Greene County Archives and Records Center

The Campbell Avenue Historic District is a living slice of Downtown Springfield life from the 1880s through the 1930s. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on this day in 1999.

This district includes ten contiguous buildings dating from the late 1800s through the 1930s. For decades, this area buzzed with activity as home to some of the city’s earliest and most beloved businesses, including the Busy Bee Department Store, Turner Department Store, the Hooper Clothing Company, Palace Drug Store, and even an early J.C. Penney location.

Many of these buildings showcase classic Italianate and Colonial Revival design details — arched windows, decorative brick cornices, terra cotta panels, and early storefront materials like Carrara glass. Even though storefronts changed over time, the upper facades remain remarkably preserved, offering a true sense of Springfield’s early 20th‑century downtown vibe.

Pictured below is a map from the National Register of Historic Places nomination form.

🌞 Summer is here — and so is the Summer Edition of The County Chronicles!

This issue takes a special journey back in time to honor the Revolutionary War soldiers who later made Greene County their home. From their bravery on the battlefield to the legacies they built right here in our own communities, their stories shaped the foundation of the county we know today.

If you love local history, murder, or uncovering the lives of the people who came before us, you won’t want to miss this edition! Happy reading, and enjoy this slice of summer history!

Don’t miss the flyer for the 250th Celebration Reading of the Declaration of Independence on July 8th!

https://greenecountymo.gov/files/PDF/file.pdf?id=46421

Honoring one of the greatest rodeo photographers in American history — Ralph R. Doubleday.

This postcard shows one of his incredible rodeo photos taken right here in Springfield, Missouri. Doubleday spent over 40 years traveling the country capturing the grit, motion, and spirit of early rodeo, and his images helped shape how the world saw the sport.

His work preserved powerful moments — broncs mid‑air, cowboys mid‑ride, crowds cheering — freezing time in a way no one had before. In August 1910, he captured one of the earliest action shots at the Cheyenne Frontier Days—depicting Gus Nylen thrown by the horse “Teddy Roosevelt”—marking one of the first-ever mid-air rodeo photographs!

Fun Facts:
• 4,003 negatives and 424 postcards preserved in the Ralph R. Doubleday Rodeo Photographs Collection at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
• ~30 million postcards sold, from drugstores to Woolworth’s, making him the “Rodeo Postcard King”
• Inducted into the Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1988, earning the title “World’s Champion Rodeo Photographer”

Photo Courtesy of the Crabtree Collection

Flashback to 1858: When a Mule Caused More Drama Than a Soap Opera

We just stumbled across Replevin Case No. 1269 from June 1858 and let me tell you… folks back then were not playing around when it came to their mules.

Apparently, D. L. Fulbright and Alexander Evans both claimed the same mule. Who knows? Maybe the mule was charming? Maybe it told each man a different story? Either way, the court got tired of the back‑and‑forth and basically said:

“Alright, that’s it. We’re selling the mule on the courthouse steps and you two can split the money. And while you’re at it, split the court costs too. Good day.”

And that’s how a mule became the 1858 equivalent of a messy custody battle.

🔥 On June 9, 1913, “The Big One” struck Springfield’s Public Square 🔥

On this day 113 years ago, a devastating fire ignited in a basement and quickly engulfed the entire northeast corner of Springfield’s downtown square, earning the tragic nickname “The Great Fire.” The fire started at the Heer Dry Goods Company and destroyed 11 businesses with total damage estimated at over $1 million, an astronomical loss by 1913 standards.

Miraculously, no fatalities were ever officially confirmed, despite the immense destruction. Three new fire engines and a chemical truck with two 55-gallon drums of soda/acid mix (used to propel the water higher) were purchased one month earlier by the Springfield, MO Fire Department.The fire loss was the first fire in Springfield’s history to exceed a million dollars in damages.

Pictured below is a photo of the aftermath, taken just 3 hours after the fire started. Courtesy of the Springfield-Greene County Library

We stumbled across this delightful old photo and couldn’t resist sharing it!

Here you see Freda and Paula Wingo posing proudly with a very patient Billy Goat Gruff and a little wooden wagon. And as if that wasn’t charming enough… one of them is holding a puppy!

Around the turn of the 20th century, itinerant photographers traveled from town to town creating sweet, whimsical keepsakes just like this one.

Courtesy of the Piland Collection

📜 Featured Collection of the Month: The Goad Ballinger Collection!

This month, we’re highlighting The Last Man’s Club of World War I from Goad Ballinger Post No. 69.

This remarkable set of records preserves the organization’s founding documents and meeting minutes from its beginning in 1933 all the way through 1979. Formed by World War I veterans, the club gathered each year for an annual banquet to honor their shared service, remember those who had passed, and uphold a tradition of camaraderie that stretched across decades.

One cherished custom was to honor the final surviving member with a symbolic bottle of champagne that had been saved since the club’s founding - a tribute to both memory and brotherhood.

The last surviving member of Post No. 69’s club was V. Homer Wilson, a U.S. Navy veteran who served as a stevedore during World War I, helping load and unload military cargo at a time when Naval logistics were crucial to the war effort. Wilson served as the club’s first vice admiral, then as paymaster in 1934. He also attended the very first banquet held in November 1933, and his name appears on the original membership roll featured in this month’s collection.

When Wilson became the final surviving member, he received the club’s traditional bottle of champagne on February 13, 1992, at the age of 97. Though honored with the champagne, Wilson chose to donate it back to Post 69’s museum so future generations could preserve and understand its history.

This collection offers a rare look into how WWI veterans chose to preserve their memories, honor their comrades, and pass their stories forward.

On this day … in 1914, the Pythian Home of Missouri was dedicated!

Now known as Pythian Castle, it was built by the Knights of Pythias, a fraternal organization built on the ideals of friendship, charity, and benevolence, the castle was envisioned as a home for orphans, widows, and elderly members of the order. Springfield, one of eight cities competing to host the project, sold 53 acres of land to the Grand Lodge of the Knights of Pythias for only $1 on October 7, 1909. Springfield guaranteed streetcar and sewer extensions, improved road access, full utility service with free water for the first year, a new modern school for the children, and burial space in Hazelwood Cemetery, ensuring the Pythian Home would be fully supported by the surrounding community.

A groundbreaking ceremony was on November 22, 1911, and the cornerstone was laid on May 9, 1912. Pythian Home was constructed from sturdy Carthage Stone, or locally quarried limestone; the castle was crafted to evoke the grandeur of a medieval fortress. Inside, the structure features a steel framework, poured concrete floors, ceilings, and stairs, and fire-resistant “Pyrobar” block walls coated with plaster. A barn, poultry house, and a temporary hospital were also constructed.

The main floor was designed for communal living, including a grand foyer, meeting room, ballroom, dining hall, and several sitting parlors. Upstairs, dual staircases lead to dormitory-style rooms for children, and private bedrooms for adults, along with a theater complete with a ticket booth and backstage changing rooms. A full basement and a separate powerhouse, which originally housed the boiler and laundry facilities, supported daily operations.

Originally known as the Pythian Home of Missouri, it served the Knights of Pythias until 1942, when the U.S. military repurposed it as an Enlisted Men’s Service Club connected to the O’Reilly General Hospital.

Pictured below is the Pythian Home on Dedication Day June 1, 1914. Courtesy of the Springfield-Greene County Library

🏰 Discover the Storied Legacy of the The Mansion at Elfindale

From romance and heartbreak to philanthropy and preservation, the mansion’s past reads like a novel:

After her 1901 divorce settlement, Alice was awarded all 400 acres of the O’Day property along with up to $200,000 in stocks, giving her the means to bring her grand vision to life. She named it Elfindale after elves she imagined dancing in the fog over the dale on misty mornings.

The limestone mansion covers 27,000 sq ft, with a three-story layout plus tower, full basement, 35 bedrooms, 7 bathrooms, built in bookcases, copper chandeliers, intricate stained glass, and a spectacular French mantle from the 1904 World’s Fair. The grounds were designed for leisure with a dammed creek creating an island with a pagoda and bridges, stocked for fishing, canoes for guests, peacocks and even llamas roaming the estate.

After lavish construction exhausted her resources by 1905, Alice received offers up to $259,000 but chose to sell Elfindale to the Sisters of the Visitation for just $30,000, which was the exact price the sisters sold their home for in St. Louis. Alice believed her mansion was destined for a special purpose by God. It became St. de Chantal Academy for Girls in 1906 and served as a boarding and day school until 1964.

On this day in 1990, the mansion opened as a bed & breakfast, after changing hands and undergoing a major renovation, preserving its Victorian charm and historical features!

Just found this little gem and had to share! 📸✨

Check out Springfield Traction Company Street Car No. 12 doing some serious street‑cleaning duty here in Springfield, Missouri, back in 1918. Who knew our city once relied on streetcars not just for transportation, but for sweeping the roads clean too?

It’s such a fun peek into everyday life over 100 years ago — electric streetcars rumbling down the tracks with brushes underneath, tidying up the town long before modern street sweepers showed up. The brushes under the car would spin and push everything off the tracks so the regular streetcars could run smoothly.

Photo courtesy of the Springfield-Greene County Library