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Photo by the James Millikin Homestead
On Thursday, April 17, 2025, we held our annual meeting. The agenda featured traditional activities: recap of the previous year’s achievements, we voted in new board directors, and elected a new slate of executive directors. We were honored to welcome our distinguished guest speaker, Dr. Robert D. Sampson, a cherished figure in Decatur since his arrival in 1972. Dr. Sampson’s illustrious career includes roles as a reporter and columnist for the Decatur Daily Review and Decatur Herald, as well as a history professor at Millikin University. A passionate advocate for vintage “base ball” (yes, two words, as it was spelled in the beginning), he played the sport from 1992 until 2024. Dr. Sampson is also an accomplished author, with notable works like Ballists, Dead Beats, and Muffins: Inside Early Baseball in Illinois.
Dr. Sampson captivated us with vivid stories of early Decatur, painting a picture of the era when the Millikin family thrived. One unforgettable highlight was his description of the city’s unpaved, muddy streets—lacking modern sewers—and the pervasive odor from heaps of horse manure. Quoting his friend Bruce Tap, author of Over Lincoln’s Shoulder, he dubbed it the “Republic of Smells.”
Here’s a photo of West Prairie, facing West. You can see the unpaved street, the Culver House on the right, and if you keep going west, of course, you would run into the James Millikin Homestead entrance.
Photo from Decatur Public Library
In the Millikins’ time, Decatur had, at best, primitive sewers. When James Millikin came to Decatur in 1856, there were maybe 1,000 people, with just under 4,000 people in all of Macon County. Streets were unpaved, undrained, and there was deep mud in the rainy seasons. If there were sidewalks, they were made of wood. Loose board would flop up and down as pedestrians passed along. Hogs were the street scavengers (garbage collectors).
He spent quite a bit of time talking about base ball in the early days. He passed around different variations of base balls. It was neat to see and feel what a vintage baseball was like. It is not as tightly-packed as today’s baseballs. It had a dark brown, leathery outside, and just a bit cushiony – not has much as a hacky-sack, but similar in a way.
There were leagues in surrounding cities. The Decatur team was not that great, but they had an amazing attitude. They would play anyone, at any time. Some surrouding cities did not share the same attitude, however. Some teams would only play certain opponents – if they felt they could beat them. Here is a photo of the inside of the State Fairgrounds at Fairview Park, circa 1865:
Photo provided by Dr. Robert Sampson
Base ball games were held right inside the outer wall/path, right amongst the trees!
You can learn more from Dr. Sampson by watching some of his videos on YouTube. Here is one to check out:
Our annual meeting also consisted of thanking our outgoing board directors, welcoming new board directors, and announcing our new executive board:
Outgoing Board Directors:
Ann-Marie Hillyer (Staying on as immediate past president)
Doug Warren
Donna Williams (Staying on for additional year as interim Vice President)
Jason Butterick
Deroan Peters
Karla Miller
Ginny Murphy
New Board Directors:
Linda Harper
Phillip Sparks
New Executive Board & Board of Directors:
Jim Wilkerson – President
Donna Williams – Vice President
Amanda Butterick – Treasurer
Nola Wilkinson – Secretary
Ann-Marie Hillyer – Immediate Past President
Jennifer Brandyberry
David Bowman
Mike Gibson
Linda Harper
Lindsay Nolan
Michael Sexton
Phillip Sparks
Kelly Springman
It was a pleasant evening, learning more about our past, and getting excited for our future. If you are reading this, know that YOU are a part of our history. Engaging with us on this website, coming to events, giving of your time or treasures – all of these things help to shine a light on our history and help to preserve it. Thank you!
– Jim Wilkerson
