TV Character Profile: Jebediah Springfield

Name: Jebediah Springfield
Show: The Simpsons
'Founder of Springfield'


Springfield was founded in 1796 by a group led by Jebediah Springfield (also known as Hans Sprungfeld) that, after misinterpreting a passage in the Bible, left Maryland trying to find "New Sodom."After he refused to found a town where men were free to marry their cousins, half of the group left. The dissenters founded Shelbyville, after fellow pioneer Shelbyville Manhattan, and the two cities remain rivals.Springfield reached its pinnacle in the mid-20th century, when it became the home of the world's first Aquacar factory; one half of the U.S. was said to wear Springfield galoshes and Springfield's streets were literally paved with gold.The town's prosperity faded; a Time cover story on Springfield was entitled "America's Worst City",and Newsweek called the town "America's Crud Bucket".