Willis J. Spaulding Papers
Scope and Contents
This collection contains ‘The Story of the City Records,’ a history of Springfield’s city government compiled by Helen Van Cleave Blankmeyer in honor of the dedication of Lake Springfield and Spaulding Dam. The work documents the adoption of the commission form of city government and the development of city services, including water, gas, electric, streetcars, and the park system. Also included in the collection are programs for the dedication of Lake Springfield and the city’s centennial celebrations, a letter from William Dodd Chenery to Willis J. Spaulding, and biographical information on Spaulding. Arranged chronologically.
Dates
- 1935-1970
Creator
- Spaulding, Willis J. (Person)
Access
The collection is open under the rules and regulations of the University of Illinois-Springfield (UIS).
Copyrights
Copyrights to this collection are held by UIS.
Biography
Willis J. Spaulding was born on November 21, 1870 to Herbert Spaulding and Mary Johnson Spaulding. His parents owned the Spaulding farm and nursery.
In 1909, a vacancy as superintendent of the city’s water works was offered to Spaulding’s brother-in-law Frank H. Bode; the position was offered to Spaulding after Bode rejected it. He served in that position until 1911, when he was appointed Commissioner of Public Property, a position he retained until 1944. Spaulding was a leading force in the construction of Springfield Lake and the city’s power plant. The Lindsay Bridge and Lincoln Memorial Gardens were also built during his time as Commissioner.
Willis J. Spaulding passed away on August 17, 1965.
Extent
.2 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Provenance
Gifted to the archives by Frank Wilcox in 1974.
Property Rights
UIS owns the property rights to this collection.
Processing Information
This collection was reprocessed in August 2025.
Creator
- Spaulding, Willis J. (Person)
- Chenery, William Dodd (Person)
- Title
- Finding Aid to the Willis J. Spaulding Papers
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the UIS Archives/Special Collections Repository
Archives/Special Collections LIB 144
One University Plaza, MS BRK 140
Springfield IL 62703-5407 US
217-206-6520
archives@uis.libanswers.com