On the Square Blog

The McLean County Museum of History has, once again, received the highest national recognition afforded the nation's museums: accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums.

Of the nation's estimated 33,000 museums, just over 1,080, or 3.3%, are accredited. Alliance Accreditation recognizes museums for their commitment to excellence, accountability, high professional standards, and continued institutional improvement.

Executive Director Julie Emig is out on medical leave from the McLean County Museum of History until December. Her prognosis is exceptionally good with a full recovery expected. While Julie is managing her health, the Board has named Development Director Norris Porter as the Acting Executive Director. "I have complete confidence in Porter’s leadership,” said Emig. “The Museum is in great hands.” Please direct any questions you have about the Museum to nporter@mchistory.org.

After immortalizing the legacy of 336 McLean County WWII veterans by placing bronze tablets etched with their names atop a once fading memorial on the East side of the Museum Square, the McLean County Museum of History is set to host a memorial rededication ceremony on Saturday, November 5, 2022 at 1 pm.

...Even more rewarding than any accolades, however, is the nearing opportunity for creators and contributors to break bread together in person for the first time following the immense and continued success of this highly personal—and virtual—project. This private Long Table-inspired event for project contributors will take place in September in alliance with the City of Bloomington's Welcoming America initiative and Welcoming Week celebration.

Two McLean County residents with working class roots continue to make history as major community and philanthropic leaders. Deanna Frautschi and Alan Bedell both impact many lives with their generous souls, nurtured by their love of nature.

“Tikkun Olam,” a phrase in Hebrew meaning to “repair the world,” sums up George and Myra Gordon’s many community contributions, including education, recycling, and planting trees.

The McLean County Museum of History (MCMH) received an award for Superior Achievement in Community Partnerships by the Illinois Association for Museums (IAM) in recognition of their groundbreaking series, “Breaking Bread in McLean County.” This 10-part online program highlighted the shared and disparate experiences of local migrant communities from the Kickapoo to Congolese Americans, emphasizing shared elements including food, family, tradition, trauma, and exchange to promote a deeper understanding of the ways McLean County has treated its past and present im/migrant communities.

Treasures Under the Dome will be a semi-regular video series t that showcases one of the objects, papers, or images in our collections & archives that is not routinely on display at the Museum.

The McLean County Museum of History is the recipient of two digitization grants to expand its efforts in making the Pantagraph Negatives Collection more readily available to the public online... but we need your help!

During their over five decades in Bloomington-Normal, Bob and Marilyn Sutherland participated in many ways to help make this a better community for everyone, particularly for those who often cannot make their own voices heard.

Barbara served for several years as president of the Normal Public Library Board and became the first president of the Friends of the Normal Public Library.

Jerry and Carole’s shared passion for the arts is well-known in the community. Carole says, “(Art) helps to define the quality of life. Even if you are well able to put food on the table, culture is needed for the soul, mind, and spirit.”

At a time when box offices are shuttered, stages and seats remain uncharacteristically empty, and bright lights of marquees across the country and the world remain dark, the Museum feels compelled to highlight the rich partnerships it has had over the years with local theaters such as Heartland Theatre Company, Community Players Theatre, and Illinois Voices Theatre.

In the interest of the safety of our patrons, volunteers, and staff in light of the developing COVID-19 situation regionally and nationally, the McLean County Museum of History and Cruisin’ with Lincoln on 66 Visitors Center will be closed to the public beginning Saturday, March 14. Should conditions allow, the Museum will reopen to the public on Monday, April 6.

The McLean County Museum of History welcomes and values all visitors. We are committed to representing the entire community by sharing your history, your story. In fact, it is part of our mission to “reflect the diversity of McLean County,” and we take that mission seriously. As an educational institution, the Museum’s job is to illuminate stories and foster opportunities for dialogue so people can learn from the experiences of one another—whether they lived 1,000 years ago or today. These stories must serve both as mirrors that reflect ourselves and as windows that allow us to view the wider world.

For my internship this summer, I researched and wrote biographies of the historical figures to be featured in this year’s Evergreen Cemetery Walk. Other museum staff had already decided who was to be featured and done preliminary research, finding as much material on each person as possible, as well as information about their family and organizations they belonged to. From there.......

During my time at the museum, I have learned to work with the Past Perfect software that many museums across the country use to help establish a database for their collections....

What happens when you mix a Chicago Irish Democrat with a small-town Illinois Baptist Republican?  - The amazing community servant duo of Richard and Judy Buchanan.

In 1988, a group of local activists became exploring a “Sister City” relationship with a Russian community, hoping to lessen Cold War tensions.  Jana and Orlyn were in the delegation to the Soviet Union and eventually decided upon Vladimir as Bloomington-Normal’s sister city.  Locally, she was called a “communist, unpatriotic” and threatened, including anonymous phone calls:  “We know you are home alone right now.”

It’s a rough road from the Louisiana cotton fields to Bloomington-Normal, with obstacles every step of the way.   Henry Gay Sr. completed that journey with dignity and standing up for human rights.

For Black History month, GLT is reviving its occasional series McHistory in partnership with the McLean County Museum of History. 

Ronn grew up in Normal, Illinois. Working in his father’s tavern as a young man, Ronn feels, shaped him and helped prepare him for the workforce.

Donald G. Munson was born September 26, 1941, in Gibson City and attended Gibson City schools.

Paul and Sandra Harmon shake their heads when they’re referred to as a “power couple,” but that’s how many people in the community describe them. This reluctant “power couple” first met during their freshman year at the University of Dubuque in Iowa, marrying shortly after they graduated in 1964.

Adam Lovell, of Reedsville Wisconsin, has been named the new Executive Director at the McLean County Museum of History.

The McLean County Museum of History announced on Tuesday four recipients of the 2018 History Makers award to be presented during the Museum’s sixth annual History Makers Gala on Thursday, June 28 at the DoubleTree by Hilton.

This highly anticipated second volume of Pages from the Past: Stories from the Sunday Pantagraph, is now available for purchase. Volume 2 includes 77 new installments from Bill Kemp’s weekly feature.

The State of Illinois will celebrate its 200th birthday on Dec. 3, 2018. To help kick off a yearlong celebration of the Illinois Bicentennial, communities across the state hosted a simultaneous Illinois Bicentennial Flag Raising Ceremony at noon on Monday, Dec. 4, 2017.

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This holiday season, the McLean County Museum of History is raising $5,500 to upgrade our collections storage space to meet museum and archival standards and ensure our collections are preserved for future generations. Our collection contains more than 20,000 objects donated from local residents of McLean County and beyond.

As part of the commemoration of the centennial of the U.S. entering World War I, the Museum took on the monumental task of identifying veterans of the First World War who are buried in Evergreen Memorial Cemetery.

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The McLean County Museum of History is currently taking reservations for a special bus trip to see “The Civility of Albert Cashier”, a limited-run musical that focuses on the life of a Central Illinois Civil War soldier who defied contemporary gender roles. A matinee performance, the show will be held at 4 p.m. Sunday, September 17 at Stage 773 in Chicago. A limited number of scholarships for local high school students will be available thanks to the Prairie Pride Coalition.

Born Jennie Irene Hodgers, Albert D.J. Cashier (December 25, 1843 – October 10, 1915) was an Irish-born immigrant who moved to Illinois and lived under a male identity before enlisting in the 95th Illinois Infantry during the American Civil War. Cashier maintained his secret throughout the war and for most of his adult life until a doctor discovered Cashier’s biological gender following an injury. Cashier’s story became famous as one of a number of women soldiers who served as men during the Civil War, however Cashier did not dress in men’s clothing just to join the Army. His male identity was part of his life before and after the war, leading current scholars to reconsider the female narrative that has long framed his legacy.

During the month of August, when you purchase a reusable bag with the “giving is in the bag” message from the Schnucks’ located in north Normal, the Museum will receive $1.

The two-day Corn Belt Coin Show in July 1962 was held at the Illinois Hotel (now Illinois House) in downtown Bloomington. Some 1,500 persons were expected to attend the show. Folks here are looking at a $100,000 silver dollar display. If you recognize anyone in this photo, please let us know.

Kenneth “Doc” Bradshaw, one of the more accomplished pianists to come out of the Twin Cities, returned home in July 1962 after a seventeen-year absence. He performed before a capacity crowd at Miller Park. Doc is seen here warming up in the bandstand with Dorothy Ann Burkhart, a former student of his. Who out there recalls Doc Bradshaw?

Glen Dotson is seen here in late January 1941 with his new pet pigeon “Sparky.” Glen’s previous pigeon had been killed by an automobile. After reading about Glen’s loss, Lewis Hodge of Bloomington gave the Towanda boy a new pigeon, Sparky, who was said to be well-trained and fond of music.

Margy Finck of Gridley demonstrates how her six-month-old son Frankie was able to balance in her hands. Frankie’s doctor was said to admire his strong back!

Twenty-six people became American citizens in a naturalization ceremony held May 24, 1941, in the McLean County Courthouse. Overseeing the proceedings was Circuit Judge W.C. Radliff. Seen here is an unidentified woman completing her naturalization paperwork.

Some of the women who became U.S. citizens on this day included Catherina Fillipponi, Marguerite Grundler, and Frieda Wilde. If you can identify the woman shown here, please let us know!

Parking meters were first installed in downtown Bloomington in February 1940. By the following spring these contraptions were still confusing local residents, as illustrated in this May 1941 Pantagraph photograph. The befuddled gentleman is local resident L.C. Hill.

More than a week ago we posted a photograph from this set. Here’s another one. At the time, State Farm was testing the feasibility of having staff at its downtown Bloomington building deliver mail on roller skates. Seen here is Fayne Hoobler taking a rare tumble. Sitting at the desk is Margaret Warrick.

Jack Statz and Jann Thompson Anderson served as judges for an art show held in conjunction with Lexington’s annual homecoming festivities. The landscape they’re chatting about was judged one of the best in the adult professional class. It was painted by Libby James Compton of Clinton, IL, a native of Lexington.

Old Bloomington City Hall, located at the corner of East and Monroe streets downtown, included eight narrow holding cells. These were located in the basement.

Mary, Margaret, and Marilyn Clarke of Downs (don’t ask us to identify who’s who!) turned eight years old on August 21, 1949. Their mother, Maude M. Phillips Clarke, made all their matching outfits—and those for their dolls too!

Bill and Edmunds Rolley enjoy an apparently carefree day in the Twin Cities before heading off to Northwestern University in Evanston, where Bill would be a sophomore and Edmunds a freshman. That’s Connie Carter in between the Rolley boys. Connie was off to Mount Mary University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

During the summer of 1964, ranch and split-level homes were popping up in the North Gate subdivision in northeast Normal, adjacent to the Illinois Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Children’s School (ISSCS). North Gate was north of Lincoln, bounded by Beech on the east, and Walnut on the west. This view is looking southwest at Bright Drive, with Beech St.in the foreground. It looks like the photographer was standing at the entrance of the ISSCS administration building. Thanks to Daniel McClure for finding the exact location this picture was taken!

In the summer of 1940, Marietta Howard, McLean County Red Cross executive secretary, issued an “S.O.S.” for local knitters. The local chapter hoped to soon knit 200 sweaters and other items for its war relief program.

We’re not sure who’s who here, or where this scene takes place. If you can help us out with any identification, we’d sure appreciate it.

From the 1910s into the 1950s, there were racially segregated beaches at Miller Park. The much larger and much nicer beach shown here was set aside for white residents. The black beach was located in the lagoon-like part of the lake beyond the arched stone bridge seen in the distance. African Americans were also denied access to the spacious bathhouse next to the “white” beach.

Anyone remember when State Farm used staff on roller skates?

Chester Boolman, 820 W. Washington St., shows his 21-month-old son Melvin a 15-pound catfish he caught below the Kappa Bridge on the Mackinaw River. This photograph was probably taken July 1 or 2, 1940.

Seen here are 5 of the 30 some entries for the children’s dog show, held July 31, 1940, in Lexington. They’re at Lexington Park, with the view looking east. That’s 105 E. Main St. behind them. The house is still there.

We’re not entirely sure, but this photo might show the five winners and their owners (left to right): “Nicky” and Dickie Payne; “Brownie” and Arlyss Printz; “Skipper” and Phyllis Ann Framer; “Mack” and Jimmy Travers; and “Bob” and Jane Oliver.

This view of downtown Bloomington looks north. The foreground includes a good look at the old city hall, which was located at the northwest corner of East and Monroe streets.

In the distance one can espy the Keiser-Van Leer building (later Clark and Barlow and now East Street Hardware and Tools); Lucca Grill, and the Illini Theatre building. What else do you see that catches your eye?

Nine-year-old Tommy Roberts of Bloomington stocks up on fireworks for the July 4, 1941 festivities.

The Museum wishes you and yours a happy—and safe!—Fourth of July

For well over a century, Miller Park on Bloomington’s west side has served as home to many the city’s Fourth of July activities, including the evening fireworks show.

Who remembers when Miller Park featured a Ferris wheel and other carnival-like rides? Who remembers spending Independence Day at Miller Park with friends and family?

Three-year-old Janet Schultze gets comfortable on her father Floyd Schultze’s two-cylinder, nine horsepower tractor. This was no child’s toy, however, as this miniature machine was strong enough to pull a 12-inch plow or a 56-inch disc cultivator.

Floyd Schultze ran a tractor repair shop in Chenoa.

William C. Beckley and Bernadine Cleo Moots of Cropsey ready for their September 3, 1938 wedding at Saybrook Methodist Church.

The couple would go on to have three sons: Harlan, Bryon, and Lelan. William Beckley passed away in November 1994, and Bernadine followed in October 2003.

Bloomington Police Chief Clyde Hibbens (left) and Officer James Daley examine some of the 1,600 mug shots in the department’s newly acquired “rogues gallery” investigative aid.

We’ve all heard the expression “bull in a china shop,” but how about one in a barbershop?

Construction of a corn crib nears completion at the John C. Thomas farm southeast of Bloomington. This crib, with a 5,000 bushel capacity, featured extra heavy framing, as Thomas looked to the future when it might be converted to the storage of shelled corn.

William Knuth, a laid off boilermaker and hobbyist beekeeper, was called to the Darling Poultry and Fish Market, 218 S. Center St., to corral some swarming bees. He located the queen, brushed her into the box, and the others followed.

Illinois Wesleyan University's Wilder Field was built with Works Progress Administration (WPA) labor and materials, the largest of the Depression-era New Deal federal work projects. The football complex is now known as Wilder Field at Tucci Stadium.

The Illinois Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Children’s School annual festival of 1950 included pressure cooking demonstrations, as well as displays of preserved fruits and floral arrangements. We don’t know the names of any of these “homers” (as ISSCS kids were called), but we do know that the judges were Dr. Lee W. Miller, a professor of biological sciences at Illinois State Normal University, and three ISNU students.

The Irvin was the Twin City’s premier movie house for much of the 20th century. Located on the 200 block of East Jefferson Street, it opened in 1915, closed in 1982, and was torn down in 1987.

Gretchen Stanberry, a senior in the school of music at MacMurray Women’s College in Jacksonville, was the guest speaker before the Bloomington Rotary Club in a July 1938 program at the Illinois Hotel. Ms. Stanberry is seen here with her German shepherd seeing eye dog Queenie.

The distinctive caps worn by graduate nurses at the three Bloomington-Normal hospitals were compared and contrasted during the local Student Nurses Association meeting in June 1958.

Phyllis Fehr (left) of Danvers wears a Mennonite Hospital cap; Lois Welch (center) of Gridley has one from Brokaw Hospital; and Bernice Roth (right) of Saybrook one from St. Joseph’s Hospital.

From 1901 to 1939, Bloomington was home to the Bloomers of the Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League. Here’s Len Backer, Waterloo Red Hawks skipper, protesting a call at long-gone Fans Field, the Bloomers home park. That’s Waterloo backstop Clyde Chell on the right. The Red Hawks beat the Bloomers this night 5-1.

In late June 1951, the Junior Chamber of Commerce sponsored a “Traffic Courtesy Week” in Bloomington-Normal. The event included giving away $5 to those who exhibited courteous behavior to fellow motorists and pedestrians. Here’s Gene Paxton of Paxton Typewriter Co. talking to 13-year-old Ronnie Rider of Bloomington. Ronnie was a $5 winner for stopping his bicycle to let a woman burdened with packages get to her car.

On Tuesday we posted another photograph featuring this neighborhood music class. These children, who were between the ages of thee and six, were led by music teacher Kay Baylor. Presumably, that’s Ms. Baylor with the accordion. We don’t know where this photograph was taken, but we do know Baylor taught out of her home at 407 S. Linden St., Normal. If you can identify this location, let us know!

A group from Illinois State Normal University readies for their two-month tour of the British Isles and the European continent. They were led by Dr. Arthur W. Watterson (far right), who was just named acting head of the Department of Geology and Geography. Watterson Towers is the namesake of Dr. Watterson.

Workmen with local contractor Berenz & Son lay asphalt down the 400 block of North Main Street in Bloomington. Today, the Jaeger’s Candy Shop storefront is occupied by Gigi Bottega. The Miller Music storefront is now Bobzbay.

Tammi Orendorff conducts Kay Baylor’s elementary rhythm band during the summer of 1951. Baylor, who taught piano and music theory from her home, 407 S. Linden St., Normal, organized this “rhythm band” for local children between the ages of three and six. Instruments included castanets, cymbals, bells, rhythm sticks, gongs, and triangles.

In late June 1951, the McLean County 4-H market lamb show was held at the Producers Stock Yards, located at East LaFayette Street and the Illinois Central Railroad on the south end of Bloomington. Here’s Roger Risser of Danvers (left) showing off his “best pen of three.” That’s Wayne Mohr on the right.

In late June 1951, local barbershoppers held a get-together at Phil Hooton’s residence, 3 Country Club Place. Seen here are winners of the impromptu quartet contest. Clockwise from left: Dick Dennie, tenor; Fred Gehrt, baritone; J.H. Bellamy, bass; and Mac Convis, lead

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A few hundred yards west of the old Mackinaw River bridge, about one mile west of Lexington, was one of the lovelier swimming holes in all McLean County. Seen here during the summer of 1941 are Christine Kinslow (left) and Christine Underwood, both of Lexington. The boy in the background with his head bobbing in the waters is Richard Boulware.

For decades Miller Park beach was the most popular spots in the Twin Cities to cool off during the summer months. If you can identify any or all of these three swimmers, let us know! Miller Park beach closed for good in 2002.

Who remembers spending time at this beach?