Archive of: 2013

Sixty years ago this month, during the 1953 Christmas season, former Bloomington residents Stanley A. and Antoinette McVey were back in town to visit Antoinette's mother Rose Capodice, who lived at 1315 East Grove Street. The McVeys had moved to Odessa, Texas two years earlier to work as agents for State Farm Insurance.

Merry Christmas from the Museum's staff and Board of Directors!

Need some last minute gifts? The Museum has you covered! Come on down to our gift shop and discover some wonderful stocking stuffers! In addition to dozens of books pertaining to local history and Lincoln, there are many unique items for the folks on your Christmas list!

An early Bloomington settler and one time friend of Abe Lincoln was also a southern sympathizer.

In this episode of GLT's recurring series McHistory Morgan writes of World War Two.

Although the pages of the Bloomington Pantagraph were chock full of overseas war coverage and harried homefront preparations, Christmas remained a magical time for area children.

On November 21, 1951, workmen brought down the New York Central Railroad water tower located at the South Main Street overpass in the warehouse district just south of downtown Bloomington.

http://www.mchistory.org/blog/winter-20134-newsletterRead about our upcoming events, stocking stuffers for sale at the museum, meet our fall interns (Jared Logan, Kenny Tymick, and Merry Thomas), a new board member (Nancy Flanagan), and a volunteer (Deb Amdor).

“Good morning! Today is Thanksgiving. My name is Craig Russell. I'm three, and I live at 1304 E. Grove St. I hope you have the biggest drumstick ever today. And be sure to give thanks. That's what Thanksgiving is for."

In observance of Movember, Museum staff thought it would be fun to highlight some historic 'staches of McLean County.

This week marks the fiftieth anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, which occurred on the afternoon of November 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas.

On June 6, 1969, Illinois State University's baseball team captured the NCAA College Division (now Division II) national championship by defeating Southwest Missouri (now Missouri State University) by a score of 12-0.

"McHistory" is a co-production of WGLT and the Museum of History using the letters, diaries, and documents of days gone by.

Museum volunteer Amy Miller recently donated a sizable collection of dance cards and other local ephemera* including this October 4, 1913 flier for a dance at Colfax's Central Opera House.

Ronald Reagan was no stranger to Bloomington-Normal, having attended Eureka College from 1928 until his graduation in 1932.

In early September 1935, the Smoke House, a cigar and tobacco shop at 216 West Washington Street, was one of several local establishments raided by the Bloomington Police Department. Authorities suspected that the Smoke House was home to an illegal gambling operation.

Not much is known about this curious photograph other than what's offered in the handwritten caption.

Jazz great Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington and his band performed at the Scottish Rite Temple (now the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts) on September 18, 1972.

At the turn of the 20th century, a certain woman journalist put out four columns a week. She was a prolific writer turning in 2000 words at a crack, a wonderful interviewer, and nobody's fool. Madam Annette talked with everyone from businessmen and public officials to jail inmates. During GLT's recurring series "McHistory" we hear portions of one of Madam Annette's columns as she explores a coal mine under Bloomington. McLean County Museum of History Development Director Beth Whisman reads the column with comment from Archivist Bill Kemp.

Hear the audio here

"McHistory" is a co-production of WGLT and the McLean County Museum of History using the letters, diaries, and documents of days gone by

On Saturday, May 25, 1940 in Bloomington, a group of 20 immigrants became U.S. citizens after a naturalization examination and swearing in ceremony.