Stay tuned for the rest of our series! Late February will be Brooke Morgan, curator of archaeology from the Illinois State Museum, and Late March will be Terrance Martin, curator emeritus of Anthropology for the Illinois State Museum.

Edwards Place Archaeology with
Floyd Mansberger
Part of the 2022 Sangamon County Archaeology Lecture Series

Thursday, January 27, 2022 6PM

This winter, Edwards Place is presenting Archaeology in Sangamon County, a lecture series on local archaeology.

​

The first lecture in this series will be given by Floyd Mansberger, Director of Fever River Research. Floyd will present on his work on the Edwards Place privy site. In anticipation of the construction of a new Studio workshop in the rear of Edwards Place, investigations were conducted in October 2017 to determine if any significant archaeological resources were to be impacted by the proposed construction. The archaeological investigations uncovered the well-preserved remains of a brick-lined privy pit. The large and diverse assemblage of artifacts contributes significantly to our understanding of the Edwards family during these pre-Civil War Years, and gives us new insights into the daily lifestyle of the upscale, and politically connected, Springfield family.

​

Fever River Research is a Cultural Resource Management (CRM) firm located in Springfield, Illinois. Established in 1984, the firm specializes in CRM projects that are associated with historic properties that date to the recent past. They conduct a variety of projects that include historical archaeology, architectural studies, National Register of Historic Places nominations, and traditional history.

Over the past nearly 40 years, Floyd Mansberger has participated in a variety of CRM projects such as archaeological and architectural surveys, archaeological excavations, and archival research as well as preparing historic structure reports for historic buildings. Mansberger has published articles on his research in such journals as Illinois Archaeology, Transactions of the Pioneer America Society, Historic Illinois, Wisconsin Archaeologist, Agricultural History, Journal of the Illinois Geographical Society, and Western Illinois Regional Studies.

Free/open to the public with Facebook live option. 

"Thousand-Year Statehouse" Lecture with David Finnigan

Thursday, February 3, 2022 7PM

The Michael Victor II Art Library and Edwards Place have invited architectural designer and photographer David L. Finnigan, Assoc. AIA, to present his new release, one-of-a-kind book titled, Thousand-Year Statehouse: The Art and Architecture of the Illinois State Capitol. The book will be released in January. It includes vibrant, detailed photographs, both historic and from his own collection, of many rooms and features not part of the usual tour of the building. In addition, fascinating details, stories, and tidbits accompany the visually extraordinary pages giving a human focus to the monumental structure. David will be providing a deeper look into his book with explanations of the art and architecture that make the Illinois State capitol unique and an important structure. Booking signing to follow.

You may visit illinoishistory.org to preorder your copy to take a closer look at this beautiful book!

Free and Open to the Public/ ZOOM option available.

A Springfield Farewell 

Saturday, February 26 7PM
Sunday, February 27 2PM
$10 per ticket

A Springfield Farewell by late local playwright Ken Bradbury examines the fictionalized story of a conversation between Abraham and Mary Lincoln (Randy Duncan and Pam Brown) moments before their departure to the White House on February 11, 1861. It is a one-scene production with a run time of about 40 minutes. Preceding the production, Christian McWhirter, Lincoln Historian at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum will give a short introduction about the historical context of the Lincoln family at that moment in time. After the play, there will be a Q and A and refreshments (COVID dependent).

​

Bradbury's plays are well-known and loved. Phil Funkenbusch wrote of the writer, “I think he was so popular because he wrote real human beings. They were humorous...Underneath it all, there was heart and a sense of real empathy and kind of a nobility."

Hoopskirt and Haber-DASH
5K Fun Run

Saturday, August 27, 2022 8AM

$30 to participate

Race back to the 19th century in the Hoopskirt and Haber-Dash. This is a 5K fun run where you can dress like you just stepped out of a haberdashery in hat and tie, or that you just made your debut in the biggest hoopskirt you can find! The course is a mostly flat course in Abraham Lincoln’s Springfield, through Enos Park neighborhood, north to Lincoln Park, and back down again. Fun costuming is encouraged, with a prize for the best dressed of the bunch. More details will be forthcoming.