History of My Hometown

By Michael Young

As a child when you are in the car with your parents driving down the road you wonder how are these large structures are able to stand by themselves or how to even start building and constructing them.  Our hometown is more than just where we were born and raised.  It can represent who we are.  I’m from Springfield, IL that is home to many important buildings and structures throughout the town such as; the Old State Capitol, the Governor’s Mansion, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, the State Fair entrance, and the Dana Thomas House.  The Hoogland Center for the Arts in downtown is a centerpiece for performing arts, and houses many performance organizations. The city has attracted numerous prominent visitors, including President George W. Bush, the actor Liam Neeson, and the Emir of Qatar. There are 6 public and private high schools located in Springfield, along with 3 universities such as: U of I at Springfield, Benedictine University at Springfield, and Robert Morris University. Abraham Lincoln Capitol Airport serves the capital city with scheduled passenger jet service to many major airport hubs. Some of the surrounding suburbs of Springfield include: Chatham, IL, Sherman, IL, Rochester, IL, and Petersburg, IL. Throughout the years the architecture has changed dramatically around town.

Springfield’s original name was Calhoun, named after the Senator John C. Calhoun of South Carolina. The land was founded in the 1810’s. The first settlers to come to Springfield were trappers and traders that were traveling along the Sangamon River. The settlements first cabin was built in 1820 by a man named John Kelley. Many traders came to central Illinois for the reason of fertile soil and thought the crops would produce good trade. According to the 2010 Census, Springfield is home to about 117,00 residents. Springfield is located in the central part of Illinois about 90 miles northeast of St Louis, and about 200 miles south of Chicago. It has a total area of about 60 square miles and lies in the Illinois River Basin known as the Till Plain. The city is mostly a flat plain and so is much of its surroundings. The most famous resident of Springfield, IL was Abraham Lincoln who moved to the city in 1837 until 1861 when he left for the White House. Many tourists attractions are spread around the area that deal with Lincoln’s remembrance.