Fire

Resources are listed in alphabetical order. More information can always be found by using our website search bar, or contacting a member of our staff.

Articles

A small selection of Pages from our Past articles written by Bill Kemp

5 items

Barns fast disappearing from Corn Belt countryside

One would be hard pressed to come up with a more iconic image of the Corn Belt than the old woo...

Article

Bloomington inescapably linked to Springfield Race Riot

The Springfield Race Riot of August 14-15, 1908, when thousands of white residents rampaged thr...

Article

This illustration of the new Griesheim Building appeared in a 1901 Bloomington Business Men’s Association promotional piece touting the city’s reconstruction efforts after the Great Fire of June 19, 1900.

Great Fire couldn’t dampen Christmas spirit

The holiday season of 1900 brought more changes than usual for area shoppers flocking to downto...

Article

exterior view of Bloomington Fire Department Engine House No. 4

South side firehouse built after Great Fire of 1900

Although it hasn’t served as a Bloomington Fire Department station for well over seven decades,...

Article

Turbulent times at 19th century Bloomington hotel

The Ashley House, Bloomington’s largest hotel from the Civil War until its fiery end in 1900, h...

Article

Biographies

9 items

Butler, James Preston

James Preston Butler was a tinsmith, butcher, grocer, policeman, tax collector, alderman, const...

Biography

Hawks, Samuel Lockhart

Samuel Lockhart Hawks, known as “Louis” Hawks, was born in Scotland on March 7, 1832 the son of...

Biography

Heafer, Napoleon B.

Napoleon B. Heafer was born on December 14, 1823 in Charleston, West Virginia. At the age of te...

Biography

Jackman, John

John Adams Jackman was born March 22, 1816 in Boscawen, New Hampshire, where his great-grandfat...

Biography

Klemm, C.W.

Carl Wilhelm (C.W.) Klemm was born on May 1, 1845 in Haynrode, Saxony, Germany. His grandfather...

Biography

Moratz, Paul

Paul O. Moratz had a passion for building and design that started at a young age. For 34 years ...

Biography

Rogers, Dr. Thomas

No matter one’s opinion regarding Dr. Thomas Pierce Rogers’s professional practice or political...

Biography

Schroeder, Dr. Herman

Much of what we know about Herman Schroeder comes from his own accounts. Some of this informat...

Biography

White, Samuel

Prominent contractor and builder Samuel White’s personal and professional “rags to riches” stor...

Biography

Blog

1 item

McHistory: Early Settlers Battled Prairie Fire to Tame the Land

Listen to the audio on WGLT's website hereMcHistory goes back in time to explore big momen...

Blog Post

Farming in the Great Corn Belt

Digital Exhibit

1 item

Nature's Forces

The McLean County farmers’ ability to make good choices drove their success or failure. But wit...

Digital Exhibit

Finding Aids

3 items

Bloomington Fire Collection

Just after midnight on June 19, 1900, a great fire began sweeping through much of the city'...

Finding Aid

Bloomington Fire Department Collection

This collection consists of photocopied newspaper articles, a few original artifacts, and a CD-...

Finding Aid

McLean School (Mount Hope Township)

The village of McLean, IL was platted in 1856. School District No. 5 was laid out and organize...

Finding Aid