Early Springfield, like many Midwestern towns, saw the majority of businesses collect around the town square. It was first documented on paper in December of 1823 when the town of Calhoun (later Springfield) was platted and filed with the Sangamon County Clerk, the county being established less than two years before.  The physical organization of public squares are valued by modern residents and tourists for their visual appeal and easy navigation but it was these same conveniences that prompted many towns to construct them. 

 

The public square in Springfield is the basis for the discussion of fashion business in the town, and when analyzed over a period of time becomes a physical representation of the growth of both the city and its population, as well as a means to explain society's acceptance of trends and advances in fashion. The most important source used in this aspect of the project is the city directory, an annual publication and predecessor to the phone book. An example to the right shows the Business Directory which is organized by trade and provides business names and addresses.

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The early city directories typically refer to the general location, for example, in 1872, C. Wolf & Co. can be found on the west side of the square above Adams Street. As businesses on and near the square began to grow and the adoption of street numbers was established, the directories became more specific. It is these addresses that are used to create interactive maps for each decade discussed within this project (1870-1915).