Clayville at 200

Wednesday, April 10

Doors Open 11am | Lunch 11:30am | Program 12-1pm CT

The settlement of Clayville was founded by the energetic and business-minded Broadwell family as a stagecoach stop between Springfield and Beardstown in 1824. A home and Inn were built; the Inn is the oldest standing brick building in Sangamon County and second oldest in the state. The stop catered to stagecoach passengers, freight caravans, freight carriers, cattle drovers, circuit riders of the legal profession such as Abraham Lincoln, and many others. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Inn is surrounded by numerous other historic buildings from central Illinois that were moved to Clayville to recreate an early frontier pioneer village. 

Board president Jesse Boehler and board member Jane Harris of the Pleasant Plains Historical Society who own and curate the settlement, will join us to share the stories and history of Clayville in its its historic bicentennial existence.  

Life and Times of A.E. Staley

Tuesday, May 21

Doors Open 11am | Lunch 11:30am | Program 12-1pm CT

In the late 1800’s, Augustus Eugene “A.E” Staley grew up barefoot on a North Carolina farm, decided he liked selling more than farming, and built an empire worth over a billion dollars today. The A.E. Staley Manufacturing Company grew to become the largest processor of soybeans in the world, and Staley’s passion for sports led him to become the original owner of the football team that became the Chicago Bears, and to ownership of a semi-pro baseball team featuring George Halas and Joe McGinnity. Staley’s influence on Decatur and Macon County is felt today in many infrastructure and philanthropic endeavors. 

Award-winning writer and film producer Julie Staley, president of the Staley Museum, will discuss the life and times of A.E. Staley, his influence on life on the prairie, incorporating what she has learned from both traditional research and personal stories handed down from generation to generation.   

Previous Lunch and Learn content is archived on MediaSpace.

If you have any questions, please contact UIS Advancement at advancement@uis.edu or 217-206-6058.