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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
Contact us:

07/03/2009
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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.

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