Category: Illinois Bicentennial

In 2018, Illinois will celebrate 200 years of statehood! For the bicentennial, the Illinois History and Lincoln Collections will kick off a year-long celebration of the Prairie State’s fascinating history. Each month, we will focus on a different theme in Illinois history.

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Thomas Mather: Business and Politics in Early Illinois

Thomas Mather was an early Illinois settler, businessman, and politician who served as a member of both branches of the Illinois legislature.  His father, William Mather, fought in the Revolutionary War, and Thomas was also a direct descendant of New England minister Cotton Mather. Thomas Mather was born in Simsbury, Connecticut in 1795. He became a successful merchant in New York City, and in the spring of 1818, Mather migrated to Kaskaskia, Illinois.

As he settled into life in Illinois, Mather quickly become involved in both business and politics. He was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in 1820 and served four terms, including a term as Speaker of the House from 1824-1826.… Read More

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Morris Birkbeck: An Advocate for Illinois Settlement

Morris Birkbeck was an early settler in southern Illinois at the beginning of the 19th century. He was also a successful author and strong advocate for pioneer settlement in Illinois. Birkbeck was one of the founders of the English Settlement in Edwards County, Illinois, and he later served briefly as the Secretary of State of Illinois in 1824.

Birkbeck was born in Settle, England, on January 23, 1764 to influential Quaker Morris Birkbeck and Hannah Bradford. By the age of thirty he was farming 1500 aces in Surrey, and he was the first person to raise merino sheep in England.… Read More

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The Meharry Correspondence: University Sports

Throughout the month of November, we’re focusing on sports in Illinois history. Follow along here and on our social media to learn more about the games, athletes, and teams that have made an impact on Illinois. 

The C.L. Meharry correspondence in the Meharry Family Collection offers a unique look at university life and its sports in the early 1900s. Charles Leo Meharry attended the University of Illinois and graduated from the Agricultural College in 1907. During his time there, he wrote many letters to his friend and future wife, Clara Esther Burghardt (referred to as Esther in the letters) who attended Purdue University and went on to become a teacher.… Read More

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Arthur Sewell: Minor League Baseball at the Turn of the 20th Century

Throughout the month of November, we’re focusing on sports in Illinois history. Follow along here and on our social media to learn more about the games, athletes, and teams that have made an impact on Illinois. 

The Arthur E. Sewell Baseball Scrapbook and Photographs consist of a compilation of newspaper clippings along with loose postcards and photographs that document the minor league baseball career of Arthur Sewell during the early twentieth century. A native of Huntley, Illinois, Sewell was born in 1885 and played catcher for several teams between 1909 and 1915.

The scrapbook of Sewell’s baseball career is within the pages of a bound music book, Brainard’s Melodic School for the Violin.… Read More