AUGUST 2019 EVENTS
A REPORTER INTERVIEWS GENERAL GRANT
WHEN: Thursday August 8th, 2019
TIME: 6:30pm - 7:45pm
WHERE: Springfield Store (
See full address here)
Join writer, Judy Wagenblast and Larry Werline, first person interpreter for Gen. U.S. Grant, interact as “A Reporter Interviews General Grant.”
For more info,
contact us here or call us at 217-965-5443.
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CIVIL WAR SOLDIERS WITH SECRETS
WHEN: Thursday August 22nd, 2019
TIME: 6:30pm - 7:45pm
WHERE: Springfield Store (
See full address here)
Join us for the final program in the summer series with the subject of “Civil War Soldiers with Secrets: Women in Uniform.” It will be presented by Kathleen Heyworth,
local historian and author.
For more info,
contact us here or call us at 217-965-5443.
SEPTEMBER 2019 EVENTS
NEW BOOK TALKS BY LOCAL AUTHORS GUILLORY AND PENSONEAU
WHEN: Thursday September 5th, 2019
TIME: 6:30pm
WHERE: Springfield Store (
See full address here)
Two prominent, local authors (Taylor Pensoneau and Dan Guillory) will read from their newest books.
Taylor Pensoneau of New Berlin has self-published Falling Star, a fiction sequel to his first novel, The Summer of ’50, about political corruption, illegal gambling and murder.
Dan Guillory, from Shelby County, has written ten books. He is a professor emeritus at Millikin University in Decatur. At this event, he will read poems from his latest book, The Prairie: Then and Now, which also features illustrations by his wife, Leslie Guillory.
Thea Chesley, president of the Springfield Poets and Writers group, will then moderate questions from the audience. Those interested in becoming a writer themselves are especially invited to come to this free program along with anyone interested in the authors and topics.
For more info,
contact us here or call us at 217-965-5443.
JANUARY 2020 EVENTS
Book About Illinois 114th Regiment in Civil War
WHEN: Saturday January 18th, 2020
TIME: 10:30am
WHERE: Springfield Store
427 E. Washington St.
Springfield, IL 62701
COST: FREE
The book, titled “Not Afraid To Go Any Whare, 1862-1865: A History of the 114th Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry,” focuses on Central Illinois people who quickly signed up to fight for the Union following President Lincoln’s call for troops after the bombardment of Fort Sumter by the Confederacy. The book covers the experiences of the regiment, including the battles in which they participated. The 114th is well known for the company band they formed and the motivation their music helped provide in the midst of war. Buckles himself is active in the Illinois 114th Regiment Reactivated, a group of reenacters who present a flag ceremony every Tuesday night for free during summer months at the Lincoln Tomb and frequently perform at other local venues.
This presentation is free and open to the public. Copies of the books, limited to a printing of 200 in number, will be available for purchase and signing by the author.
For more info, call us at 217-965-5443.
OCTOBER 2019 EVENTS
HART TO TALK ABOUT SPRINGFIELD’S WASHINGTON STREET IN THE 1800’S
WHEN: Tuesday October 1st, 2019
TIME: 6:30pm
WHERE: Springfield Store
427 E. Washington St.
Springfield, IL 62701
COST: FREE
Attorney Richard Hart, well-known for his love of history, will provide information and images of Washington Street in Springfield.
Books on the Square in Springfield is located on Washington Street in close proximity to the Old State Capitol Square. In 1854 the building it occupies was completed and served as City Hall for Springfield for a few years. Being near the Capitol was regarded as the commerce area for growth of the city. However, in the early years, Washington Street became known as Chicken Row, with livestock wandering free throughout the area.
Hart will illustrate many of the businesses and where they were located, though most of the original structures have long vanished.
For more info, call us at 217-965-5443.
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In Their Letters, in Their Words: Illinois Civil War Soldiers Write Home
WHEN: Thursday October 17th, 2019
TIME: 6:00pm
WHERE: Springfield Store
427 E. Washington St.
Springfield, IL 62701
COST: FREE
In Their Letters, in Their Words: Illinois Civil War Soldiers Write Home is a newly-released book by author/editor and historical researcher Mark Flotow.
James Cornelius hosts a discussion with the author who will share insights and quotations excerpted from letters of 165 soldiers sent to family and friends. The soldiers’ personal writings serve as time portals into the past lives of ordinary citizens, all of whom were transformed by the extraordinary circumstances of the Civil War.
For more info, call us at 217-965-5443.
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Mr. Lincoln’s Hometown Civil War Round Table
WHEN: Thursday October 17th, 2019
TIME: 7:00pm
WHERE: Springfield Store
427 E. Washington St.
Springfield, IL 62701
COST: FREE
Mr. Lincoln’s Hometown Civil War Round Table hosts its monthly meeting with two special guests, Professor Steve Pasquale of Kankakee and Attorney Brett Kepley of Champaign, who will debate the conflicting viewpoints between the North and the South that boiled over in 1860 and led to war the next year:
“Is Secession by a State from the National Entity of the United States Allowed Under the Constitution?”
For more info, call us at 217-965-5443.
NOVEMBER 2019 EVENTS
NEW NOVEL BASED ON THE LIFE OF GANGSTER CHARLIE BIRGER
WHEN: Thursday November 21st, 2019
TIME: 5:30pm
WHERE: Springfield Store
427 E. Washington St.
Springfield, IL 62701
COST: FREE
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CIVIL WAR ROUND TABLE
WHEN: Thursday November 21st, 2019
TIME: 7:00pm
WHERE: Springfield Store
427 E. Washington St.
Springfield, IL 62701
COST: FREE
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Shelbyville author Kevin Corley, known for his research and writing about the coal mining industry and Illinois unions, has completed a novel, 13 Steps for Charlie Birger, based on the life of one of southern Illinois’ most well-known gangsters.
Corley will speak in Springfield at Books on the Square, 427 E. Washington St., at 5:30
p.m. on Thursday, November 21. At both Springfield and Virden locations, copies of the new book and others of related interest will be available for purchase and signature.
A presentation by Dr. Karl Luthin will follow the Birger program under the
sponsorship of Mr. Lincoln’s Hometown Civil War Round Table, beginning at 7 p.m. at
the same Books on the Square location in downtown Springfield. Dr. Luthin owns KEL
Equine Productions, which provides military units, uniforms, saddles, horse-drawn
wagons, period props and horses to the movie industry. He has assisted with several
Civil War productions. This presentation is also free and open to the public.
For more info, call us at 217-965-5443.
