Entertainment

Articles

23 items

Bloomington home to world champion singing mouse

“The voice that spanned continents and oceans to win international acclaim is forever stilled,”...

Article

Buck Mann Park hidden west side gem

Tucked away on Bloomington’s far west side, Buck Mann Park is one of the lovelier, out-of-the-w...

Article

Colonial Theatre once Colfax mainstay

As with most small town movie houses, the Colonial Theatre in Colfax offered area residents mor...

Article

Community Christmas ‘sing’ once annual event

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the cancellation of countless holiday gatherings, school pagea...

Article

Dance marathons, walkathons once talk of the town

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

Article

Duke Ellington big draw in Twin Cities

Someone once said, presumably half in earnest and half in jest, that American contributions to ...

Article

Hollywood Legends Brought Local Author’s Novel to Silver Screen

Bloomington writer Harold Sinclair always looked a little out of place, whether it was standing...

Article

Located at the corner of Madison and Monroe streets in downtown Bloomington, this building served as the McLean County jail from 1882 to 1977.

Homemade Christmas dinner once a McLean County jail tradition

“Unfortunate souls who spend Christmas Day in the county jail will at least have a tasty dinner...

Article

ISU held racially segregated spring dances in the 1930s and ’40s

The racial climate throughout the United States deteriorated steadily in the first quarter of t...

Article

Julia Vrooman brought jazz to WW I doughboys

“Julia Scott Vrooman has always been in the news,” noted The Pantagraph in early October 1976. ...

Article

Mandolin enjoyed ‘golden age’ in late 19th century

“The members of the Lotus Club last evening entertained their lady friends at their rooms on No...

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

May Christian, forever her own woman

“I was always too independent,” Bloomington resident Annie May Christian confided in a remarkab...

Article

Million-dollar cartoonist got start in Bloomington

Although nearly forgotten today, Bloomington-born artist Sid Smith was a towering figure in Ame...

Article

New Year’s Eve 1919 meant hope for better times

One hundred years ago, New Year’s Eve 1919 brought hope for better days to come. After all, the...

Article

Notorious silent movie drew local protests

The 1915 silent film “The Birth of a Nation” is acclaimed today as one of the greatest achievem...

Article

Pantagraph reporter turns sci-fi writer

You might’ve missed it, but Thursday, Nov. 10, marked the 50th anniversary of the first airing ...

Article

Regan stands in the middle of the photo surrounded by women

Reagan’s conservatism forged during years with GE

U.S. President Ronald Reagan was no stranger to Bloomington-Normal, though most of his visits o...

Article

TV’s early years included short-lived Bloomington station

Strange thought it may seem, in the early, golden days of commercial television there was an AB...

Article

Twin Cities once hosted own Chautauqua

“The most American thing in America.” That’s what Theodore Roosevelt said of the Chautauqua mov...

Article

Undertaker’s invoice window into Bloomington’s rich past

As a not-for-profit institution, the McLean County Museum of History depends on the generosity ...

Article

Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad passenger train rumbling through Bloomington's west side.

West side Subway Club earned notoriety in late ’50s

Try as he might, Bloomington Mayor Robert McGraw could not close the Subway Club, an afterhours...

Article

‘Welby and Pearl,’ minstrel act with local roots

For the better part of four decades, friends Jacob Welby Bucher and Charles Carroll Fell of Blo...

Article

Biographies

13 items

Crothers, Rachel

Rachel Crothers was a playwright and theatrical director known for her well-crafted plays that ...

Biography

Delroy, Irene

Josephine “Joey” Lucille Sanders was born on July 21, 1900 to Royal W. and Della (Soverns) Sand...

Biography

Green, Fred -"The Flying LaVans"

“The Flying La Vans,” were first known by the name the “La Van Brothers” or the “Brothers La Va...

Biography

Green, Harry -"The Flying LaVans"

“The Flying La Vans,” were first known by the name the “La Van Brothers” or the “Brothers La Va...

Biography

Holder, Julia

Julia Montrose Holder was on born December 24, 1884 in Bloomington, Illinois to Dan and Kate (S...

Biography

Jackman, John

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

Biography

Noble, Clyde Van

Clyde Van Noble (1881-1955) became a jeweler’s apprentice as a teenager and had a promising car...

Biography

Noble, Emily Vecchi

Emily (Vecchi) Noble was born on Church Street in London, England on February 4, 1886 to Enrico...

Biography

Rhymer, Paul

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

Biography

Schroeder, Baroness Maria von Buchau

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

Biography

Schroeder, Dr. Herman

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

Biography

Shipley, Richard

Richard Shipley, like many young people of his day, became captivated with the circus. Not only...

Biography

Stokes, Ella Lee

Ella Lee Luallen is one of many important voices in the Black history of McLean County. She was...

Biography

Blog

22 items

American Passion Play Backstage Laughs, 1954

Every spring Delmar D. Darrah’s theatrical retelling of “the greatest story ever told” is broug...

Blog Post

American Passion Play Behind the Curtain, 1963

The American Passion Play, staged in Bloomington since 1923, is the oldest such retelling of th...

Blog Post

Annual YMCA Circus Downtown Bloomington, March 1938 Part 1

For nearly a century, Bloomington-Normal served as winter training grounds for trapeze artists ...

Blog Post

Annual YMCA Circus Downtown Bloomington, March 1938 Part 2

Seen here are two members of the Billetti Troupe, a nationally touring high-wire act that winte...

Blog Post

Backstage, Majestic Theatre Bloomington, undated

This undated photo shows Bill Dorothy (left) and James “Pop” Tucker working the backstage area ...

Blog Post

Big Dance in Colfax—100 years ago!

Museum volunteer Amy Miller recently donated a sizable collection of dance cards and other loca...

Blog Post

Community Players Groundbreaking December 7, 1960

On December 7, 1960, Community Players Theatre broke ground for the playhouse on 201 Robinhood ...

Blog Post

Corny Christmas Contest, 1934 Guess the Number of Kernels

Back in December 1934, the Bloomington Association of Commerce (now the McLean County Chamber o...

Blog Post

Depression-Era Skaters Bloomington, Circa 1930s

This lovely photo is a mystery. The year, location, and those pictured are unknown.If you can h...

Blog Post

Ebony Affair: The Fight to Keep Black Voices on the Air

Blog Post

Fourth Generation American Passion Play, 1961

The American Passion Play, staged right here in Bloomington, is the nation’s oldest such stagin...

Blog Post

Home TV Storefront, 1954 216 W. Washington St., Bloomington

Cecil M. Carlock opened Home TV sales and repair in January 1954.”Television is our business, n...

Blog Post

LeRoy Centennial Parade October 19, 1935

A merchant’s parade was one of the highlights of LeRoy’s three-day centennial celebration, Octo...

Blog Post

LeRoy Centennial Queen October 19, 1935

This photo was taken of the LeRoy Centennial parade, held back in 1935. Rose Mae Bishop (seated...

Blog Post

LeRoy Fall Festival September 1963

The 1963 LeRoy Fall festival was held over four days, September 4-7. Billed as “Illinois larges...

Blog Post

Lexington Dog Show July 31, 1940

Seen here are 5 of the 30 some entries for the children’s dog show, held July 31, 1940, in Lexi...

Blog Post

McHistory: Paul Rhymer, the man who put Bloomington 'on the air'

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

Blog Post

October Means ‘Rocktober’ Kickapoo Creek Rock Festival Aerials, May 31, 1970

The Kickapoo Creek Rock Festival was held outside of the McLean County community of Heyworth on...

Blog Post

Photo of the Week, 118: Acid Flashback! Local Rock Festival Held 45 Years Ago

This weekend marks the 45th anniversary of the Kickapoo Creek Rock Festival held outside of the...

Blog Post

Photo of the Week, 25: Et tu, Brute? “Julius Caesar” at the Consistory, 1931

Long before the 1978 inaugural season of what would become the Illinois Shakespeare Festival (h...

Blog Post

Photo of the Week, 7: Oasis Drive-In, Lexington, 1961

Who's ready for warm weather? Built by Elmo and Arline Winterland in 1960, the Oasis Drive...

Blog Post

Photo of the Week: Dolls On Parade O’Neil Park, July 1939

The once-annual O’Neil Park doll parade on Bloomington’s west side prepares to get underway, Fr...

Blog Post

Events

1 item

Slow Art Day on Route 66

The Museum is excited to join 15 other local arts organizations in celebrating Slow Art Day on ...

Event

Finding Aids

64 items

Annette, Mme

Perhaps the best local newspaper reporter at the turn of the century wrote for the Bulletin and...

Finding Aid

Arthur Drake School Band of America Collection

The School Band of America – School Chorus of America was founded July 1, 1959 and established ...

Finding Aid

Barbershoppers

The Bloomington Chapter of the SPEBSQSA was originally named the Bloomington Harmony Club. The...

Finding Aid

Baseball Collection

View the finding aid for our archival baseball collection...

Finding Aid

Behr, Lincoln A. Theater Program

Lincoln A. Behr was born in Bloomington June 18, 1896. Behr enjoyed going to the theater as a ...

Finding Aid

Beyond Normal Films

The collection includes some newspaper clippings from 1996 through 2018 about the organization,...

Finding Aid

Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts (BCPA)

The Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts (BCPA) occupies a site built in 1921 to house Th...

Finding Aid

Bloomington Gold (Corvette Show)

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

Finding Aid

Bloomington Sesquicentennial

Bloomington celebrated its 150th birthday with a free, family-friendly downtown festival on Sat...

Finding Aid

Calendar Collection

This collection includes calendars from 1888 to present, most with connections to McLean County...

Finding Aid

Castle Theater

The Castle Theater opened on Nov. 21st, 1904 in Bloomington, Illinois. During its initial run, ...

Finding Aid

Central Illinois Art Exposition, Scottish Rite Temple, March 19 – April 8, 1939

The Central Illinois Art Exposition was possibly the most successful diversion in McLean County...

Finding Aid

Century of Progress Collection

A Century of Progress International Exposition, also known as The Chicago World's Fair, wa...

Finding Aid

Children’s Theater Association of Bloomington-Normal

The Children’s Theatre was the brainchild of Martha Mary Vybiral to promote children’s theatre ...

Finding Aid

Circus

Circuses had been visiting the area for many years when around 1875 a small wagon circus came 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 Bowl

A true “Middle West” tradition: college football on Thanksgiving Day. The Corn Bowl was sponsor...

Finding Aid

Corn on the Curb 2000

Corn-on-the-Curb, inspired by Chicago’s “Cows on Parade” in 1999, was conceived by Mayor Judy M...

Finding Aid

Crothers, Rachel

Rachel Crothers (1870/78 - 1958) was born in Bloomington to Drs. Eli Kirk Crothers and Marie Lo...

Finding Aid

Dance Card

Dance cards usually listed the specific dances to be performed and provided lines for ladies to...

Finding Aid

Dowell, Joe

Joseph Harry Dowell (1940-2016) was born January 23, 1940 in Bloomington, Indiana. Joe began w...

Finding Aid

East Bay Camp

The collection includes correspondence involving camp founders, newspaper clippings, camp newsl...

Finding Aid

Euleo Puppets

Sisters Eunice Speer and Leona S. Pitzer organized a puppet theatre in the late 1960s and named...

Finding Aid

Folsom, Elizabeth Irons

Elizabeth Irons Folsom was born in Peoria, Illinois, in 1876. She moved to Bloomington as a yo...

Finding Aid

Game Designers' Workshop

The Game Designers' Workshop Collection contains material about the war-games and science ...

Finding Aid

Hart, James

Born in Lawndale, Illinois, in 1882, James “Jimmie” Michael Hart was initially reared in Atlant...

Finding Aid

Heartland Theatre Company

Finding Aid

Hitch, Fred

Frederick A. Hitch (1882-1947) resided in Bloomington his entire life. After graduating from Il...

Finding Aid

Hoppe, Jim

Jim Hoppe is an avid lover of history and McLean County. He has written manuscripts about vario...

Finding Aid

Illinois Shakespeare Festival

In 1978 the Illinois Shakespeare Festival was established. The Festival is held each summer on ...

Finding Aid

Irvin, Clarence E.

Clarence Edgar Irvin owned and operated several Bloomington theaters. He was the founder of Ir...

Finding Aid

Jones, Ethel Pearle Smith

This collection contains the prose, poetry and plays written by Ethel Pearle Smith Jones, and s...

Finding Aid

Kickapoo Creek Rock Festival

On Memorial Day weekend in 1970 an estimated 60,000 people, mostly hippies and college-age stud...

Finding Aid

Lincolns in Town

The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission of McLean County was formed jointly by Bloomington,...

Finding Aid

McLean County Basketball Tournament

One of the longest-running tournaments in the state, the McLean County Basketball Tournament is...

Finding Aid

McLean County Ethnographies

Illinois State University anthropology professor Dr. Rob Dirks collected essays from his studen...

Finding Aid

McLean County Sesquicentennial Committee

The McLean County Sesquicentennial Celebration commemorated the founding of McLean County 150 y...

Finding Aid

Miller Park

This collection contains various newspaper articles associated with Miller Park, programs from ...

Finding Aid

Morgan, Charles

Charles Morgan, a carpenter by trade, started his diaries in 1896. In his earliest days he was...

Finding Aid

Myers, John F.

Born in 1834 in Kentucky, John Frances Myers came to McLean County as an infant and grew up on ...

Finding Aid

Pantagraph Comics

The Pantagraph added a locally developed "Wilson and Phyllis" cartoon to their Sunday...

Finding Aid

Phonograph and Audio

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

Finding Aid

Reis, Evelyn

Evelyn Reis, also known as Evy, was born on September 17, 1918 in Chenoa, Illinois. She is a w...

Finding Aid

Rhymer, Paul

Vic and Sade was a radio show (1932 – 1945) and short lived television show (1957) created by P...

Finding Aid

Sanders, Josephine ("Irene Delroy") / Pike-Sanders

This collection includes scrapbooks, posters, and photographs from Irene Delroy’s career. It a...

Finding Aid

Sharp, Dorothy

This small collection contains photos, a scrapbook, programs, newspaper clippings and an ID car...

Finding Aid

Sheet Music

This collection includes approximately 750 individual pieces of sheet music, booklets and books...

Finding Aid

Sinclair, Harold

During his life, Sinclair published a trilogy—American Years (1938), Years of Growth (1940), an...

Finding Aid

Smith, Sidney

Robert Sidney "Sid" Smith (1873-1935) was born in Bloomington, Illinois, on February ...

Finding Aid

Sohl, Jerry

This collection contains biographical material, newspaper articles, bibliographies, examples of...

Finding Aid

Sports Cards

The collection holds commercially printed sports (or trading) cards featuring individuals assoc...

Finding Aid

State Farm Classic

One of the largest co-ed holiday basketball tournaments in the nation, the State Farm Classic b...

Finding Aid

Steele, Nelle Theater

Nelle Hefner Steele (1902-1985) was born in Lexington and began teaching in 1933 in rural schoo...

Finding Aid

Tate, H. Clay

“Building a Better Home Town,” by H. Clay Tate was published in 1954. He wrote from his experie...

Finding Aid

Tucker, Wilson

This collection contains biographical material, newspaper articles, bibliographies, several sci...

Finding Aid

Vera Pearl Kemp Scrapbooks Collection

Vera Pearl Kemp was born December 19, 1895 at London, Kentucky, daughter of James and Cora Pear...

Finding Aid

WGLT Program Guides and Annual Reports

Finding Aid

WIHN

This collection spans from 1970 to 1977. The collection contains balance sheets, newspaper cli...

Finding Aid

WJBC Radio

The WJBC Radio Collection consists of eight boxes and 41 folders containing materials ranging f...

Finding Aid

WLS Barn Dance

WLS Radio’s National Barn Dance was one of the most popular and longest running programs on rad...

Finding Aid

Webb, Sidney

Sidney Webb was born on December 28, 1899 in Leicester, England. He came to America with his pa...

Finding Aid

Williamson, Doug WJBC Forum

Doug Williamson, born in Bloomington 8-8-1943, lived in Bloomington-Normal most of his life and...

Finding Aid

World's Columbian Exposition

The World's Columbian Exposition was a world's fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebr...

Finding Aid

“Hank and Rita” Film Project

After driving to Minneapolis, MN, in October 2015, to see a performance of “Hank and Rita: A Ba...

Finding Aid

Making a Home

1 item

Livingston Family

In 1860 Hannah Eliel, age nine, boarded the sailing ship Clobus with her teenage sisters Betty ...

Digital Exhibit

Oral Histories

1 item

Claude Hursey

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

Oral History

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

Rituals and Passages: 75 Years of The American Passion Play

Since time immemorial, humans have demonstrated devotion to their God or gods through many medi...

Publication

Research

1 item

Post Amerikan

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

Article

Speakers Bureau

7 items

A History of the Evergreen Cemetery Walk

Speakers Bureau

Artists, Advocates, Acrobats, and More! Women Who Made McLean County History

Speakers Bureau

Dine with the Dead: Cemetery Customs and Traditions of Days Gone By

Speakers Bureau

McLean County Lost: An Illustrated Tour of Vanished Worlds

Speakers Bureau

The Showmen's Final Resting Place

Speakers Bureau

To Be a Writer, One Has To Be a Reader: the Life and Work of Clara Louise Kessler

Speakers Bureau

Wet or Dry? - Prohibition in McLean County, 1920-1933

Speakers Bureau

Videos

6 items

Artists, Advocates, Acrobats, & More! Women Who Made McLean County History

Video

Growing up Gen X

Video

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

Video

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

Video

Lunch & Learn: Game Development with Ben Rosset and Jamie Mathy

Video

Lunch & Learn: The Wizard of Oz in Illinois and Beyond

Video

Working for a Living

2 items

Circus Performers

Troupes of circus performers arrived in Bloomington as early as the 1860s. It wasn’t long after...

Digital Exhibit

Sid Smith

Many local visual artists have created works of beauty. But Sid Smith used his creative talents...

Digital Exhibit