Springfield's John L. Lewis Home

I looked up the Lewis Home in Springfield, Illinois, in regards to the moving of the Maisenbacher house since it was regarded as having little historical significance.

I came across another Lewis house in town that definitely did have historical significance. It was something I'd never heard of despite many trips there over the years.

This is the John L. Lewis House at 1132 West Lawrence Avenue, home of the renowned labor leader who lived there from 1917 to 1965. He left school at age 15 to work in the mines until he was blacklisted for labor organizing activities. He became the president of a local United Mine Workers chapter and in 1911 the general field agent for the AFL. In 1920, he became president of the United Mine Workers, a position he held for the next forty years..

He died in 1969 and is buried in Springfield.

Now, we have another unionist along Route 66 to go with Mother Jones who is buried in Mount Olive, Illinois.

It's a Labor Thing. --RoadDog