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Black History Project

Finding Aids

1 item

Barton House Archaeology and Family History
Milton Barton worked for Jesse Fell (founder and developer of Normal) and reportedly planted ma...

Finding Aid

Oral Histories

15 items

Caribel Washington
Caribel Washington lived most of her life in Bloomington.  She graduated from Bloomington High ...

Oral History

Claude Hursey
Claude Hursey was born in Mississippi, the son of a Greek father and an African-American mother...

Oral History

Ethel Murray
Ethel Murray was born in Lincoln. She remembers a childhood relatively free from racial prejudi...

Oral History

Howard and Elaine Bell
Early Bloomington family, WWII veteran, Depression era history, Elaine was active in community ...

Oral History

Josephine Samuels & Reginald Whittaker
Normal, IL family, business, work at Woolworth's, GTE, Baha'i...

Oral History

Kathyrn Dean
State Farm employee, civic & social clubs, grandfather was Civil War veteran....

Oral History

Lucinda Posey
Pre-Civil war Bloomington family, Dir. of Medical Records (Brokaw Hospital), community & ci...

Oral History

Lue Anna Clark
Father was enslaved, WWI era restaurant business, boarding of ISNU students...

Oral History

Merlin and Beulah Kennedy
Active in civil rights, NAACP, Youth Council, employment & housing issues....

Oral History

Oscar and Ruth Waddell
WWII veteran, skilled employment at GE, breaking employment barriers, home ownership, Willis St...

Oral History

Richard and Rose Bell
Business owner and farmer, Rose Anna from early McLean County family, Illinois Soldiers & ...

Oral History

Robert Gaston
Barber, WWII veteran, Chamber of Commerce Board member....

Oral History

Robert and Lillian Augusta Boykin
Social clubs, Union Baptist Church, domestic, yard & railroad work, farm life & sharecr...

Oral History

Roy and Delores Shavers
Melody Gospel Choir, African-American business in Bloomington & Clinton, St. Mary's Ca...

Oral History

Wilbur Barton
Early Normal family, ISNU grad & athlete, WWII veteran, teacher/principal....

Oral History