Postcard

Colorized photo of South side of town square in 1858, church steeple in background.

By the 1850s, Springfield was growing city, the capital of Illinois, and boasted a bustling downtown square built around the Capitol building. Just off the square on the left is a large church and the American House hotel. Other businesses, including J. Bunn’s, are still in business in Springfield. This is a colorized photograph originally taken in 1858.