For more than 90 years, the McLean County Poor Farm, located south of Bloomington, housed some of the area’s poorest and most unfortunate residents. In 1859, three local men were appointed to identify a suitable location to establish the county poor farm. In September of that year, the county purchased 230 acres in Bloomington Township. The farm eventually encompassed acreage in parts of sections 28, 29, 32, and 33 of Bloomington Township, several miles south of Bloomington and west of present-day U.S. Route 51.

The McLean County Poor Farm collection consists of 1 box and 13 folders containing material from 1859 to 1980, 2004 and 2007. Items in the collection include newspaper clippings, death and burial records, court documents, research papers, articles in Gleanings, the quarterly publication of the McLean County Genealogical Society, death certificates and U.S. Census data.