SPRINGFIELD

city, seat (1818) of Clark county, west-central Ohio, U.S., on Buck Creek and Mad River, 25 miles (40 km) northeast of Dayton. The original settlement by James Demint and migrant Kentuckians in 1799 was on the site of the village of Old Piqua (birthplace of Tecumseh, the Shawnee Indian chief). It was laid out in 1801 and named by the wife of Simon Kenton, an Indian scout who had settled there, for the springs in nearby cliffs. The arrival of the National (Cumberland) Road sustained its growth. The manufacture of farm machinery (now a leading industry) began there in 1855 when William Whiteley invented a successful binder. In the 1880s the journal Farm and Fireside was published in Springfield as a house organ by P.J. Mast; this formed the basis of the Crowell-Collier publishing ventures (now part of the Macmillan organization). One of the earliest programs of the 4-H Club movement of learning by doing for young people was started (1902) there by A.B. Graham. George Harrison Shull (born nearby in 1874) conducted his early hybrid corn experiments in Springfield, which is now the trading centre for a fertile agricultural area. Manufactures are well-diversified and in addition to farm implements include hoisting machinery, funeral supplies, tools, monorails, and a variety of iron and steel products. The city is the seat of Wittenberg University (Lutheran Church in America; 1845) and Clark State Community College (1962). Inc. village, 1827; city, 1850. Pop. (1990) city, 70,487; Dayton-Springfield MSA, 951,270; (1994 est.) city, 70,388; (1995 est.) Dayton-Springfield MSA, 956,412. city, seat (1833) of Greene county, southwestern Missouri, U.S., near the James River, at the northern edge of the Ozark Highlands, north of the Table Rock Lake area. Settled in 1829, its growth was slow until the period of heavy westward migration, when pioneers were attracted by its location on important land routes. During the American Civil War, the city was held for a few months by Confederate forces after the Battle of Wilson's Creek (Aug. 10, 1861; fought 11 miles south) until they were expelled by Federal troops in February 1862. Wild Bill Hickok lived in Springfield and scouted for the Federals; he was acquitted there of the murder of Dave Tutt. An extension of the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad (1870) resulted in the development of a rival community, North Springfield, which merged with Springfield in 1887. The city's agricultural-based economy (dairy products, poultry, stockyards) is augmented by light manufacturing (steel products, television sets, paper containers, refrigeration motors, and V-belts) and educational institutions. The latter include Drury College (1873), Southwest Missouri State University (1905), Evangel College (1955), Central Bible College (1922), and Baptist Bible College. The International Headquarters of the Assemblies of God Church is in the city. Inc. 1838. Pop. (1990) city, 140,494; Springfield MSA, 240,593. Lincoln Home National Historic Site, Springfield, Illinois. city, capital of Illinois, U.S., and seat (1825) of Sangamon county. It lies along the Sangamon River in the central part of the state. It is situated 99 miles (160 km) northeast of St. Louis, Mo., and 185 miles (298 km) southwest of Chicago. The first settler, Elisha Kelly, built a cabin (181819) on what is now the corner of Klein and Jefferson streets. The city took its name from nearby Spring Creek. Springfield had a population of less than 3,000 when the seat of government was transferred there in 1837 from Vandalia, largely through the efforts of young Abraham Lincoln and eight other members of the Illinois legislature (known as the Long Nine because they were all over six feet tall). Lincoln moved to Springfield from New Salem on April 15, 1837, and lived there until he became president in 1861. In the Old State Capitol (183753, rebuilt in the 1960s as a state historic site), Lincoln served his last term in the legislature (184041), practiced before the state Supreme Court, delivered his House Divided address, and maintained an office as president-elect. His body lay in state there (May 4, 1865), and in the historical library is a collection of Lincolniana. The locations of Lincoln's law offices and the Globe Tavern (where his first inaugural speech was written) are marked with bronze plaques. Lincoln's unpretentious house at 8th and Jackson streets has been restored. This home, with the four-block area surrounding it, was designated a national historic site in 1971. In Oak Ridge Cemetery northwest of the city is the Lincoln Tomb, which holds the bodies of Lincoln, his wife, Mary, and their sons Edward, Willie, and Tad. The memorial is 117 feet (36 m) tall and is surmounted by a granite shaft. The First Presbyterian Church contains the Lincoln family pew. The State House (186888) is 361 feet (110 m) high at the top of its dome. The Centennial Building (191823) commemorates the 100th anniversary of Illinois statehood. The Governor's Mansion was first occupied by Governor Joel A. Matteson in 1855. Springfield is a wholesale and retail centre for a rich farming area producing corn (maize), wheat, soybeans, and livestock. It is the site of the Illinois State Fair, held annually since 1893. Principal manufactures include industrial tractors, garage equipment, electric metres and electronic equipment, brick and concrete products, and paints. Tourism is an economic asset. The city is the national headquarters of several insurance companies. It is the seat of Springfield College in Illinois (1929), Lincoln Land Community College (1967), and Sangamon State University (1969). The Lincoln Memorial Garden and Nature Center is near Lake Springfield (a reservoir completed in 1934) at the southeast edge of the city. The home of Vachel Lindsay, the Springfield poet, is maintained as a museum. The Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War have their headquarters and a memorial museum in Springfield. Camp Butler National Cemetery, formerly the site of a Civil War prison camp, is 7 miles (11 km) east. Lincoln's New Salem Historic Site is 24 miles (39 km) northwest. Clayville Stagecoach Stop, a restored wayside inn (built in 1824 and named for Henry Clay, the statesman and orator), is 14 miles (22 km) northwest. Inc. village, 1832; city, 1840. Pop. (1990) city, 105,227; Springfield MSA, 189,550. Basketball Hall of Fame, Springfield, Massachusetts. city, seat (1812) of Hampden county, southwestern Massachusetts, U.S., on the Connecticut River. It forms a contiguous urban area with Agawam and West Springfield (west), Chicopee and Holyoke (north), Ludlow (northeast), Wilbraham and Hampden (east), and East Longmeadow (south). William Pynchon, one of the original patentees of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, founded a settlement (now Agawam) on the river's west bank in 1635. The colonists' livestock did so much damage to the Native Americans' cornfields, however, that the community moved to the present east-bank site in 1636. It was incorporated as a town in 1636 and named for Pynchon's birthplace in England. Pynchon's autocratic rule ended in 1652, when he returned to England after being condemned by the Massachusetts General Court for a book attacking the Calvinist doctrine of atonement. The town was nearly destroyed by Native Americans in 1675, during King Philip's War. Springfield's transformation from a farming to a manufacturing community was hastened by the building of an arsenal in 1777, which supplied arms during the American Revolution and was a target of attack during Shays's Rebellion in 1786. During the American Civil War the Armory (built 1794 and now a national historic site) produced the well-known Springfield muskets; it became a principal manufactory of small arms and later developed the Springfield and Garand rifles. The Organ of Muskets (so called for the resemblance of rifles on the double racks to organ pipes), made famous by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem The Arsenal at Springfield, is displayed in the museum of the Armory. The Armory was closed in the 1960s. Possessing abundant waterpower and connected by railroad to Boston in 1835, Springfield soon became an industrial town, producing (in addition to arms) paper, railroad coaches, locomotives, and ice skates. The main sources of income are now health care, insurance, and other services. Manufactures include electrical equipment, chemicals, plastics, and printed matter. Merriam-Webster, Incorporated (formerly G. & C. Merriam Co.), publisher of Merriam-Webster dictionaries since 1847, has its headquarters there. Springfield College was founded in 1885; other colleges are the American International College (1885), the Western New England College (1919), and the Springfield Technical Community College (1964). The city's Basketball Hall of Fame commemorates James Naismith, who originated basketball at Springfield in 1891. Eastern States Exposition Park in West Springfield is the site of one of the largest annual (September) industrial-agricultural fairs in the eastern United States; Storrowtown (a reconstructed old New England village) and two theatres are within the park. Inc. city, 1852. Pop. (1990) city, 156,983; Springfield MSA, 587,884; (1996 est.) city, 149,948; Springfield MSA, 576,561.