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It is difficult to look very far in Springfield and not see Richard “Dick” Hart’s imprint.
Many believe that the Elijah Iles House, Springfield’s oldest standing house, might not have been open to the public without Hart’s voice and guiding hand, and that Strawbridge-Shepherd House, home of the Illinois State Historical Society, may have seen its doom to a wrecking ball.
“These two things are very important to me,” said Hart, “and I’m proud that I did them.”
For a wide range of decades of conservation work and his dedication to Springfield, Hart is the winner of the State Journal-Register First Citizen Award 2021. The award recognizes the people of the Springfield area who selflessly give their time and resources to others.
This is the 59th year of the award. Last year’s awardee was Kathryn Harris, the former director of the Illinois State Historical Library.
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“I’ve had many opportunities to drive through town or Oak Creek Cemetery and have Dick stop in front of a house or a tombstone and give me a detailed description of the person (associated with it),” wrote one nominator. “It’s almost like describing a personal friend.”
Hard work is apparently not done yet. Although he recently moved to Bonita Springs, Florida, the Springfield native was involved in creating Lincoln’s Springfield Cottage.
The idea is to recreate the cottage the Lincolnns lived in before the house on Eighth and Jackson looked like it does today. It is the brainchild of the current president of the Abraham Lincoln Association and Lincoln biographer Michael Burlingame.
A group raised $ 400,000 to start the project. It would be built on the 600 block on South Eighth Street, a short walk from Lincoln Home.
Hart said a bill in US Congress would authorize it to become part of the US National Park Service and the Lincoln Home National Historic Site. The Park Service would manage the cottage house and the Iles House at 628 S. Seventh St.
“It’s more real now,” said Hart. “We have architectural plans made for it and they’re all ready to go.”
Hart studied history at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He returned to Springfield to practice law with Sorling, Catron & Hardin before founding his own firm, Hart, Southworth & Witsman, in 1985.
“It was through the Sangamon County Historical Society that I became interested in local history and my interest grew and I started Springfield Preservation Limited,” Hart said. “I love architecture and I love the urban structure of Springfield.”
The company rescued and modified three unoccupied and dilapidated workers’ huts along the 300 block of West Cook Street, according to SangamonLink, an area that came to be known as German Settlers Row.
Hart’s daily monitoring of the maintenance and restoration of the Iles house and his fundraising for it are considered a crowning achievement.
More: Durbin Unveils Bill to Add Cottage Iles House to Lincoln Home Historic Site
“Making it available to the public and using it as a facility for Springfield was one of the most amazing things in my life,” said Hart. “It’s not just about maintaining the house itself. It then becomes the stage where you can explain the early history of Springfield through the people who lived in the house and how they lived there.
“This is where Springfield’s story can be told.”
Hart said the Strawbridge-Shepherd House, named after Thomas Strawbridge, an early Springfield settler, would have been demolished “without a group of us going to (the University of Illinois Springfield) and them more or less Intimidated to save Now it’s a highlight on campus. “
Hart was president of the Abraham Lincoln Association when President Barack Obama addressed the bicentennial banquet in Crowne Plaza in 2009.
Obama’s speech “made me feel great about his respect and love for Abraham Lincoln,” Hart said.
“Lincoln represents so much of what we want America to be and what it has advanced to,” added Hart. He has expressed some of our principles better than anyone in his speeches and writings. “
Hart said Springfield is “an idyllic place to raise a family. The children appreciate their upbringing in Springfield very, very much. And the people in Springfield.
Hart and his wife Ann have three children: Evan in Springfield; Julia in Austin, Texas and Jay in Santa Monica, California. The couple have seven grandchildren.
“I believe Dick Hart is the most knowledgeable person on the history of Springfield and the surrounding area today,” said David Barringer of Springfield. “I’m sure my father (the late Dr. Floyd Barringer) would wholeheartedly agree.”
Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788, sspearie@sj-r.com, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.
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https://www.sj-r.com/story/news/2021/11/28/richard-dick-hart-named-state-journal-register-first-citizen/6370455001/
