Filter by Category Show all 584 Abraham Lincoln Agriculture Architecture and Historic Preservation Art Black History Businesses Education Entertainment Environment Health and Medicine Labor Unions LGBTQIA+ Military Museum Exhibits Music Organizations People Politics and Government Religion Sports Transportation 4-H Federation / McLean County Fair Collection The 4-H Federation is an aggregate of 4-H members from clubs in McLean County, g... Agriculture Organizations 9/11 Collection The 9/11 attacks were a series of four coordinated terrorist attacks by the Isla... Politics and Government Military A Touch of Glass Terry Garbe established “A Touch of Glass” in 1974 in Bloomington. He moved the ... Businesses Art People Abstracts of Title An abstract of title, or title abstract, briefly summarizes the various activiti... Politics and Government Adlai Stevenson Lecture Series 1965-1981 Adlai E. Stevenson, former Illinois Governor and two-time presidential candidate... Education Adult Education The Adult Education program in Bloomington-Normal had its origins in 1935 and th... Education Airline Timetable Collection ... Businesses Transportation Aldrich, Frank W. While Frank Aldrich was a banker by trade, he was remembered by many, locally an... People Clubs and Hobbies All About Normal The Normal City Council approved creating the “All About Normal” Civic Academy o... Politics and Government Almanac Almanacs are annual publications that include information such as weather foreca... Agriculture Almon Morrow The collection consists mainly of correspondence from Almon Morrow, a private in... Military People Alton Railroad Community Band The Alton Railroad Community Band was established to boost ticket sales during t... Music Organizations Amateur Musical Club This collection contains programs (1897-1993), yearbooks (1893-1993), financial ... Music Organizations American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Founded in 1926, the American Civil Liberties Union is the largest national volu... Organizations Politics and Government LGBTQIA+ American Foundry and Furnace Company Collection (Soper Foundry) Soper Foundry (then known as Flagg Foundry) began in Bloomington in 1874, produc... Businesses American Legion This collection includes various Legion programs and publications, plus newspape... Military Organizations Amtrak Timetables Amtrak schedules for routes around the country, including Illinois and surroundi... Businesses Transportation Angler’s Lake The citizen effort to preserve Angler’s Lake, located in southeast Bloomington, ... Places Politics and Government Sports Entertainment Annette, Mme Perhaps the best local newspaper reporter at the turn of the century wrote for t... People Entertainment Antique Study Group The Antique Study Groups were sponsored by the McLean County Cooperative Extensi... Clubs and Hobbies Apollo 11 Pantagraph Run This collection of The Daily Pantagraph covers the Apollo 11 space flight and Mo... Politics and Government Armstrong, Bea Born in Hudson to William Campbell and Alma Belle Cope Blagg, Beatrice “Bea” Arm... Education People Arthur Drake School Band of America Collection The School Band of America – School Chorus of America was founded July 1, 1959 a... Education Organizations Music Entertainment Arthur Pillsbury Collection Arthur L. Pillsbury designed schools, churches, businesses, and homes, in the ea... Businesses Architecture and Historic Preservation Places As You Like It Club Organized in 1914 with twelve members, this women’s literary group has programs ... Clubs and Hobbies Augsperger, LaRue LaRue Augspurger’s diary records her observations, experiences, and adventures a... People Health and Medicine Military Auth Family The Auth family opened a grocery in Bloomington around 1931 and operated it for ... People Politics and Government Businesses Baas, Bea Diaries Berneice Emma “Bea” Baas began a career at State Farm Insurance in 1952 as a sto... People Baby Fold Nancy and Allen Mason were pioneers in Normal–moving here just after the Civil W... Education Organizations Places Bach, William William R. Bach, son of William and Sophia (Koehler) Bach, was born December 10,... People Businesses Religion Bagosy, John Jr. John Bagosy, Jr (1949-2016) was born in Bloomington, IL. He served from 1966 to ... Military People Baldini, John The parents of John Baldini emigrated from Italy to the United States during the... People Businesses Politics and Government Barbara Findley Stuart/McLean County Board Collection ... People Politics and Government Barbershoppers The Bloomington Chapter of the SPEBSQSA was originally named the Bloomington Har... Entertainment Organizations Barn Keepers Barns are the most important structure on a farmstead. The earliest barns in Cen... Agriculture Organizations Barth, Pat Pat Barth donated this collection which contains materials from her early school... People Music Bartman, Fannie Mae Fannie Mae Bartman was born in 1910 on a farm near New Holland, IL, to Koert and... People Barton House Archaeology and Family History Milton Barton worked for Jesse Fell (founder and developer of Normal) and report... Black History People Baseball A column in the October 20, 1857, issue of the Pantagraph suggested that it woul... Sports Entertainment Organizations Beel, Floyd E.—World War II Army Air Force Service Floyd Everett Beel was born to Leown Iri and Emma Jane Calvert Beel in Decatur, ... Military People Health and Medicine Behr, Lincoln A. Theater Program Lincoln A. Behr was born in Bloomington June 18, 1896. Behr enjoyed going to th... People Entertainment Music Beich, Paul Frank Born in Wehlau, East Prussia May 22, 1864, Paul Frank Beich received his early e... Businesses People Places Benjamin Farm Collection This collection of farm management materials is from Kenneth and Paul Benjamin w... Agriculture People Bent, Horatio C. Horatio C. Bent was born June 24, 1881 to Horatio G. and Adah Crist Bent. Bent E... Education Politics and Government Entertainment People Beyond Normal Films The collection includes some newspaper clippings from 1996 through 2018 about th... Entertainment Organizations Bieber Family / General Telephone Company The Schwiemann family is traced from 1878 to Charles Schwiemann’s death in 1945,... People Businesses Biederman Correspondence Originally from Altenberg, Saxony, Germany, (Christian) Philipp Biederman (18 Ja... People Blooming Grove Ladies Aid Founded on Jan. 17, 1916, at the Blooming Grove Christian Church, the Blooming G... Religion Organizations Bloomingdale School (Randolph Township) Bloomingdale School began in 1856 when a roughly built house was located at the ... Education Places Bloomington Band Association This collection contains correspondence, meeting minutes, membership lists, and ... Music Organizations Bloomington Business and Professional Women’s Club Collection During World War I, Secretary of War Newton D. Baker sent out an urgent call to ... Organizations Businesses Bloomington Cemetery Association The Bloomington Cemetery Association (BCA) was a private stock corporation that ... Organizations Businesses Places Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts (BCPA) The Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts (BCPA) occupies a site built in 1... Art Entertainment Politics and Government Places Bloomington Chapter Sweet Adelines The Bloomington Chapter of Sweet Adelines joined Sweet Adelines International in... Organizations Music Bloomington Club The Bloomington Club was formed on September 13, 1886. The Club was the idea of ... Clubs and Hobbies Businesses Bloomington Education Association Collection The Bloomington Education Association was organized in June 1967 with nearly hal... Education Organizations Bloomington Fire Collection Just after midnight on June 19, 1900, a great fire began sweeping through much o... Businesses Places Bloomington Fire Department Collection This collection consists of photocopied newspaper articles, a few original artif... Businesses Politics and Government Bloomington Gold (Corvette Show) In 1973, the first Bloomington Corvette Corral event took place. By 1977, the B... Clubs and Hobbies Entertainment Bloomington High School This collection contains ephemera, newspaper clippings, course guides, handbooks... Education Places Bloomington High School Class Reunion This collection contains reunion programs and alumni lists for classes of 1930, ... Education Bloomington History Club The History Club of Bloomington was founded in 1880 as a group of women who woul... Clubs and Hobbies Bloomington Methodist Congregations This collection contains a variety of histories of early Methodism in Bloomingto... Religion Bloomington Public Library Time Capsule 1977 In August 1977, Withers / Bloomington Public Library staff sealed a time capsule... Places Politics and Government Bloomington Public Schools The collection includes sorority histories, anniversary programs, bylaws, member... Education Places Bloomington Rotary Club The Bloomington Rotary Club was organized in 1915. From the beginning, the Rota... Organizations Bloomington School District 87 Bloomington School District began on February 17, 1857, with “An Act to Establis... Education Organizations Bloomington Sesquicentennial Bloomington celebrated its 150th birthday with a free, family-friendly downtown ... Politics and Government Entertainment Bloomington Trades and Labor Assembly Bloomington labor unions banded together on October 18, 1891, to establish the B... Organizations Labor Unions Businesses Bloomington-Normal Adult Education The Adult Education program in Bloomington-Normal had its origins in 1935 and th... Education Bloomington-Normal Black History Project In 1970 Marge Smith and others began to organize local African Americans to disc... Black History Art Businesses Military Organizations Politics and Government Religion Sports Bloomington-Normal Garden Club The Bloomington-Normal Garden Club was formed in 1931, originally part of the Ar... Clubs and Hobbies Bloomington-Normal Symphony The Bloomington-Normal Symphony Orchestra collection consists of six boxes. The... Organizations Music Bloomington-Normal Women’s Golf Association After a hiatus from 1968 to 1974, the Bloomington-Normal Women’s Golf Associatio... Sports Organizations Bloomington, Illinois Aviation 1920, 1930, 1940 Aviation buff Marion McClure donated these materials which he used in compiling ... Transportation Clubs and Hobbies People Blotters Collection Before the age of the ballpoint pen, Americans wrote with fountain pens dipped i... Art Businesses Blue Mound School What first began in 1858 as a class being held in a private residence, expanded ... Education Places Bogart, Ron and Doris (Stevenson Items) The items in this collection were presented by Ron and Doris Bogart to the McLea... People Politics and Government Booker T. Washington Home The Booker T. Washington Home was founded in 1918 by Mr. and Mrs. Alex Barker. ... Black History Places Organizations Boysen-Presit, Gail Gail Boysen-Presit and her family moved from Rochester, Minnesota, to Bloomingto... Education People Bracken Family William Kerrick Bracken (1865-1947) was a Bloomington lawyer and Lincoln histori... People Abraham Lincoln Breen, Rev. Frank L. Rev. Frank L. Breen (1886- 1967) was a prominent local Protestant minister in Bl... People Religion Bridgestone Firestone Firestone Tire and Rubber Company became Bridgestone Firestone North American Ti... Businesses Places Transportation Labor Brigham, William B. William Brigham was born in 1874 near Cooksville, IL. He married Emma Wissmiller... People Native Groups Brokaw Hospital Newsletter The establishment of Brokaw Hospital in Normal, IL dates to 1896. In 1981, Broka... Places Businesses Health and Medicine Brokaw Hospital Nursing Alumni Association This collection contains alumni association directories, newsletters, meeting pr... Education Organizations Businesses Brokaw Service League Follies The Brokaw Hospital Service League was organized in 1925. It was one of the olde... Organizations Health and Medicine Brokaw/Mennonite/BroMenn Hospitals This collection includes written materials concerning three interrelated Bloomin... Organizations Businesses Health and Medicine Places Brown, Fred S. The Brown family lived near Yuton Station, in section 14 of Dry Grove Township. ... People Agriculture Brown, George W. The George W. Brown collection is a compilation of personal documents of the Bro... People Religion Brown, James Proctor James Proctor Brown was born in 1911 in Morristown, Hamblen County, TN, and died... People Art Brown’s Business College Brown’s Business College (1893-1972) offered training for young men and women en... Education Organizations Businesses Building a Home 505 Bowles The house at 505 Bowles, Normal, IL was built from 1951 to 1953 by Raymond W. an... Architecture and Historic Preservation Places People Burleigh, Cecil Cecil Burleigh was born April 17, 1885 in Wyoming, New York. The family moved to... People Music Bus Transit The Bloomington-Normal public transit system opened in 1938 under the name “Bloo... Politics and Government Transportation Butler, Edward Edward C Butler was born on January 1, 1867, the son of Preston and Elizabeth Ca... People Calendar Collection This collection includes calendars from 1888 to present, most with connections t... Entertainment Art Businesses People Camelback Bridge The Camelback Bridge is located in the northeast quarter of Section 33, Township... Places Capen Insurance / Capen Family The Capen family emigrated from Dorchester, Dorset, England in 1630 and settled ... People Businesses Places Carius, Larry Washington, IL, native, Larry Carius worked for the McLean County Health Departm... People Places Businesses Carlock Public Library Opening in 1979, the Carlock Public Library, formerly known as the Carey E. Burd... Places Politics and Government Organizations Carlock Schools This collection of school records documents the activities of a rural school dis... Education Places Carlock, W. B. William B. Carlock was a prominent Bloomington attorney, member of the Free Maso... People Businesses Carlock/Denman/Irvin/Porter The Carlock/Denman/Irvin/Porter Collection contains chiefly personal corresponde... People Carlton Collection Box 1 includes items from family members including newspaper articles, a Civil W... People Military Businesses Carpenter, Ruth Ruth Talbott was born on August 9, 1909 in the small community of Potomac, Illin... People Castalian Club Twelve members of the Travel Club resigned and formed the Castalian Club at the ... Clubs and Hobbies Castle Theater The Castle Theater opened on Nov. 21st, 1904 in Bloomington, Illinois. During it... Places Businesses Entertainment Castle, Drew/E. M. Pike This collection relates to Drew W. Castle (1895-1978) and Edward M. Pike (1838-1... People Military Centenarians This is a collection of newspaper articles documenting McLean County residents w... People Health and Medicine Center School (Randolph Township) The first school in this district was conducted in 1840 at the Stewart home by V... Education Central Illinois Art Exposition, Scottish Rite Temple, March 19 – April 8, 1939 The Central Illinois Art Exposition was possibly the most successful diversion i... Art Entertainment Central Social Club (Randolph Township) The Central Social Club, originally known as the Diamond Grove Club, was a women... Clubs and Hobbies Century of Progress Collection A Century of Progress International Exposition, also known as The Chicago World&... Art Entertainment Places Charles (“Old Hoss”) Radbourn Charles (“Old Hoss”) Radbourn was born in Rochester N.Y. December 11, 1854. In 1... Sports People Chesebrough, David B. David B. Chesebrough was born March 14, 1932 and died April 29, 2004. Chesebrou... People Religion Education Chicago & Alton Railroad Miscellaneous The coming of the Illinois Central and the Chicago and Alton Railroads in the 18... Businesses Transportation Childers, James Railroad James H. Childers (1903-65) was born in Tennessee and according to the census ac... People Businesses Transportation Children’s Theater Association of Bloomington-Normal The Children’s Theatre was the brainchild of Martha Mary Vybiral to promote chil... Entertainment Organizations Places Christmas Christmas is an annual winter festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, ... Religion Holiday Church Records This collection contains record books, meeting minutes, financial information, m... Religion Church Women United From 1941 to today women of the Church Women United Movement have held a vision ... Religion Circus Circuses had been visiting the area for many years when around 1875 a small wago... Entertainment Art Businesses Civil War Era Correspondence This collection contains hundreds of letters written during the Civil War by man... Military People Community Players In 1923 a women's club met in Bloomington and discussed creating a group to... Clubs and Hobbies Entertainment Places Constitution Trail Constitution Trail is a “linear park” that provides more than 37 miles of trails... Places Politics and Government Sports Corn Belt Bank The Corn Belt Bank was organized December 2, 1891 by General John McNulta, J.T. ... Places Businesses Military Corn Belt Philatelic Society This collection includes Corn Belt Philatelic Society Chatter Newsletters for De... Clubs and Hobbies Corn Bowl A true “Middle West” tradition: college football on Thanksgiving Day. The Corn B... Sports Entertainment Places Corn Items Collectors Association Collection Founded in 1981 as the Corn Husking Hook and Peg Collection Association, the gro... Agriculture Organizations Corn on the Curb 2000 Corn-on-the-Curb, inspired by Chicago’s “Cows on Parade” in 1999, was conceived ... Politics and Government Entertainment Art CornBelters The Normal CornBelters are a professional baseball team. They began play in May ... Sports Organizations Businesses Cornell School (Arrowsmith Township) Cornell School (No. 113) was originally built in the 1860s. Its location was mo... Education Countering Domestic Violence In February 1977, several women in Bloomington-Normal saw the need to assist dom... Organizations Craig Family This collection covers day-to-day events in Warren F. Craig’s life starting in t... Military People Crissey, A Elwell Arthur “Elwell” Crissey, sometimes called “Cris,” was born February 1, 1899, in ... People Abraham Lincoln Crothers, Rachel Rachel Crothers (1870/78 - 1958) was born in Bloomington to Drs. Eli Kirk Crothe... People Entertainment Cumpston, Robert Robert D. “Bob” Cumpston (1930-2018) was born, lived and died on his family’s fa... People Art Custer, Milo Milo Custer was born in 1879 to Samuel and Lucinda Parker Custer. Before settlin... People Organizations Dallinger-Rayfield Commitment Ceremony The collection includes a wedding planner book complete with notes, orders and r... People Dance Card Dance cards usually listed the specific dances to be performed and provided line... Music Entertainment Davis Correspondence This collection contains photocopies of correspondence from / to David and Sarah... Politics and Government Abraham Lincoln People Degree of Pocahontas Collection Degree of Pocahontas is the ladies auxiliary of the Improved Order of Red Men. T... Organizations Delbridge, Mary E. The Mary E. Delbridge Collection is organized into ten folders by date and subje... People Military Delphi — Bloomington Chapter Founded in 1930 as a business woman’s civic group, the Bloomington Chapter of De... Organizations Politics and Government Democratic National Convention 1984 The 1984 Democratic National Convention nominated Walter Mondale and Geraldine F... Politics and Government DeMotte Born in Illinois on 17 July 1838, Harvey C. DeMotte eventually became a prominen... People Denman School (White Oak Township) Mother's Club The Denman School Club began in 1921 as a means of communication among teachers,... Education Organizations Detloff School documents, records, and textbooks belonging to Elmer Detloff... Education People Diaries Collection Diaries, information on diarists, and miscellany from 1872 – 1960.... Clubs and Hobbies People Dietrich, George George Dietrich (1816-1900) was born in Bevidere, New Jersey, to Pennsylvania pa... People Music Businesses Dietrich, Julius Julius Dietrich was a well-liked, prominent resident of Bloomington for almost t... People Businesses Dillingham The Dillingham collection consists both of public and private materials from a m... People District 87 Unit 5 Consolidation Campaign In 1992 an ad hoc committee requested a study of the future of education in Bloo... Education Politics and Government Dooley-Fairchild The Dooley genealogy of William M. and Minerva Morris Dooley and their descendan... People Dossett, David C. Born in Campbell County, TN, David Dossett moved to Anderson County, TN, with hi... People Military Douglas-Jones Family Luella Douglas (1887-1979) was born in Hamilton County, Illinois. She married Je... People Douglass, Emmett Emmett Douglass was a country school teacher in Lexington around 1900 who later ... People Education Agriculture Dowell, Joe Joseph Harry Dowell (1940-2016) was born January 23, 1940 in Bloomington, Indian... People Entertainment Music Downtown Bloomington Historical Survey In 1984 Greg Koos and William Walters began the work of obtaining National Histo... Organizations Politics and Government Places Downtown Bloomington Redevelopment Collection The downtown Bloomington Redevelopment Collection contains various plans and mis... Politics and Government Places Duff Family The collection deals almost exclusively with the family of Peter C. and Fannie D... Black History People Dunn, Betty Hinckle Born in Peoria in 1909, Elizabeth “Betty” Hinckle grew up in Peoria and later in... People Dunn, Richard T. Richard Thomas Dunn was born on August 21, 1918 in Normal, IL, to Richard Franci... People Military Easter Seal Camp Heffernan The East Bay Camp was formed in 1930, when its Director Reverend Breen, with the... Religion Organizations Edward Miller Farm (Gustave) Edward Miller was born at Danvers in 1886. He wed Lauraline Neal (1900... People Agriculture Ela, George and Frances This collection contains photocopied letters (and digital documents of transcrip... Military People Election Authorities Since the 1970 Illinois constitution, the State Board of Elections has administe... Politics and Government Emerson Street Investment Club The Unitarian Investment Club began in 1990 as managers of a fund of loans and g... Religion Organizations Engle Family Papers The Engle Family Papers Collection consists of 2 boxes. It contains mostly schoo... People Education Ensenberger Building G.A. Ensenberger and Sons had become a successful retail furniture store in Bloo... Places Businesses Architecture and Historic Preservation Ensenberger Furniture Store The Ensenberger Furniture Store Collection sheds light on the activities of this... Businesses Places People Ensign, Preston Poster Preston Ensign, 1912 - 2006, graduated from University High School and Illinois ... Art People Businesses Espey (Pharmacy) The small, brick building at the northeast corner of Main and Front streets is o... Businesses Places Health and Medicine Euleo Puppets Sisters Eunice Speer and Leona S. Pitzer organized a puppet theatre in the late ... People Art Entertainment Organizations Businesses Eureka Williams Electrolux Charles U. Williams came to Bloomington in the late nineteenth century. He was a... Businesses Places Evans, J. Harwood John Harwood Evans (1899-1976) was born in McLean County and grew up in Blooming... People Businesses Evans, Joseph Orme Joseph Orme Evans (December 22, 1923-March 5, 2007) was a native of Bloomington,... People Businesses Architecture and Historic Preservation Ewing Family Correspondence This collection centers around the correspondence of the family of Albert Gallat... People Ewing, N. P. Family Farm Collection The Ewing family, headed by Nathaniel Porter Ewing (4 Oct 1812 – 24 Jun 1876) an... Agriculture People Ewing, Thomas Thomas Ewing was born in Lincoln, Illinois on September 19, 1935, the son of Sam... People Politics and Government Exhibit: "A Matter of Life and Death" This collection of Medical oral histories was gathered by the McLean County Hist... Museum Exhibits Health and Medicine Exhibit: 9-11: McLean County Responds Staff prepared these materials for the short-term 2002 exhibit “9-11: McLean Cou... Museum Exhibits Exhibit: A Turbulent Time: Perspectives of the Vietnam War Guest curator Ross Kennedy and staff member Susan Hartzold prepared these materi... Museum Exhibits Military Exhibit: Come & Get It! The Way We Ate 1830-2008 This collection contains research compiled by Dr. Robert Dirks, guest curator an... Museum Exhibits Exhibit: Greening of the Prairie: Irish Settlement in McLean County Staff, interns, and volunteers researched and prepared the temporary exhibit “Th... Museum Exhibits Exhibit: Growing up in the Fifties The McLean County Museum of History presented this exhibit in 2001. This collect... Museum Exhibits Exhibit: Journey through the Great Depression Staff worked with guest curator Illinois State University professor Sandra D. Ha... Museum Exhibits Exhibit: Just Corn: The 'Amaizing' Story The Museum exhibit, “Just Corn: The ‘Amaizing’ Story,” opened in 1997. It was cu... Museum Exhibits Agriculture Exhibit: Made in McLean County The McLean County Museum of History presented this exhibit in 1999. This collect... Museum Exhibits Businesses Exhibits: Miscellaneous This collection contains outlines for temporary exhibits featured at the McLean ... Museum Exhibits Ezra M. Prince Ezra Prince, a prolific local historian, was born in Maine in 1831. He attended ... People Clubs and Hobbies Family and Consumer Sciences Professionals of McLean County The organization began in 1961 as the McLean County Home Economists in Homemakin... Organizations Family Circle (Pantagraph Employee Newsletter) The collection includes both loose and bound copies of the Family Circle, a Pant... Businesses Farmers Grain Dealers Association of Illinois Collection In February 1903, seventeen farmers’ cooperative grain elevator companies met to... Agriculture Organizations Businesses Farrell Family Ezra Thomas Farrell (1884-1962) and Sylvia G. Walston Farrell (1882-1964) farmed... People Fell Family Jesse W. Fell was a Bloomington, IL businessman and landowner. He is also known ... People Politics and Government Businesses Fenelon, Dr. J. H. Dr. J.H. Fenelon was a physician who practiced for more than 45 years in McLean ... People Health and Medicine Businesses Fifer-Bohrer Papers Joseph Fifer was born near Staunton, Virginia, in 1840, and moved with his paren... People Politics and Government First National Bank of Normal John W. Aldrich founded and became the first president of the First National Ban... People Businesses Fleming Family The Birney-Fleming family, of Scotch-Irish extraction, emigrated from Ulster, Ir... People Fleming Law Office ... Businesses Folsom, Elizabeth Irons Elizabeth Irons Folsom was born in Peoria, Illinois, in 1876. She moved to Bloo... People Art Entertainment Four O’ Clock History Club In October 1888, twelve young women met after school to launch the Four O’ Clock... Clubs and Hobbies Franklin Park Franklin Park (also known as Franklin Square) was donated by David Davis, Willia... Places Frazier-McCulley Ron Frazier and Tom McCulley were one of the early openly gay couples in Bloomin... People LGBTQIA+ Freedom Train The Freedom Train began as a concept formulated by government officials in early... Politics and Government Transportation Frink, Dwight E. Dwight E. Frink was born in Bloomington February 16, 1874. He was educated in t... People Art Fuller Family Collection The Collection includes photos and records of the Fuller family, including those... People Fuller, Margaret Club The Margaret Fuller Club met for the first time on January 30, 1893, at the home... Clubs and Hobbies People Funk Bros Seed Company The Funk family arrived in McLean County from Ohio in 1824. Over the years Isaa... Agriculture Businesses Funk, George Washington George W. Funk was the firstborn son of the Hon. Isaac Funk, Sr. and Cassandra S... People Agriculture Game Designers' Workshop The Game Designers' Workshop Collection contains material about the war-gam... Entertainment Businesses Garst, Elmer Record Book A grocer and amateur historian from Stanford, Elmer Garst compiled information a... People Places Businesses Transportation Gaunt, John This collection contains papers relating to the details of a Dry Goods business ... People Businesses General Electric General Electric opened in Bloomington in 1955 at 1601 GE Road in then-rural eas... Places Businesses Geneva, William B. & Carolyn Schertz Carolyn Mabel Schertz was born October 13, 1892 in Hudson, Illinois, the daughte... People Military Health and Medicine Businesses Gentes Alfred and Lena Gentes were born in Illinois, both of German immigrants. Alfred ... People German Evangelical Church This collection includes newsletters, bulletins, anniversary booklets with churc... Religion Places Gladys Washburn Mennonite School of Nursing Born in 1904 to Sarah Myers and George A. Washburn, Gladys moved with her family... Education Health and Medicine People Goben Family Kim Goben was born on November 15, 1961 to James and Wini Goben. She attended Bl... People Goelzer Karr This collection includes newspaper articles, a few business and professional cor... People Goforth Jonathan (J. C.) Goforth moved his family from Canton, Illinois to Bloomington, ... People Music Gold Star Mothers The Evergreen Chapter, National Gold Star Mothers, was incorporated on October 1... Military Organizations Gose, Carol Mishler Scrapbooks Carol Mishler Gose collected this material and wrote: “I remember being in sixt... Politics and Government People Gossard, Steve Railroad Born in Galesburg in 1949, Steve Gossard moved to Normal to study at Illinois St... Businesses Transportation People Goudy, Frederic W. Frederic W. Goudy was born in Bloomington in 1865. Goudy spent his early years i... People Art Businesses Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) The Grand Army of the Republic was founded by Benjamin Franklin Stephenson of Sp... Military Organizations Grand Opera House The Grand Opera House was built 1890-1891 and stood at 106-110 E. Market Street ... Places Businesses Music Graves, Harley Harvey Graves was born to Sam S. and Clara May Myers Graves in Randolph in 1911.... People Gravestone Photographs This photograph collection consists of four box books of gravestone photographs ... Places People Gray, Vern Vern Gray (December 19, 1897- June 28, 1972) was a former curator of the McLean ... People Museum Exhibits Greeting Card The collection includes greeting cards and postcards from 1893 to the present, s... Art Businesses Gregor, Harold Collection The son of Scottish immigrants, Harold Gregor was born in Detroit, MI, and earne... People Art Gulf Mobile & Ohio ... Businesses Transportation Hamilton, Violet Hamilton was an active citizen of Normal and McLean County, where she wrote a Ce... People Politics and Government Hamm, Ruth Bitting The Ruth Bitting Hamm collection contains several folders in four boxes. The it... People Harrison, Arlene G Elliott Arlene Genevieve Elliott was born July 8, 1919 to William and Ida E. (Ward) Elli... People Hart, James Born in Lawndale, Illinois, in 1882, James “Jimmie” Michael Hart was initially r... People Art Entertainment Hartzold Family Henry Hartzold was born about 1862 in Lancaster, PA. He moved to McLean County i... People Agriculture Military Harvey Family This small collection along with a large collection of photographs was found in ... People Music Hasenwinkle, Ralph Ralph Waldo Emerson Hasenwinkle was in the Spanish American War, Philippines, 18... People Haxel Railroading Delmar Haxel, born in Bloomington in 1920, worked for the Illinois Central Gulf ... People Businesses Transportation Hay Family Reunion The first reunion of the descendants of Jacob Hay (1818-1882) and Sarah Philpps ... People Hayden Murray Born in 1906, Charlotte Murray wed Bloomington-born Thomas Hayden in 1933, after... People Heartland Theatre Company ... Entertainment Businesses Helen Littleton Burns Postcard Collection This remarkable collection is comprised of postcards sent to and collected by He... People Places Art Clubs and Hobbies Helm, Grover C. (National Bank of Bloomington) This collection consists of a series of scrapbooks put together by Grover C. Hel... Businesses People Hibarger, Bessie Family This collection includes over 600 letters, 160 postcards, a book of nurserymen’s... People Education Higgins-Jung-Kleinau Co Hamer J. Higgins (1840-1902) began apprenticing as a marble cutter at Haldeman’s... Businesses Art People Highland Park Women’s 18 Hole League The Highland Park Women’s 18 Hole League was started in July of 1932 at the High... Organizations Sports Hilton and Schwoerer Farms Guy Hilton bought a 160-acre tract next to his father’s farm in Section 11 of Dr... Agriculture People Businesses Historical Geography Class Papers Papers written for Historical Geography classes and Independent Studies by stude... Education Historical Markers Historical markers such as plaques, cornerstones, and others have been used sinc... Places People Hitch, Fred Frederick A. Hitch (1882-1947) resided in Bloomington his entire life. After gra... People Entertainment Hodge-Read Family Most of this collection is correspondence between the Hodges (1830-1880), land a... People Education Holder, John The Holder collection consists primarily of materials from John’s time of servic... Military People Holy Trinity Church and Schools The first time the name "Holy Trinity" appears in the directories for ... Education Religion Places Home Sweet Home Mission Billy Shelper founded the Home Sweet Home City Rescue Mission in 1917 after atte... Religion Organizations Places Hoppe, Jim Jim Hoppe is an avid lover of history and McLean County. He has written manuscri... People Military Entertainment Houghton School Houghton School received its name because it was situated on the Stephen Houghto... Education Places Hubbard Roycrofters Book Elbert Green Hubbard (June 19, 1856 – May 7, 1915) was an American writer, publi... People Art Businesses Humphrey This collection contains funeral books for various members of the Humphrey famil... People IAA & FS Service, Inc. Relocation The State of Illinois headquarters for IAA & FS Services, Inc. was moved to ... Businesses Illinois Air Force Mothers The Illinois Air Force Mothers Club began in 1970 to support Air Force personnel... Military Organizations Illinois Central Railroad The Illinois Central was a major carrier of passengers on its Chicago to New Orl... Transportation Places Businesses Illinois National Guard This collection contains rosters, newspaper clippings, command report, narrative... Military Illinois Shakespeare Festival In 1978 the Illinois Shakespeare Festival was established. The Festival is held ... Entertainment Art Illinois Soldiers' and Sailors' Children's School (ISSCS) The Illinois Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Children’s School Collection is organized in... Education Organizations Places Illinois State Normal University Centennial Founded in 1857 as Illinois’ first public university, Illinois State Normal Univ... Education Illinois Traction Terminal The Bloomington-to-Peoria interurban line was one of the more charming railroad ... Businesses Transportation Illinois Tractor The Illinois Tractor Company was in business in Bloomington for a brief period, ... Businesses Illinois Wesleyan University Illinois Wesleyan University was founded in 1850, with its first building erecte... Education Places Independent order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) Cornerstones (1886 & 1900) The Independent Order of Odd Fellows is a fraternal, service-based organization ... Organizations International Tapetronics Corp Formed in 1969 in Bloomington, Illinois the International Tapetronics Corporatio... Businesses Technology Irvin Bros ... People Irvin, Clarence E. Clarence Edgar Irvin owned and operated several Bloomington theaters. He was th... Entertainment Businesses People Irvin, Lawrence Lawrence E. Irvin, son of Patrick and Mary Irvin, was born May 27, 1911 at Lake ... People Politics and Government Businesses Iseminger Family The collection includes newspaper articles, receipts, prescriptions, recipes, ba... People Businesses Iseminger Ford Floyd Iseminger (1879-1980) was born and lived his entire life in Bloomington. H... Businesses ISU Athletics The collection includes Illinois State University football guides, basketball gu... Education Sports Ives, Elizabeth Buffie Born in Bloomington in 1897, Elizabeth Stevenson “Buffie” Ives was the first of ... People Politics and Government IWU Marketing Class Papers Associate Professor of Business Administration Fred Hoyt has long asked his stud... Education Businesses James S. Ewing Speeches James S. Ewing (1835- 1918) was born in what is today Woodford County. He came t... Politics and Government People Jennie Rayburn Diaries The collection consists primarily of Jennie’s diaries covering the years of her ... People Clubs and Hobbies John Howard Burnham Collection Captain J.H. Burnham came to McLean County in 1858 as a student at the State Nor... Military People Jones – White Family Collection This small collection contains the records of the Jones & White family reuni... People Jones, Ethel Pearle Smith This collection contains the prose, poetry and plays written by Ethel Pearle Smi... People Art Entertainment Judd-Lucas Family The Judd Family lived in Colfax, Illinois during the 20th century. The Judd and ... People Jung Family Jacob Phillip Jung was born in Nauvoo, Illinois, the son of Christian and Elizab... Businesses People Immigration Kansas Kickapoo This small collection consists mainly of copies of letters and accounts between ... Native Groups People Kelley, George R. The letters of George R. Kelley relate to the life and times of a McLean County ... People Military Kemp, Bill William F. “Bill” Kemp has served as Librarian/Archivist for the McLean County M... People Kennedy, Merlin The collection includes the personal papers of Mr. Kennedy, and his wife Beulah ... Black History People Kickapoo Creek Rock Festival On Memorial Day weekend in 1970 an estimated 60,000 people, mostly hippies and c... Music Entertainment Kirkpatrick Collection Jonathon H. Kirkpatrick was born in North Liberty, Ohio in 1844. He moved to Bl... Businesses People Klein, Lois Welsh School Textbooks This is a collection of Lois Welsh’s (now Klein) books from a one room school in... Education People Klemm, C.W. Family The C. W. Klemm collection contains a variety of genealogical information about ... Businesses People Klemm’s Department Store C. W. Klemm came to Bloomington in 1873 after having spent five years in Springf... Businesses Places People Knife & Fork Club Knife and Fork Club International is a social dinner club with chapters in citie... Clubs and Hobbies Organizations Knight, Robert N. Robert N. Knight, also known as “Mr. Junior High School,” was a much loved and a... Education People KodaRoamers Camera Club The KodaRoamers was formed organized in September 1944. The aim of this photogra... Clubs and Hobbies Art Koos Family This collection contains financial, medical, and military information, correspon... People Politics and Government Koos, Greg Collection The Greg Koos collection contains published and unpublished works by Greg Koos, ... Museum Exhibits People Kuerth, Hester Adams Cookbook Hester Adams Kuerth (1891-1982) was a fifty-year member of the McLean County Hom... People Clubs and Hobbies Labor Fatalities Collection List of on-the-job fatalities in McLean County.... Businesses Labor People LaBounty, Perry & Edith Perry LaBounty was born in Ashkum, Illinois in 1888 and died in Bloomington, Ill... People LaBounty, William P. William P. LaBounty was born September 1, 1930, educated in Bloomington schools,... People Education Military Ladies Auxiliary of WWI Veterans This collection includes a selection of materials preserved by Jennie Mae Taylor... Military Organizations Lake Bloomington Association The Lake Bloomington Association formed to improve the Lake Bloomington Area and... Places Organizations Sports Lantz, Raymond Stanley The collection materials consist of Lantz’s memorabilia, photographs and booklet... People Lanz, Laura This collection contains essays by Laura from high school, her high school repor... Education People Latino History Project Collection The McLean County Latino History Project seeks to research and record the cultur... Latino History People Lennon, Barbara E. The Barbara Egger Lennon Collection contains many newspaper clippings, personal ... People Lennon, John Brown The John Brown Lennon collection contains newspaper articles, personal and profe... People Politics and Government Labor Unions Lillard Collection This collection contains genealogical research materials for the Lillard family ... People Military Lincoln School This collection consists of a series of albums and notebooks relating to Abraham... Places Education Lincoln Statue Bicentennial Project (1975-1978) V.L. (“Budd”) Fairfield (1926-2009). Bloomington High School American history te... Politics and Government Art Abraham Lincoln Lincoln, Abraham Recollections and Newspaper Articles This collection consists primarily of newspaper recollections of Abraham Lincoln... Politics and Government People Lincoln, Abraham— Miscellaneous Publications This collection contains miscellaneous publications about Abraham Lincoln.... Politics and Government People Lincolns in Town The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission of McLean County was formed jointly ... Politics and Government Entertainment Litta, Marie The Marie Litta Collection consists of materials relating to the life, career, a... People Music Loeseke / Karl's Quality Café ... People Businesses Longfellow Club The Longfellow Club dates to April 6, 1882 when Miss Alice Suddeth, assisted by ... Clubs and Hobbies People Loyal Star—Prairie State Lodge 45 Loyal Star of America is a women’s auxiliary to the Brotherhood Railway Carmen o... Organizations Lundeen, Edgar and Rachael This collection includes Hundreds of letters, genealogical work for the families... Businesses People Major Collection of Letters from Liberia The Major Collection of Letters from Liberia consists of twelve letters written ... Black History People Manahan, Eugene Lester Eugene Manahan was born to Benton and Lillie Manahan in Arrowsmith, Illin... Military People Mandel-Cohn Collection This collection covers multiple generations of the Mandel-Cohn family and includ... People Businesses Mark & Margaret Kalahar Hayes Mark Bruno Hayes (1889-1959) was born in Bloomington, Illinois and earned a phar... People Politics and Government Businesses Markowitz, Judy The Judy Markowitz Collection primarily consists of material from Markowitz’s ti... People Politics and Government Mason Family This collection includes biographical materials; personal, family and business c... People Mau, McCoy, & Haskell Helmuth and Augusta Mau came to the United States from Germany in the 1890s. Th... People Immigration Mayer, Marjorie (Wood) Marjorie Wood (1913-2008) was born in Melvin, IL and reared in rural Colfax. She... People McCarty Family This collection includes personal letters, diaries, genealogies and other family... People McEwen Brothers Blacksmith Shop According to an article in The Pantagraph of July 17, 1942, John and William McE... People Businesses Immigration McFee, John John McFee was a well-known farmer, who also bred Berkshire swine. He lived four... People Agriculture McKeon The collection includes Marguerite McKeon and Geraldine McKeon’s personal corres... People Labor Unions McKinzie Family This collection primarily contains letters from sons John and James to their par... People McKnight & McKnight Publishing Company William W. McKnight was born in 1874. His father was a physician in Granville, I... Businesses McLean County Arts Center This collection includes exhibition catalogs and promotional materials, a colori... Organizations Art McLean County Arts Council The McLean County Arts Council was incorporated in 1972 and served as a funding ... Organizations Art McLean County Arts Council Bicentennial The collection contains documents pertaining to the McLean County Bicentennial A... Organizations Art McLean County Association for Home and Community Education This collection includes newspaper articles referencing the various HCE/HEA memb... Education Organizations McLean County Bank Building In 1853 the original McLean County Bank was founded as the first bank in Bloomin... Places Businesses Architecture and Historic Preservation McLean County Bar Association Memorials The tradition of the McLean County Bar Association since 1897 has been to memori... Organizations People McLean County Basketball Tournament One of the longest-running tournaments in the state, the McLean County Basketbal... Sports Entertainment McLean County Chamber of Commerce This collection contains annual reports; contact lists; work program packets; br... Politics and Government Businesses McLean County Clergy Staff / Ministerial Association Collection The McLean County Clergy Staff / Ministerial Association Collection was donated ... Religion McLean County Coal Company The largest and most successful coal mine in McLean County was the McLean County... Businesses McLean County Courthouse The McLean County Courthouse was built between 1900 and 1903 after the Great Fir... Politics and Government Places McLean County Courthouse Clock A clock was installed in the courthouse tower in 1878, and that year it was deci... Places Politics and Government McLean County Emergency Squad In 1967 with the near completion of Interstate 74 and Interstate 55, Bloomington... Politics and Government Organizations McLean County Ethnographies Illinois State University anthropology professor Dr. Rob Dirks collected essays ... Education Places Art Entertainment Businesses McLean County Home Bureau The McLean County Home Bureau was first established in 1918 by Mrs. Spencer Ewin... Organizations McLean County Homemakers Extension The McLean Home Bureau changed its name to McLean County Homemakers Extension As... Organizations McLean County Jail Review Committee Collection The McLean County Jail Review Committee is a citizens’ group founded in 1980 at ... Politics and Government McLean County Library Association Responding to an invitation from Vail Deale of the Withers (Bloomington) Public ... Organizations McLean County Medical Society Minutes In March 1854, fourteen local physicians met to organize a medical society. The ... Businesses Health and Medicine McLean County Museum of History Asian Indian History Project The McLean County Asian Indian History Project was begun in the early 2000s to r... People Museum Exhibits Asian History McLean County Poor Farm For more than 90 years, the McLean County Poor Farm, located south of Bloomingto... Politics and Government People McLean County Schools This collection contains school directories, exams, and other miscellaneous docu... Education McLean County Sesquicentennial Committee The McLean County Sesquicentennial Celebration commemorated the founding of McLe... Politics and Government Entertainment McLean County Telephone Co. The McLean County Telephone Co. was organized in spring 1898 with F.Y. Hamilton ... Businesses McLean County WWII Memorial The WWII Memorial Committee was formed in the fall of 1994 after Normal Mayor Pa... Military Politics and Government Places McLean School (Mount Hope Township) The village of McLean, IL was platted in 1856. School District No. 5 was laid o... Education McMackin Family This collection includes an array of family correspondence, business receipts, l... People McNulta, John Time Capsule Contents of glass time capsule, originally compiled by members of the Grand Army... People Meadows Manufacturing Company John Rocke had the idea to build a grain elevator to improve the slow and labori... Businesses Agriculture Mendoza, Manuel State Farm This collection is largely business correspondence and office information from t... Businesses Mennonite Hospital Newsletter The establishment of Bloomington's Mennonite Hospital dates to 1919. By 194... People Places Businesses Health and Medicine Mennonite Hospital Nursing The Mennonite School of Nursing was established as the Mennonite Sanitarium Trai... Education Health and Medicine Places Businesses Merwin A Bloomington native, Loring C. Merwin served as publisher of the Pantagraph for... People Environment Middleton, Richard & James Gill This collection contains newspaper clippings, genealogical research, annual repo... Military People Millard, Lt. Mark This collection consists of materials collected by Helen Millard, mother of Mark... People Military Miller Park This collection contains various newspaper articles associated with Miller Park,... Places Entertainment Racism Miller, George George H. Miller (1856 - 1927) was one of eight children born to German immigran... People Minutes Books The collection contains single volumes of minutes of various local organizations... Organizations Mitsubishi Motors This collection contains material related to the Mitsubishi Motors Company as we... Businesses Transportation Money Creek Municipal Money Creek Township included six square miles of land used for agriculture. The... Politics and Government Places Montgomery, Alfred Alfred Montgomery (1858-1922) was born in Logan County, Illinois, and moved to B... People Art Moon Family The Moon family collection contains a diverse amount of material, ranging from c... People Agriculture Moraine View State Recreation Area This collection includes newspaper clippings from 1941 through 1985, plus manusc... Places Clubs and Hobbies Sports Politics and Government Moratz, Paul O. This collection contains a miscellany of items, such as newspaper articles, buil... Businesses People Architecture and Historic Preservation Morgan, Charles Charles Morgan, a carpenter by trade, started his diaries in 1896. In his earli... People Art Entertainment Morgan, Raymond “Doc” “He was a humble person, a fine golfer and a great gentleman.” So opined Bloomin... Sports Military People Morrell-Moreland Family The collection includes correspondence (mostly personal), will and probate docum... People Morrissey, John O. John O’Connell Morrissey was born April 13, 1896. He was educated in Bloomingto... Military People Moses Montefiore Temple On May 14, 1882, a group of men of the Jewish faith met in Bloomington “for the ... Religion Places Mount Prospect School (Old Town Township) The Mount Prospect School started as a small frame house built around 1855. The... Education Multiple Listing Service Multiple listing service (MLS) is a set of services that real estate brokers use... Places Businesses Technology Architecture and Historic Preservation Munce Mary Jeanette Munce was born to Clara DeMotte Munce and Charles C. Munce in 1907... People Murray & Carmody Funeral Home Frederick E. Murray, undertaker, opened his funeral or memorial home at 914 N. M... Businesses Places People Myers, John F. Born in 1834 in Kentucky, John Frances Myers came to McLean County as an infant ... People Entertainment Art Nancy J. Peairs Ramos Scrapbook Collection Nancy Jane Peairs documented her years at Unit 5 in two scrapbooks. They mainly ... People Education Ninety-fourth Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment This collection contains documents, both official and personal, related to the N... Military Normal Anti-Liquor Ordinance Petition In November 1866, a petition for an ordinance prohibiting the sale of liquor in ... Politics and Government Normal Avenue Neighborhood Club The Normal Avenue Neighborhood Club was formed in the Spring of 1931 by Irene Bu... Clubs and Hobbies Places Normal Community Garden Club In the summer of 1939 nine women were invited to meet at the home of Mrs. Wm. (H... Clubs and Hobbies Normal Community High School This collection contains course catalogs, PTA booklets, school publications, pro... Education Places Normal History Club In the late 1800s, life in a small university town did not offer many opportunit... Clubs and Hobbies Organizations Normal Theater The Normal Theater was built by Sylvan and Ruth Kupfer, who owned the 209 North ... Businesses Organizations Places O’Hara, William J. William J. O’Hara (1896-1986) was born in the Hudson area, the son of Owen and J... Agriculture People Military Old House Society The Old House Society is a nonprofit organization in McLean County devoted to th... Organizations Architecture and Historic Preservation Places Old North Normal Historic District Association Old North Normal is the oldest intact area of continuous residential development... Places Organizations Old Settlers Association of Eastern McLean County From 1885 to 1915, self-described “old settlers” of eastern McLean County held a... Clubs and Hobbies Places Organizations People Olde Towne Neighborhood Association The Olde Towne Neighborhood Association was formed in 1997 as a non-profit organ... Organizations Places Oldendorf, Sandra Brenneman This collection covers the Brenneman ancestry as well as Sandra Brenneman Oldend... People One O’Clock Schoolers Club The One O’Clock Schoolers Club is a social club whose members reside in or resid... Clubs and Hobbies Places Orendorff The collection focuses upon William Orendorff (March 26, 1792 – May 12, 1869), o... People Orendorff, Ella The Ella Orendorff Collection consists primarily of newspaper clippings about th... People Orme, William W. The collection includes correspondence; land deeds; and assorted documents from ... People Outlaw, Damon G. Damon Garst Outlaw was born April 26, 1912 in Stanford, Illinois to Roy Orville ... People Paddock, Joseph William Joseph Paddock was born in Pana, Illinois, the family moved to Evanston where Jo... People Pantagraph The first newspaper in the area was the weekly Bloomington Observer and McLean C... Businesses Pantagraph Comics The Pantagraph added a locally developed "Wilson and Phyllis" cartoon ... Entertainment Art Businesses Pantagraph Printing The Pantagraph Printing and Stationery Company originated as the printing depart... Businesses Parker Bros. Coal Co. Founded in Bloomington in 1868, Parker Brothers continued under Parker family ow... People Businesses ParkLands Foundation ParkLands Foundation was chartered in 1967 as a private, non-profit corporation ... Organizations Patton Cabin The Patton Cabin was built by John Patton in 1829, making it the oldest extant b... Places People Native Groups People’s Bank The Peoples Bank was first incorporated in March 22, 1869, with George W. Parks ... Businesses Places Architecture and Historic Preservation Perkins-Martin Family Catherine Anne Perkins Martin (1900-1885) was born in Stanstead, Canada October ... People Phoenix Family and Nursery Materials in the Phoenix collection cover the history of the Phoenix family and ... Art People Businesses Places Phonograph and Audio The history of McLean County has been recorded and captured on vinyl covering a ... Education Music Technology Entertainment Businesses Clubs and Hobbies Religion Pistole, Richard Richard “Dick” Pistole was born in Heyworth, IL. After graduating from Heyworth ... People Sports Political Ephemera This collection includes an array of ballots, flyers, pamphlets, and corresponde... Politics and Government Portable Elevator The company was started in 1898, located at the corner of Grove and McClun stree... Agriculture Businesses Porter, Ida Ida Porter was a soprano who could sing in English, German, French, and Italian;... Music People Pratt, Awadagin Awadagin Pratt was born in Pittsburgh in 1966. He began studying piano at the a... Music People Black History Price School Social Club, 1946-1973 (Bloomington Township) The Price School Social Club was a group of women associated with Price School, ... Education Organizations Price, William B.—McLean County Courthouse The Mclean County Courthouse, located in the main square (200 N. Main Street) of... Politics and Government People Places Purnell, Paul This collection contains documents, newspaper clippings, and other two-dimension... People Military Putman, Dale and Ruth of Pleasant Hill Pleasant Hill was founded in the 1840s by Isaac Smalley. He held aspirations th... Places People Quill Club A local literary organization affiliated with the State and National American Pe... Organizations Quinton The J. R. Quinton Collection consists of one box with thirty-eight folders. It p... People Military Railroad Books—Miscellaneous The collection includes assorted books of labor agreements, wage schedules, rule... Labor Transportation Businesses Railroad Fatalities The collection includes copies of newspaper articles and obituaries of individua... Businesses People Transportation Railroad Time Books Railroad foremen used time books to record workers’ names, hours, wages and spec... Businesses Transportation Labor Ramsey Although the collection donated to the Museum provides limited information, the ... People Red Cross This collection holds the educational materials used by Stella Bennett, a certif... Organizations Reeder, Ida Most of this collection consists of loose items from a travel scrapbook from Ida... People Businesses Reiner - Bennett Bloomington-born William C. Reiner (1882-1945) worked as an upholsterer for the ... People Businesses Reis, Evelyn Evelyn Reis, also known as Evy, was born on September 17, 1918 in Chenoa, Illino... Music People Entertainment Reitan, Carol This collection includes a selection of materials donated by Carol A. Reitan lar... People Politics and Government Restaurant Menu This collection includes menus, placemats, and materials relating to the history... Places Businesses Reuben Moore Benjamin Collection Reuben Moore Benjamin was born in June of 1833 in Columbia County, New York. Ben... People Rhymer, Paul Vic and Sade was a radio show (1932 – 1945) and short lived television show (195... People Entertainment Rice, Charles Edward Charles Edward Rice (October 5, 1949-October 17, 2008) was an Army veteran of th... People Military Ringo Family Claude Ringo (1911-2005) was born in Saybrook, IL, to Atlee and Belva Pearle Swa... People Rock of Praisers Michael Louanna Casey-Beich organized the Rock of Praisers in 1990 from her home... Religion Organizations Rolley, Elias W. Elias William Rolley was drafted into the U.S. Army Coast Artillery Corps (CAC),... Military People Ronald Bogart – Adlai Stevenson I This collection contains autographs of members of the Stevenson family, a biogra... People Politics and Government Ropp, Gordon L. State Representative Gordon L. Ropp was born in Normal on April 5, 1933. He served as State Represent... People Politics and Government Ross, David C. David Claypool Ross (1851-1938) was a teacher, lawyer, lecturer and businessman,... People Rowlands Family Howell Rowlands was born on April 15, 1847, in Llanbrynmair, North Wales, and im... People Runge The Runge Collection consists both of public and private materials primarily fro... People Agriculture Rutledge School (Downs Township) Rutledge School District was laid out in 1862, but not organized until 1867. The... Education Places Ryburn, Orendorff, Hollis Families This one box collection holds a variety of items including: family correspondenc... People Sage, Harold K. This collection includes consists of two separate subjects. Box 1: Harold K. Sag... Abraham Lincoln People Salch, David State Farm David Salch was an insurance salesman who grew up in Bloomington, Illinois. His ... Businesses People Sanders, Josephine ("Irene Delroy") / Pike-Sanders This collection includes scrapbooks, posters, and photographs from Irene Delroy’... People Entertainment Satterfield Farm William Franklin Satterfield, called Frank, was born on October 3, 1890 at Mario... Agriculture People Scharf, Emmett Electric Co. Emmett – Scharf Electric Co. opened for business on April 20, 1922 with Fred Emm... Businesses School Books / School Notebooks This collection contains student school books from 1850 – 1860... Education School District Consolidation Campaign 1992-96 In 1992 an ad hoc committee requested a study of the future of education in Bloo... Education Politics and Government School Records – Miscellaneous This collection contains miscellaneous school records 1873-1948... Education Schultz, Herman C. Herman C. Schultz (1912-1995) was born in McLean County, Illinois. He was induc... People Military Scott, Garrett The Garrett Scott 2003 Re-Election Campaign Collection primarily consists of mat... People Politics and Government Scott, Judge John Milton John Milton Scott was born on August 1, 1823 in Belleville, St. Clair County, Il... Politics and Government People Abraham Lincoln Sebastian-Bishop The starting point for this collection is Donna Sebastian, who donated the mater... People See Family Frank See was born in Virginia to Nimrod See and Margaret Sherman. He was a 34-y... Agriculture People Sharp, Dorothy This small collection contains photos, a scrapbook, programs, newspaper clipping... People Entertainment Sheet Music This collection includes approximately 750 individual pieces of sheet music, boo... Music Entertainment Shirley Schools (Dale Township) Shirley Schools (No. 73) and its district was organized in 1854 with John Foster... Education Silverleaf Community Club (Normal Township) 1918 – 1962 The Silverleaf Club Collection materials range from 1924 to 1962. The club'... Clubs and Hobbies Simmons School (Dale Township) Simmons was built in 1856 when Joel Simmons sold the district the site at the so... Education Sinclair, Harold During his life, Sinclair published a trilogy—American Years (1938), Years of Gr... People Entertainment Sister City Asahikawa This collection contains correspondence, budgets, fundraiser information, newspa... Politics and Government Organizations Places Slack, Kent Collection 33rd Illinois Volunteer Infantry Research Kent Slack was an intern at the McLean County Museum of History in 1981. His pr... Military People Smith, Sidney Robert Sidney "Sid" Smith (1873-1935) was born in Bloomington, Illinoi... People Art Entertainment Businesses Smitson-Brown Helen Smitson (1898-1978) was the daughter of David C. Smitson (1860-1940) and M... People Sohl, Jerry This collection contains biographical material, newspaper articles, bibliographi... People Entertainment Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War The Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) Collection consists of p... Military Organizations Soule Family George Soule came to America on the Mayflower in 1620 a servant to Edward Winslo... People Spanish-American War Veterans Includes rosters, newspaper articles, burial records, programs and proceedings f... Military People Sports Cards The collection holds commercially printed sports (or trading) cards featuring in... Sports Entertainment St. John’s Lutheran Church This collection contains biographical information, historical information, direc... Religion Places St. Joseph’s School of Nursing St. Joseph Hospital School of Nursing was a Catholic institution conducted by th... Education Health and Medicine Religion St. Mary’s of Bloomington Church and School St. Mary’s Catholic Church also known as the German Catholic Church was founded ... Education Religion State Farm Building The State Farm Building in downtown Bloomington, the tallest building in the dow... Places Politics and Government Architecture and Historic Preservation Businesses State Farm Classic One of the largest co-ed holiday basketball tournaments in the nation, the State... Sports Entertainment Steak N Shake Steak n Shake was founded by Gus Belt in Normal in 1934. He converted a gas sta... Businesses Places People Steele, Nelle Theater Nelle Hefner Steele (1902-1985) was born in Lexington and began teaching in 1933... People Entertainment Steele, Ruth Teaching The Ruth Steele Teaching Collection includes the patterns for various holiday di... Education People Steichen, Gerard C Born in Spring Valley, IL, in 1951, Girard C. Steichen earned a BA in philosophy... People Stern Family The Stern family moved to Bloomington in 1905, where Jacob Stern opened Stern’s ... Businesses People Sterzbach, Robert WWII This collection holds the correspondence between Robert Sterzbach and Alyne Trac... Military People Stevens, Julia Palmer Julia Parnelle Palmer Stevens was born January 3, 1835, in Madison County, Illin... People Stevens, Saltzman Minnie The Minnie Saltzman Stevens Papers consists of personal and legal papers belongi... Music People Stevenson Boyhood Home Adlai E. Stevenson II (1900-1965) was Governor of Illinois 1949-1953, and the De... People Politics and Government Places Stevenson, Adlai E II Miscellaneous This collection contains newspaper articles, correspondence, campaign materials,... People Politics and Government Stevenson, Adlai E II Newspaper Clippings The collection includes primarily newspaper articles from a number of years of A... People Politics and Government Stevenson, Adlai E. II Adlai Ewing Stevenson II was born in Los Angeles, California on February 5, 1900... People Politics and Government Stevenson, J.B. Letter Book J.B. (James Bell) Stevenson (1838-1890) was the third of at least seven children... People Businesses Stewart, Dr. Archibald Evan This collection contains correspondence to Archibald Stewart from May 1858 to 18... People Stickrod’s Drug Store According to Bloomington-Normal city directory listings, Elmer H. Stickrod estab... Businesses Places Health and Medicine Streid, Robert Robert Eugene Streid, born July 28, 1916, was a lifetime Chenoa resident farmer ... Military People Stubblefield – Funk Reunion Minutes Robert Stubblefield and Isaac Funk were very early settlers of McLean County in ... People Sublett, Michael D. Michael D. Sublett, born 1943 in Kansas City, Missouri, received his Bachelor’s ... Education People Suggs, Frank A professor of music at Illinois State University starting in 1969, Frank Suggs ... Black History Education People Suicides If you or someone you know is suicidal, call or text 988. All calls are confiden... People Tate, H. Clay “Building a Better Home Town,” by H. Clay Tate was published in 1954. He wrote f... People Entertainment Tau Epsilon Delta In January 1931, Louise Muxfeld organized a group of Bloomington High School gir... Organizations The Auxiliary to the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (ASUVCW) The ASUVCW Collection consists of encampment proceedings (1933-40), constitution... Military Organizations Thirty-third Illinois Infantry Regiment of Volunteers Company C. This collection contains clerical records including: muster in and out rolls; in... Military People Thoms and O’Neil Families The collection contents indicate the Thoms family lived in the area as early as ... People Tick, Irving Bloomington Human Relations Commission Irving Stanton Tick (1928-2011) was born in Bloomington, Illinois and was a 1951... People Politics and Government Tick, Irving Family Irving “Irv” Tick (1928-2011) and Joan “Jobie” Marie (Sayler) Tick (1929-2021) w... People Businesses Tilbury Flash The Tilbury Flash is a single-seat American racing monoplane designed and built ... Transportation Museum Exhibits Toastmasters (Smedley) Collection Born in Waverly IL in 1878, Ralph C. Smedley graduated Illinois Wesleyan Univers... People Organizations Travel Club This collection contains program booklets (1906-2009), meeting minutes, treasure... Clubs and Hobbies Travis, Joan M. Spiritualism The Joan M. Travis Spiritualism Collection consists of items about the concept o... Religion Tucker, Wilson This collection contains biographical material, newspaper articles, bibliographi... People Entertainment Turners in Bloomington William “Bill” Adams (1927-2013) grew up in a family which participated in the T... Organizations Clubs and Hobbies People Tyner Farm Collection This collection contains documents relating to the Stubblefield and Tyner famili... Agriculture People Businesses Underground Railroad In the decades before the Civil War an untold number of fugitive slaves journeye... Black History Underwood, Justice Robert C. The Justice Robert C. Underwood collection contains newspaper articles, correspo... Politics and Government People Union Asbestos & Rubber Company (UNARCO) In 1950, Chicago-based Union Asbestos & Rubber Company (UNARCO) established ... Businesses Union School (Allin Township) Originally laid out with three sections in this county and about the same number... Education Uniquely Bloomington In May 1999, the City of Bloomington created a semi-independent commission with ... Places Politics and Government United Way of McLean County In 1935, local community leaders founded the Community Chest of McLean County th... Organizations University Christian Church The collection contains booklets produced by the University Christian Church, di... Religion University High School This collection covers the lab school beginning as part of ISNU through its succ... Education Urban Storm Water Task Force In 1976, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency formed a Task Force on urb... Politics and Government Vanderwater, Leon Musical Program Leon “Vandy” Vanderwater (1898-1998) was raised in Kankakee, IL and moved to Blo... People Music Businesses Vera Pearl Kemp Scrapbooks Collection Vera Pearl Kemp was born December 19, 1895 at London, Kentucky, daughter of Jame... People Entertainment Music Veterans of World War 1 Barracks The Veterans of World War 1 organization was created in 1949, first in Ohio, and... Military Organizations Vietnam Moving Wall Several organizations present a "Moving Wall" -- a scaled down replica... Military Organizations Village of McLean (Crain Research Project) This collection includes a minimum of one page on each property in the Village o... Places People Vladimir/Canterbury Sister City Committee Local citizen visits to the Soviet Union, the Portland-based Ground Zero Pairing... Politics and Government Places Vogel, Joe Baseball Scrapbook In many ways, the 1930s, 1940s, and into the 1950s represented the golden age of... People Sports Vogel, Steve WJBC Steve Vogel worked at WJBC/WBNQ Radio in Bloomington beginning in 1972 in the ne... Businesses People Voice for Choice Founded in mid-1989, Voice for Choice was a local organization “devoted to ensur... Organizations Politics and Government Vrooman Carl Schurz Vrooman, son of Hiram and Sarah Buffington Vrooman, was born in Maco... People Places Vrooman Mansion - Theora Stark The collection includes an array of materials relating to Mansion and to the Vro... Businesses People Places W. O. Davis Tributes Collection William Osbourne Davis was the son of a Quaker farmer from Pennsylvania and bega... Businesses People Waddell, Jack Collection contains newspaper clippings, performance programs, photos, and ephem... Black History People Music Walker School (Bloomington Township) Located in Blooming Grove (Bloomington Township section 22), Walker School is ge... Education Walker, Frank Albert In the mid-1850s, the Joseph Walker family established a farm on the northern ed... Agriculture People Art Wallace, Glen / Diamond-Star Motors / Mitsubishi Motors Glen Wallace was an employee of Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) for... Businesses People Labor Unions Wantling, William This four-box collection contains correspondence, professional work, academic wo... Education People Washburn, Dorothy M. Born in 1904, Dorothy M. Washburn was a daughter of M/M George Washburn of Bloom... Military People Wayman AME Church Archaeology In the summer of 1992, an archeological excavation was conducted at the Wayman A... Black History Places Religion Webb, Sidney Sidney Webb was born on December 28, 1899 in Leicester, England. He came to Amer... People Military Entertainment Wellmerling, Louis F. This collection spans from 1927-1941 and contains many photocopied and original ... People Politics and Government WGLT Program Guides and Annual Reports ... Businesses Entertainment Wheeler Family The Wheeler family papers were given to the McLean County Historical Society by ... Education People Whitmer, Peter ... People Whittaker Family Reginald Whittaker, born April 23, 1925, lived all his life in Normal. His paren... Black History People WIHN This collection spans from 1970 to 1977. The collection contains balance sheets... Businesses Entertainment Wilcox Tile Factory An Ohio native, John Wilcox (1858-1920) came to McLean County as a child. Durin... Businesses William D. Walters, Jr. Professor Emeritus of Geography, Walters taught at Illinois State University for... Education Williams Oil-o-Matic Charles U. Williams came to Bloomington in the late nineteenth century. He was ... Businesses Williamson, Doug WJBC Forum Doug Williamson, born in Bloomington 8-8-1943, lived in Bloomington-Normal most ... People Entertainment Businesses Wilson, Edward M. Edward Mayne Wilson was born August 16, 1866, in Dale Township, McLean County. H... People Withers Home When Sarah B. Withers died in 1897, she left her home at 305 West Locust Street ... Places Religion People Health and Medicine WJBC Radio The WJBC Radio Collection consists of eight boxes and 41 folders containing mate... Businesses Entertainment WLS Barn Dance WLS Radio’s National Barn Dance was one of the most popular and longest running ... Entertainment Music Wolcott, J.L. The J.L. Wolcott Collection contains photocopies of newspaper articles and adver... Businesses People Woman's Club of Bloomington-Normal The Woman’s Club of Bloomington-Normal collection consists of two boxes. The da... Clubs and Hobbies Organizations Wood, Lois Postcard This is a collection of over 250 postcards collected by Lois Wood over the years... People Places Clubs and Hobbies Art Woodward, Horace E. Woodward, known by his friends as “Hod,” was born on August 21, 1878 to Walter M... Military People World War I: State Council of Defense During the summer of 1918, the State Council of Defense of Illinois organized lo... Politics and Government Military World War II Collection The World War II Collection contains papers, diaries, personal and military corr... Military World War II Home Front Oral Histories The Interviewers were senior students of W. Michael Weis, Ph.D., Professor of Hi... Education Military People World War II Interview Papers Collection World War II erupted in September 1939 with the German invasion of Poland and en... Education Military People World War II Magazine Collection The World War II Magazine Collection contains publications that were kept or fou... Military World's Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition was a world's fair held in Chicago in... Places Entertainment Wyckoff, Martin Martin Anders Wyckoff was born in Normal, Illinois April 20, 1950, to Delmar and... People Art Yeast, Laurence (Larry) J. Laurence (Larry) Yeast was born in McLean County June 11, 1915. Yeast was a Blo... People Labor Unions Yoder, Wallace & Betty Wallace Yoder’s mother was Harriett Katherine Ayers, daughter of Luther and Ida ... People Young, Fred H. Fred H. Young (1892-1980) was born September 21, 1892, in Normal, and graduated ... People YWCA The YWCA organization was founded in England in 1855, but women were active in t... Organizations Zobrist, Charles J. This collection contains material relating to the life and career of World War I... Military People