Horses

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

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This all-steel “utility” farm building erected near LeRoy in November 1949 speaks to the transformation of Corn Belt barns in the post-World War II years, as the iconic wood-frame “big red barn” of rural Americana gave way to the utilitarian (and far less aesthetically pleasing) machine shed.

End of horse era spurs revolution in barn design

Though it may seem hard to believe, horses remained an integral part of Corn Belt farms well in...

Article

Great Epizootic of 1872 ravaged the horse population

Bloomington’s streets were eerily quiet for several weeks in late November and early December 1...

Article

Biographies

7 items

Dillon, Ellis

Ellis Dillon was born on March 25, 1816 in Clinton County, Ohio to Jesse and Hannah Pugh Dillon...

Biography

Dillon, Martha Fisher

Ellis Dillon was born on March 25, 1816 in Clinton County, Ohio to Jesse and Hannah Pugh Dillon...

Biography

Ela, Frances Harriet Rowell

Frances Harriet Rowell was born on November 15, 1835 in Waterford, Vermont. She was one of fou...

Biography

Huggins, Sophia

Sophia Huggins (1831-1903) or “Aunt Sophia” as she was known by her clientele, was a claimed cl...

Biography

Mayes, John Jackson

John Jackson Mayes, Jr., (1851 -1918) known as J.J., was engaged in the photography business, a...

Biography

Moore, Asa Harvey

Asa Harvey Moore was born on October 20, 1820 in Rutland, Westchester County, Massachusetts. He...

Biography

Thomas, George Washington

George Washington Thomas was born in Wisemantown, Kentucky, around 1860 or 1861. At that time K...

Biography

Blog

4 items

Bloomington Fire Station No. 2 214 W. Washington St., c. 1883

The south side of the 200 block of West Washington Street is seen here about 1883. That’s the t...

Blog Post

McHistory: 33 years on the streetcar

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

Blog Post

Shirley by Horseback March 5, 1942

Earlier this week, we ran a photograph illustrating the severe WWII rubber shortage and its imp...

Blog Post

Society Horse Show Fans Field, Bloomington, 1953

Fans Field, an old minor league ballpark once located on Bloomington’s south side, off Main Str...

Blog Post

Farming in the Great Corn Belt

Digital Exhibit

3 items

1822 to 1852

Frontier farmers were faced with the challenge of producing enough livestock and crops to suppo...

Digital Exhibit

1853 to 1899: Feeding and Breeding Livestock

As McLean County farms grew in size, so too did the farmers' ability to raise livestock fo...

Digital Exhibit

1853 to 1899: Labor

The railroad arrived in 1853, bringing with it an influx of immigrants willing to provide labor...

Digital Exhibit

Finding Aids

3 items

4-H Federation / McLean County Fair Collection

The 4-H Federation is an aggregate of 4-H members from clubs in McLean County, grouped into one...

Finding Aid

Dairies Collection

Bloomington-Normal has been home to family dairies that delivered milk to customers since the m...

Finding Aid

Draft Horses Collection

The history of Norman horses in Normal is closely linked to the Dillon family, first known as E...

Finding Aid

Videos

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Lunch & Learn: A Fair to Remember - The History of McLean County Fairs

Video