his life and legacy. The party kicks off Feb. 6 with the opening performance of Our American Cousin, the play Abraham […]

Many of us have heard about New Philadelphia, the racially integrated town in west central Illinois established by former slave “Free Frank” McWorter in 1836. Free Frank was an enterprising man who bought his own freedom and that of several family members, and developed this town where blacks and whites lived in equality. But few […]

Candles and popcorn strings on the tree, and the rare fruit treat in your stocking — they were all part of Christmases past. And they’re so removed from our modern lives, which often feature electrically-lit, artificial Christmas trees and fruit every day of the year. Here, for your enjoyment, are reminiscences of Christmases long ago, […]

When the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum opened, it was heralded as the first of its kind. However, there was an unofficial version housed in the Lincoln Home from 1884 to 1893. It was run by Civil War veteran Osborn Oldroyd, a man who was as quirky as the museum he created. When Oldroyd began collecting […]

During modern elections, Democrats and Republicans show their loyalty with lawn signs. In the 1800s, it was tree poles. They were erected on main streets and lawns around the country during rambunctious “pole raisings,” which attracted large numbers of party faithful and faithful partiers. In the 1844 presidential election, which pitted Democrat James K. Polk […]

It was the early 1830s and Samuel Stevens was a young businessman seizing opportunity in the Northwest Territory frontier. He’d journeyed to what is now the Rochester area from New Hampshire to buy land and build a home for himself and his fiancée. However, his fiancée, Lucetta Putnam, was from a well-to-do family. “We believe […]

Last week marked the 100th anniversary of Springfield’s race riots. They left our city with a legacy we will never outlive and perhaps never overcome. As Springfieldians struggle with that legacy, especially this year, it’s helpful to put our city’s riots into a national context, to understand how they fit into the broader history of […]