Clubs and Hobbies

Articles

6 items

an elevated view of a street corner and building. Women in dresses walk down the sidewalk, a horse and buggy are parked on the street. Utility poles are in the foreground. Two larger brick buildings are behind the two-story frame building, each with large advertisements painted on them. The two story frame building has light colored siding, many windows, and awnings over the first story storefront.

Cigar shop was where old men came to talk (and nap)

In the late 1800s, there was no better place in Bloomington to grumble about the “gov’ment,” de...

Article

Dance marathons, walkathons once talk of the town

Although born out of the Roaring Twenties, dance marathons and walkathons peaked in popularity ...

Article

two light skinned women with short wavy hair stand next to each other looking at the camera. Amelia has a friendly closed-mouth smile and is wearing a long-sleeved black dress with large white collar. Next to her, Brenneman is wearing a dark dress with sheer sleeves.

Donation illuminates Earhart’s 1936 visit to Twin Cities

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the McLean County Museum of History to temporarily cl...

Article

Even Mr. Lincoln played marbles! This water color illustration by Rick Tuma appears in the video short “Lincoln: Recollections and Reminiscences,” featured in the McLean County Museum of History exhibit, “Abraham Lincoln in McLean County.”

Marbles popular with young and old alike of 19th century

Dr. Edwin M. Colburn, an early Bloomington physician, recalled the popularity of marbles and ot...

Article

14 light-skinned men stand and sit for a photograph. They all appear to be old, some elderly.

Taps for last Bloomington Civil War veteran in 1940

Today the median age of Korean War veterans is 88 years old, and as the ranks of these old sold...

Article

Turner Hall lost monument to German pride

More than a century ago, Turner Hall was the cultural hub of Bloomington’s large and influentia...

Article

Biographies

3 items

Hobbs, Dr. William C.

Dr. William Hobbs was born in Maryland on December 24, 1800. Very little is known about his lif...

Biography

Rhymer, Paul

Paul Rhymer (1905-1964) a Bloomington High School graduate, was considered one of the great wri...

Biography

Sanders, Isaac

Isaac Joshua Beasley Sanders was born in Little Rock, Arkansas on January 17, 1878. He was the ...

Biography

Blog

8 items

Darlene Bishop, Doll Collector Heyworth, August 1938

Twelve-year-old Darlene Bishop poses with her collection of 225 dolls in August 1938. Darlene, ...

Blog Post

Dr. Moate becomes proficient knitter April 1946

Dr. Thomas Moate, who practiced medicine in Gridley for 50 years, picked up knitting at the age...

Blog Post

Fifth annual Corn Belt Coin Show July 14-15, 1962

The two-day Corn Belt Coin Show in July 1962 was held at the Illinois Hotel (now Illinois House...

Blog Post

Herman Glaser, December 1952 Stanford’s Toy Maker

During the 1952 holiday season Stanford resident and retired farmer Herman Glaser displayed sev...

Blog Post

Mackinaw River catch, July 1940 Boolman residence, Bloomington

Chester Boolman, 820 W. Washington St., shows his 21-month-old son Melvin a 15-pound catfish he...

Blog Post

Photo of the Week, 108: Beekeeping During Wartime Sugar Shortage

In late February / early March 1942, Cropsey area farmer Edward Adams discussed the benefits of...

Blog Post

Pointer and Setter Club Field Trials, April 1946

That’s “Jake,” a pointer puppy owned by “bird dog man” G.S. Bryant of Springfield and handled h...

Blog Post

Springtime in “BloNo’ Iris Walk, 1939

Although you wouldn’t know it from this past weekend’s weather, the end of May and the beginnin...

Blog Post

Events

1 item

Crafting History: Remembering Rag Rugs

Join the McLean County Museum of History and the McLean County Arts Center for the first instal...

Event

Finding Aids

45 items

Aldrich, Frank W.

While Frank Aldrich was a banker by trade, he was remembered by many, locally and international...

Finding Aid

Antique Study Group

The Antique Study Groups were sponsored by the McLean County Cooperative Extension Service. Th...

Finding Aid

As You Like It Club

Organized in 1914 with twelve members, this women’s literary group has programs in members’ hom...

Finding Aid

Bloomington Club

The Bloomington Club was formed on September 13, 1886. The Club was the idea of a young lawyer,...

Finding Aid

Bloomington Gold (Corvette Show)

In 1973, the first Bloomington Corvette Corral event took place. By 1977, the Bloomington Corv...

Finding Aid

Bloomington History Club

The History Club of Bloomington was founded in 1880 as a group of women who would meet monthly ...

Finding Aid

Bloomington, Illinois Aviation 1920, 1930, 1940

Aviation buff Marion McClure donated these materials which he used in compiling a 1998 book ent...

Finding Aid

Bloomington-Normal Garden Club

The Bloomington-Normal Garden Club was formed in 1931, originally part of the Art Association. ...

Finding Aid

Bloomington-Normal Junior Women’s Club

Women’s Clubs began to form in 1890 when the General Federation of Women’s Clubs organized. Ill...

Finding Aid

Castalian Club

Twelve members of the Travel Club resigned and formed the Castalian Club at the home of Sara Ha...

Finding Aid

Central Social Club (Randolph Township)

The Central Social Club, originally known as the Diamond Grove Club, was a women’s club origina...

Finding Aid

Clio Club Collection

In 1895, the idea for a literary club took root at the home of Nannie Orme Dyson. Nannie was t...

Finding Aid

Community Players

In 1923 a women's club met in Bloomington and discussed creating a group to perform some a...

Finding Aid

Corn Belt Philatelic Society

This collection includes Corn Belt Philatelic Society Chatter Newsletters for Dec 1965 through ...

Finding Aid

Deffenbaugh (Kent) Jaycees Collection

Kent Deffenbaugh was the president of the Bloomington Normal Jaycees for the fiscal year 1969 –...

Finding Aid

Diaries Collection

Diaries from 1848-1960, information on diarists, and supporting documents....

Finding Aid

Ezra M. Prince

Ezra Prince, a prolific local historian, was born in Maine in 1831. He attended Harvard Univers...

Finding Aid

Finley, Ada Collection

Ada was born in Hudson, Illinois, to George and Josie Lentz on July 19, 1898. She married Steph...

Finding Aid

Four O’ Clock History Club

In October 1888, twelve young women met after school to launch the Four O’ Clock History Club. ...

Finding Aid

Fuller, Margaret Club

The Margaret Fuller Club met for the first time on January 30, 1893, at the home of Emma Brown ...

Finding Aid

Grand Prairie Bird Alliance Collection

The first Audubon Society in McLean County was called the Cardinal Audubon Club, organized in 1...

Finding Aid

Helen Littleton Burns Postcard Collection

This remarkable collection is comprised of postcards sent to and collected by Helen Littleton B...

Finding Aid

Huber, Dale Railroad Ephemera

Dale Huber (1917-1985) was born April 15, 1917, in Gridley, Illinois. He married Opal Drake on ...

Finding Aid

Jennie Rayburn Diaries

The collection consists primarily of Jennie’s diaries covering the years of her widowhood (1925...

Finding Aid

Knife & Fork Club

Knife and Fork Club International is a social dinner club with chapters in cities across the Un...

Finding Aid

KodaRoamers Camera Club

The KodaRoamers was formed organized in September 1944. The aim of this photography group, acco...

Finding Aid

Kuerth, Hester Adams Cookbook

Hester Adams Kuerth (1891-1982) was a fifty-year member of the McLean County Home Extension. S...

Finding Aid

Lake Run Club

The Lake Run Club was founded by two running enthusiasts who, due to a race cancellation in an ...

Finding Aid

Longfellow Club

The Longfellow Club dates to April 6, 1882 when Miss Alice Suddeth, assisted by Miss Mae Sherwi...

Finding Aid

May Christian Collection

Annie May Christian (she went by May for most of her life) was born in Decatur, Illinois, in 18...

Finding Aid

Moraine View State Recreation Area

This collection includes newspaper clippings from 1941 through 1985, plus manuscript histories ...

Finding Aid

Normal Avenue Neighborhood Club

The Normal Avenue Neighborhood Club was formed in the Spring of 1931 by Irene Buzzard and Elsie...

Finding Aid

Normal Community Garden Club

In the summer of 1939 nine women were invited to meet at the home of Mrs. Wm. (Hattie) Dickey t...

Finding Aid

Normal History Club

In the late 1800s, life in a small university town did not offer many opportunities for artisti...

Finding Aid

Normal Literary Center Collection

An adult study group, the Normal Literary Center was founded in 1896 and celebrated its 100th a...

Finding Aid

Old Settlers Association of Eastern McLean County

From 1885 to 1915, self-described “old settlers” of eastern McLean County held an annual picnic...

Finding Aid

One O’Clock Schoolers Club

The One O’Clock Schoolers Club is a social club whose members reside in or resided in the 500-6...

Finding Aid

Patrinmar Bridge Club

The Patrinmar Bridge Club was a club for Catholic women, established in 1928 by the Rev. Stephe...

Finding Aid

Philomathean Reading Circle

The Philomathean Reading Circle served as an all-in-one history, literary, art, travel, and cur...

Finding Aid

Phonograph and Audio

This collection includes audio recordings of speeches, meetings, and music on cassettes, reels,...

Finding Aid

Silverleaf Community Club (Normal Township) 1918 – 1962

The Silverleaf Club Collection materials range from 1924 to 1962. The club's minutes make ...

Finding Aid

Travel Club

This collection contains program booklets (1906-2009), meeting minutes, treasurers documents, c...

Finding Aid

Turners in Bloomington

William “Bill” Adams (1927-2013) grew up in a family which participated in the Turner organizat...

Finding Aid

Woman's Club of Bloomington-Normal

The Woman’s Club of Bloomington-Normal collection consists of two boxes. The dates of the mate...

Finding Aid

Wood, Lois Postcard

This is a collection of over 250 postcards collected by Lois Wood over the years to show life i...

Finding Aid

Publications

2 items

Home Town in the Corn Belt, Volume 2: Entertainments and Pastimes

In this volume of Home Town on the Corn Belt, articles ranging from Bloomington Chautauqua to M...

Publication

Home Town in the Corn Belt, Volume 5: Home Town Clubs and Organizations

In this volume of Home Town on the Corn Belt, articles ranging from The Amateur Musical Club to...

Publication

Research

1 item

Post Amerikan

Held by the MCMH and digitized by Eastern Illinois University. The Post Amerikan began publicat...

Article

Videos

1 item

Lunch & Learn -- Arcadia: America's Playable Arcade Museum

Video