Dinner and Auction

Mrs. Elijah Iles

Cordially Invites You To A Soiree

Celebrating Spring and the 214th Birthday

Of Elijah Iles

Saturday, March 27, 2010

6:00 p. m.

At Her Residence

Seventh and Cook Streets

Dinner and Silent Auction

$100.00 per person

Reservations close on March 22

Mail checks to: Elijah Iles Foundation

P. O. Box 144

Springfield, Illinois 62705

Note on Silent Auction

Donors may take items to

Paris Cleaners, 1013 East Ash

during store hours:

7:00 a. m. until 4:30 p. m.

Saturdays, until 12 noon.

You will be given a receipt and the items

will be stored in the Paris vault until the event.

Bette Franke, Chair

Contact:

R. S. V. P. (217) 523-4006

bettefranke@comcast.net

Linda Cunningham

Linda D. Cunningham, 60, of Springfield died at 2:58 p.m. on Thursday, February 4, 2010, at Regency Nursing Care Residence.

She was born January 1, 1950, in Tuscola, Illinois, to Floyd G. and Josephine A. Crafton Henson. She married James Patrick Cunningham on May 19, 1990; and he survives her.

She is also survived by her son, Tyson W. Fair and 2 grandchildren, Kylie and Cole Fair, all of Springfield; 2 sisters, JoEllyn (A.G.) Spencer of Springfield and Phyllis Henson of Charleston; 2 brothers, Bill (Pam) Henson and Monte (Racel) Henson, both of Charleston; and several nieces, nephews and cousins.

She was preceded in death by her parents and 4 brothers Ray, Floyd, Bud and James Allen Henson.

Linda began working for the State Journal-Register in 1985 and retired in 2008 as classified advertising manager. She was a docent for the Elijah Iles House and volunteer for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum. Visitation will be from 4-7 p.m. Monday, February 8, 2010, at Staab Funeral Home. Funeral service at 11 a.m. Tuesday, February 9, 2010, at Staab Funeral Home, with Reverend John E. Nelson officiating.

Old Settlers Day, Oct 24

Click to Enlarge

House Garden

As fall approaches, it's time to salute the

Iles House Garden, maintained by

Gary Lazar, the Master Gardener 

who has tended it in recent years.

The garden wraps around the rear of the House,

forming a graceful arc of grasses and flowers.

The boardwalk provides a view from many angles.

No better spot to walk or rest

Before winter comes around again.

Pictures by Dick Hart

Illinois Success Story

Photo by Marek Jochec

Great story in the New York Times about a family farm in Fairbury, IL.

Instead of raising large row-crops for agri-business harvest,

They are growing speciality produce for city restaurants.

Result is less abuse of land, better profits, more control of income.

Would love to see more of this in central Illinois!

Summer Time

Summer activities at Iles House include electing one board and painting others (on the porch, that is). Here are the board members for 2009-10, left to right:

Carolyn Oxtoby, Dave Barringer, Dave Stevens, Sue Campton, Treasurer, Curtis Mann, Secretary, Dave Steckel, Ed Mahoney, Al Eck, Sue Massie, Vice President, Kevin Lust, President, Dick Hart, Logan McMinn (Not pictured:  Will Howarth, Linda Denk, Bob Sherman.)

On June 14, 2009, volunteers painted the front porch of the Iles House. Left to right:  George Souther, Ron Orme, Logan McMinn, Tim Souther and Lary Stevens. In front, Sharon Stevens Robinson and two young ladies, Abby Stevens and Lilly Robinson.

If you'd like to volunteer to help at Iles House, call the number listed above.

Pictures and story by Dick Hart.

Abe Lincoln Observer

A new blog, the Abraham Lincoln Observer,

is now online. Written by Mike Kienzler,

metro editor of the State Journal-Register,

it features a "Springfield-centric" view

of our 16th president in today's popular culture. 

Homeschool Network visit

On May 19, the Iles House hosted the St. Louis Homeschool Network.  53 students and some parents visited the House as a part of an outing to Springfield.

Students sign the guest register in the center hall.

Linda Garvert gives a tour of the southwest front room, often frequented by Abraham Lincoln.

David Stevens gives a tour of the northwest front room, showing an early Springfield glass bottle from the Barringer Collection.

Farrell Gay gives a tour of his Illinois Watch collection in the Museum of Springfield History.

Later the students went to for Washington Park for a picnic and tour of the Carrilon, then on to a tour of the Illinois State Museum. Susan Baenwald of St. Louis arranged the visit.

Pictures and story: Dick Hart

Spring at SS House

A spring committee meeting at Strawbridge-Shepherd House.  Above, the executive committee members are seated on the south lawn. From left to right: Carol Dyson, R-Lou Barker, David Barrows, Sue Massie and Carolyn Oxtoby.

Professor William Siles of the UIS History department is an authority on 19th-century material culture. He was conducting his last class of the semester at the House.

Here, Prof. Siles and his class meet beside the summer kitchen, with a spring prairie view in the background.

We are making great progress on restoration of the House. Volunteers are always welcome. Call or write the Iles House Foundation at the addresses posted above.

Pictures and captions by Dick Hart

Days of Mourning

Once again the Iles House will be draped in mourning

to honor the death of Abraham Lincoln.

He died 144 years ago this week.

The House will wear drapes from April 14 to May 5.

Iles House is open for tours Wed & Sat, 12 to 4 pm.
Update: see the Lincoln Memorial Diary at the NY Times.

Photo by Richard Hart

This Place Matters

The National Trust for Historic Preservation invites you to tell about a place that matters through its This Places Matters campaign.  

The campaign helps people call attention to special places in their community before they are endangered -- the small, famous and infamous, and even some relatively obscure, that collectively represent the nation's cultural consciousness.

Simply visit www.PreservationNation.org/thisplacematters to download a This Place Matters sign, take a picture or make a video at the place that matters to you and post it to our slide show.  Don't have a picture?  Plant your flag on our This Place Matters Google map.

So celebrate a place you love, sound an alarm about a place that is threatened or just start a conversation about places that matter.

Hard Times

A story today in the New York Times

reports that the Museum of Funeral Customs,

located near the entrance to Oak Ridge Cemetery,

is having financial trouble and may close.

In Love with Lincoln?

The artist Maira Kalman has published in the New York Times a portfolio of drawings and texts designed to explain, in a whimsical fashion, her fascination with the life and character of Abraham Lincoln.

Some of the panels include a visit to Springfield and seeing Lincoln's tomb, meeting a Lincoln presenter, and eating at a Lincoln diner. Kalman has written and illustrated many children's books, and this project is part of her continuing series with the Times, "And the Pursuit of Happiness."

Presidents Day

On this Presidents Day, we recommend two pieces of reading: Lincoln Transcontinental: how writers from Germany, Japan, Liberia, and Hungary regard the influence of the 16th President; and The Shaping of America, on the evolving economic landscape of the USA. 

The first, from the New York Times, is a thoughtful rendering of Abraham Lincoln from foreign perspectives. The second, from Atlantic, is an article and interactive map on the current economic crisis, how long it will last, and what regions in the USA will be most affected. Main idea: look to places that generate patents.

Lincoln Birthday Tours

The Elijah Iles House will be open on February 13-14, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for tours and to share stories about Abraham Lincoln’s connections to the house, its owners and several household items of interest.  

A founder of Springfield, Elijah Iles hired Lincoln as a surveyor and lawyer, but Iles is best known as Lincoln’s captain in the Black Hawk War.

Robert Irwin, a merchant-banker and second owner of the Iles House, was a personal friend of Abraham Lincoln. At his home Irwin entertained Lincoln, along with other notables of the day.  When he left Springfield for the presidency, Lincoln entrusted his finances to Irwin. 

Iles House Closed for Snowbird Season

Just like many of today's Springfieldians, Elijah Iles was a "snowbird" who wintered in Florida. For the remainder of the winter months, The Elijah Iles House will be available for events and tours by appointment only. Normal hours for public tours will resume in March. We look forward to seeing you in the Spring.

Holiday Trimmings

On November 29, we had a great day at the Iles House 

decorating for the winter holidays.  

Trimming the porch with greens: Linda Cunningham and Farrell Gay.

Making trim for the House: Dean Clough, Linda Denk, Linda Garvert, 

Betty Ann Poage, Jackie Stites, Elaine Kerhliker and Martha Clough.

Linda Cunningham, Jackie Stites and Linda Garvert 

welcome a special visitor to the House: an oil portrait of Elijah Iles, 

on loan from the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.  

A close-up of the portrait. 

Thanks to Dave Barrigner locating it in storage and to 

Linda Garvert who pursued the paper work for a loan.

Pictures and captions: Dick Hart

Robert Irwin's 200th

Saturday, Nov 8, 2008 marked the 200th birthday of Robert Irwin, a former owner of Iles House. For a profile of Mr. Irwin, see the entry for April 6, 2008. Here Dick Hart, Linda Garvert, and Kathy Kincaid unveil the Irwin portrait, donated to Iles House by J. P. Morgan Chase, formerly Springfield Marine Bank.

A game of eucher, played by George Souther, Logan McMinn, Skip Turnbull, and Larry Stevens. Standing is Bob Sherman, portraying William Corneau, a neighbor of Irwin. He often played cards with friends and neighbors, including Nicholas Ridgley, Stephen Douglas, Abraham Lincoln, and Dr. Merriman.

In the back parlor, docent Margie Adkins in a grand period dress is busy at tatting, or lace-making.

On the lower level, Linda Denk and Jackie Sites view an exhibit on the life of Robert Irwin, prepared by Linda Garvert, chair of the birthday event. Also available: hot apple cider and various baked apple goodies, to welcome Robert Irwin back to his home and wish him a happy 200th birthday.

Halloween by Candlelight

Halloween by Candlelight will be held from 6 to 8 pm on Oct 31 at the Elijah Iles House. From its 171-year-old parlor master storyteller Cathy Mosley will tell tales to capture the imagination and pleasure of visitors of all ages.  In the old darkened basement, kids of all ages can decorate monster cookies.  Nearby, plates of Halloween supper-fare (barbecue, chips and drink) will be served.  Admission is free.

Old Settlers Day

The second annual Old Settlers Day will be Sunday, October 19 from noon to 4 pm at the Strawbridge-Shepherd House, on Shepherd Road between UIS and LLCC. (Click on the picture to enlarge.)

The public may tour the house, and various experts will explain its renovation. Entertainment, historical exhibits and demonstrations will be available. Mrs. Shepherd's Pantry, hosted by UIS alumni, students, and faculty, will provide delicious home-baked, kettle-cooked foods.

Old Settlers Day revives a custom from the early years of Sangamon County, set to honor the Sugar Creek settlers who survived the bitter winter of 1832. Once restored, the Strawbridge-Shepherd House will serve UIS as the Sugar Creek Institute, offering a program of studies in prairie ecology, cultural history, and architecture.

The Iles House Foundation is directing restoration and welcomes volunteers and donations to complete this major preservation project.