These oral histories and photographs present a rich picture of Black family life in McLean County.
Interviewees include teachers, domestic workers, restaurant and other business
owners, barbers and office workers. These people and their experiences represent
many hidden stories, and their contributions to local Black history are unique.
The Bloomington-Normal Black History Project was founded in 1982, and it's collections
span the 19th and 20th centuries. The collection contains photographs and portraits,
booklets, articles and photocopies related to clubs, organizations and churches
of the local Black community. In 1989 the Black History Project was affiliated
with the McLean County Historical Society, which serves as a repository for the
Project's collections.
| Name | Dates | Summary |
| Wilbur Barton | 1914 - living | Early Normal family, ISNU grad & athlete, WWII veteran, teacher/principal |
| Howard & Elaine Bell | 1922 - living, 1923 - living | Early Bloomington family, WWII veteran, Depression era history, Elaine was active in community service. |
| Richard & Rose Anna Bell | 1910 - 1988, 1909 - living | Business owner and farmer, Rose Anna from early McLean County family, Illinois Soldiers & Sailors Home, domestic |
| Robert & Lillian Boykin | 1896 - 1989, 1908 - 1999 | Social clubs, Union Baptist Church, domestic,yard & railroad work, farm life & sharecropping in the South |
| Lue Anna Clark | 1892 - 1992 | Father was slave, WWI era restaurant business, boarding of ISNU students |
| Kathryn Dean | 1910 - 2001 | State Farm Ins. employee, civic & social clubs, grandfather was Civil War veteran |
| Robert Gaston | 1918 - 1993 | Barber, WWII veteran, Chamber of Commerce Board member |
| Claude Hursey | 1905 - 1990 | 3rd Ward Club (owner), African-American businesses in Bloomington, Republican, WWI era memories, Revy Rhoades |
| Merlin & Beulah Kennedy | 1926 - living, 1923 - 2002 | Active in civil rights, NAACP, Youth Council, employment & housing issues |
| Ethel Murray | 1917 - 1990 | Domestic for prominent families, social service work, civic & social clubs |
| Lucinda Posey | 1908 - 2000 | Pre-Civil war Bloomington family, Dir. of Medical Records (Brokaw Hospital), community & civic boards, Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church |
| Josephine Samuels & Reginald Whittaker | 1919 - 1999, 1925 - living | Normal, IL family, business, work at Woolworth's, GTE, Baha'i |
| Roy & Delores Shavers | 1905 - 1990, 1902 - 1998 | Melody Gospel Choir, African-American business in Bloomington & Clinton, St. Mary's Catholic Church |
| Oscar & Ruth Waddell | 1917 - 1990, 1923 - living | WWII veteran, skilled employment at GE, breaking employment barriers, home ownership, Willis Stearles |
| Caribel Washington | 1914 - living | Depression era, early civil rights work, YWCA, Wayman A.M.E. Church, civic work, WIlliam Shields |
Except where otherwise noted, the materials displayed herein are
copyright of the McLean County Historical Society.
copyright of the McLean County Historical Society.
Permission is granted for use by non-for-profit educational organizations and libraries.
Any commercial use or publication of these materials is prohibited
Any commercial use or publication of these materials is prohibited
A special thanks to Jack Muirhead who transcribed most of the tapes, provided biographical materials, did extensive research to verify spellings and other information, assisted in locating and choosing images, and put together the bibliography.
Thanks also to Bill LaBounty and David Leatherman for providing technical expertise.
Pat Hamilton, Librarian/Archivist of the McLean County Museum of History coordinated the project.
Candace Leatherman is responsible for the design and implementation of the project as well as image scanning and editing.
The Illinois Digital Archives located at: http://eli.sls.lib.il.us/ida/
