Welcome to the Illinois Statehouse

    This site is dedicated toward the promotion of the Illinois Capitol Building and is intended to serve as an informational and educational resource for its visitors.
      Its creators have worked in the Capitol for a combined 40 years and are interested in the history of the building and efforts to preserve it for future generations.
      We hope you enjoy your on-line journey through the halls of one of the great state Capitols in the United States of America.

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News From The Past
Souvenir of Springfield
Babeuf's 1881-82 Springfield Directory

07/03/2009

A Glance at the Past

1930's Turmoil

         150 to 200 unemployed men and women were involved in a fracas at the Statehouse on January 25, 1933. In the morning several people created a disturbance in the gallery of the House of Representatives and were ordered to leave by the Speaker of the House. Those causing the disruption left and there was no further trouble.

          Later in the day, however, some of these people demanded a meeting with Governor Henry Horner. The Governor offered to confer with a delegation of five. The crowd was displeased and began to jeer the Governor, demanding that he meet with the entire group. The unruly mob had to be forcibly removed from the Governor’s office and eventually from the Statehouse grounds by officers of the State Highway Patrol and Springfield Police Department. During the melee a large, highly polished table in the Governor's reception room was marred by the feet of some of the demonstrators and a door was damaged by some of the protestors throwing themselves against it.

          The next day a march to the Statehouse had been planned by the Women’s Auxiliary of the Progressive Mine Workers of America to make several requests of Governor Horner. This group was not affiliated with the one that caused the disturbance the day before. A contingent of police was present in case trouble erupted, but approximately 10,000 women marched to the Statehouse without incident and their leaders met with the Governor. This information is taken from newspaper articles that appeared in the Illinois State Journal, Illinois State Register and the Chicago Tribune.

         These photos, taken on January 26, 1933, show the marchers on Capital Avenue, a Highway Patrolman armed with a tear gas gun in front of the Lincoln statue and a portion of the crowd leaving the old State Arsenal to take part in the parade. The Statehouse dome was undergoing a major renovation at this time. Click on the photo to view a larger image.

Images of America - The Illinois Statehouse

The creators of this website have co-authored a book about the Illinois Statehouse showcasing many never-before published photos of the Capitol. The Illinois Statehouse is available directly from Arcadia Publishing, your favorite on-line book retailer, or Springfield area bookstores.