Springfield, Ill. – Agriculture is alive and well in Springfield. Collectors will enjoy opportunities to see sites connected to the capital city’s agricultural past and enjoy the Ag stops available today. The most obvious current agricultural stop is the Saturday morning Old Capitol Farmers Market, where visitors can find anything from bright peaches, yellow cauliflower, and local products like a shampoo and shaving bar. In their 25th year, the market is held every Wednesday and Saturday from May 15th to October 26th from 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. In the past, Angela Wolfgram, of Visit Springfield, added the market moves indoors for the winter months. Call 217-544-1923 for details.

The bright farmers market mural captures the essence of the downtown market along with other colorful murals connecting Springfield to the rich Lincoln heritage. The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library once upon a time was the location of a former fur trader shop, that expanded into farm machinery after A.W. Sikkings, a St. Louis man, joined in. Sikkings then grew to be an appliance store and John Deere dealership in downtown Springfield, Illinois where the current presidential library exists.

Another Lincoln connection to agriculture, besides growing up on a farm, is the fact that the 16th president is responsible for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.  In the spring of 1862, Abraham Lincoln signed into law an act of Congress that established the early beginnings of the history of the USDA.

Just a short distance outside Springfield is the village of New Salem where Abraham Lincoln had a store, worked as a surveyor, lived, loved, and studied law. A visit to New Salem offers a glimpse into Lincoln’s past as well as a chance to see life on the Midwest prairie with equipment placed here and there for collectors of old iron to enjoy.

The Illinois State Fairgrounds is rich with agricultural history in the buildings and stories of years past. In 1910 Sears & Roebuck built an agricultural exhibit and rest bungalow. Equipment was displayed for visitors viewing pleasure. The Illinois State Fair Museum is the keeper of the state fair history. Located in the North End of the grandstand, they are open each day of the Illinois State Fair.

The very first fair was hosted in February 1853 by the Illinois State Agricultural Society. It was hosted around the state until Springfield was chosen as the permanent home in 1894. The fair was established with farmers in mind with the idea that the fair would help, according to an article on their website, “promote agricultural, mechanical and household arts, …and introduce the latest in farm implements and innovative ideas. The fair also was intended to display the best of livestock and produce and provide an opportunity for farmers to meet and exchange ideas.”

In the past, antique tractors have been on display at the Illinois State Fair offering an opportunity for collectors to still enjoy the old iron, as well as the new agricultural products that are shared as well.

Although now a business and commercial area, Allis Chalmers had a hold in Springfield for years. Many locals recall working at the Fiat Allis plant that took over the operations. In an article on Sangamon Link, they share, “The Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Co. (later Fiat-Allis and Fiatallis) made heavy construction equipment from 1928 until 1985 at a 70-acre plant between Sixth and 11th streets and Stanford Avenue and Stevenson Drive. At its peak in the 1960s, A-C employed about 6,500 people in Springfield. Allis-Chalmers’ first Springfield plant was bought from Monarch Tractor Corp., which was in financial straits, in 1928. The Springfield Monarch factory, which was descended from a company that had manufactured crawler tractors in Watertown, Wis., since 1913, opened in 1925.” (The Wisconsin Monarch should not be confused with an identically named British manufacturer.)

Several local businesses have a history steeped in agriculture. The Ace Sign Co. began as the August Brand Carriage and Wagon Co. An emigrant from Germany, his obituary states, “Pioneer carriage maker of Springfield. Born in East Prussia, Germany, August Brand came to the U.S. in 1860. Employed by Amasa Booth as head carriage painter, remaining with him until Mr. Booth went out of business in 1883. In 1884, Mr. Brand purchased the old stock of Mr. Booth and went into partnership with Mr. Groenke until 1902. Mr. Brand constructed the first fire chief’s wagon used in Springfield.”

Walk through the museum, and you will see both local and Route 66 history.

The Inn at 835 was built in 1909 and serves today as a luxurious lodging option in Springfield. However, it started out with agricultural roots. The builder was a florist, Miss Belle Miller, a young entrepreneurial woman. Working with Springfield’s elite, she established a booming client base and built a huge greenhouse base selling both wholesale and retail cut flowers. She began her business in the 1890s when she was only in her twenties, and her greenhouses encompassed an entire city block. Those greenhouses were where she eventually expanded her business base, she created luxury apartments, at 835 S. Second St., just south of her home. Those luxury apartments eventually became the Inn at 835 a combination inn, apartment building and event center operated by Conn’s Hospitality Group.

Another agricultural company with roots in Springfield is the Sattley Manufacturing Co. Their story begins in Rochester, Ill., at a blacksmith shop, where Marshall Sattley developed a plow. Marshall Sattley, along with his brother Archibald, opened a blacksmith shop in 1851. Historian and author Ray Bruzan said there is still a Sattley farm three miles east of Rochester. The farm was originally owned by a Sattley cousin. As the company grew, they expanded into agricultural implements.

Sattley moved operations first to Taylorville, then Decatur, and finally Springfield in 1888 where the plant covered a four-square-block, seven-acre site on the southeast corner of Ninth Street and South Grand Avenue. In 1903, the Sattley Manufacturing Co. merged with the Racine Wagon & Carriage Co., of Racine, Wis., but remained headquartered in Springfield. The company manufactured plows, cultivators, harrows, farm wagons and much more.

Then 13 years later, Montgomery Ward & Co. purchased Racine-Sattley. They took the name Hummer Plow Works. Production continued for many years until tillage production ceased around 1931. The plant finally closed in 1958.

Outside Springfield, in Auburn, is the Dickey John factory, which is still in existence. Farmer Bob Dickey, and John Little John developed a moisture tester, and this now international company took off from there.

This shares some of the agricultural history right in Illinois’ capital city, some still available to stop and see, and others to remember and delve into when remembering the important agricultural past. Check with Visit Springfield for ideas of where to find sites and learn more about things to see and do.