On the Square Blog
March 7th, 2016
Boost Bigger, Beautiful Bloomington! C&A Shop Expansion Fund Button, 1910
The “Page from Our Past” column in Sunday March 6, 2016 Pantagraph told how area residents raised more than $165,000 in the spring of 1910 to expand the Chicago & Alton Railroad Shops on Bloomington’s west side.Buttons like this one, mentioned in the column, were sold to help raise funds. The...
1 mins read by Bill Kemp
March 5th, 2016
Home Sweet Home Mission, 1923 1006 W. Washington St., Bloomington
Home Sweet Home City Rescue Mission (now known as Home Sweet Home Ministries) has provided “food, shelter, and hope to the hungry, homeless, and hurting” since 1917. Back in 1923, Home Sweet Home operated two store front missions in Bloomington, one downtown at 111 S. Main St., and this one on th...
1 mins read by Bill Kemp
March 4th, 2016
Jerry Sohl Shoots for the Stars August 1958
After twelve years as a Pantagraph reporter, Gerald “Jerry” Sohl (left) decided to pick up his family and head to California to become a full-time science fiction and fantasy writer.Seen here are his wife Jean Gordon, son Allan, and daughters Marty and Jennifer (we’re not sure who’s who, daughter...
1 mins read by Bill Kemp
March 3rd, 2016
Normal’s West Side Aerial, c. 1954
Wow, how the Town of Normal has changed since 1954! If you’re having trouble getting your bearings, the view is to the northeast. “A” indicates the community of Towanda; “B” Illinois State Normal University Farm; “C” ISNU campus; “D” Normal Community High School; “E” Oakdale Elementary School; “F...
1 mins read by Bill Kemp
March 1st, 2016
Normal Firefighters Undated
These tough guys are Normal volunteer firefighters, though the photo is undated and no one is identified.For much of the town’s history, Normal’s fire department was operated on a volunteer basis. The department went professional in 1969, and nine years later, in 1978, Normal firefighters organiz...
1 mins read by Bill Kemp
February 29th, 2016
IAA Dedication September 1961
More than 15,000 folks attended the dedication of the Illinois Agricultural Association headquarters on September 7, 1961. This aerial photograph, with a view to the southeast, was taken that very same day!If you’re having trouble figuring out what’s what, perhaps we can help. “A” is Hilltop Road...
1 mins read by Bill Kemp
February 27th, 2016
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 wintered in the Twin Cities. Who remembers some of the barns around town that were used by aerial acts for off-season training?...
1 mins read by Bill Kemp
February 26th, 2016
Annual YMCA Circus Downtown Bloomington, March 1938 Part 1
For nearly a century, Bloomington-Normal served as winter training grounds for trapeze artists and aerial acrobats from across the country. Thus it’s not surprising that the local Y’s annual circus show featured not only local amateur talent but big-time national acts as well.Seen here are C.W. B...
1 mins read by Bill Kemp
February 25th, 2016
Illinois Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs Annual Convention, Bloomington 1918
The Illinois Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs held its nineteenth convention in Bloomington in late August 1918. Seen here are convention goers gathered before Wayman African Methodist Episcopal (Wayman A M E Church) Church at 804 N. Center St. The banner reads: “Loyalty to Women and Justice t...
1 mins read by Bill Kemp
February 24th, 2016
When Every Small Town Had a High School … Stanford High, 1936
Long before successive waves of school consolidation beginning apace in the late 1940s, every small town had their own high school. The Village of Stanford in Allin Township, located west of Bloomington, was no exception. Seen here is the 1920 Stanford High School. The view is looking to the nort...
1 mins read by Bill Kemp
February 23rd, 2016
American Passion Play Behind the Curtain, 1963
The American Passion Play, staged in Bloomington since 1923, is the oldest such retelling of the story of Christ in the nation. Seen here are last-minute preparations during the 40th season, which opened on Sunday, March 24, 1963.Who has fond memories of the Passion Play?...
1 mins read by Bill Kemp
February 21st, 2016
Downtown Bloomington, April 1948 East Side of Courthouse Square
This photograph showing the 200 block of North Main Street was snapped on April 4, 1948.Looking left to right, one can see Kresge,’s, Biasi’s Drug Store, and Jefferson Cafeteria, among other stores. Who remembers Biasi’s?In the upper right corner you'll see a Google Street View image of the ...
1 mins read by Bill Kemp
February 19th, 2016
BHS Athletic Field Undated Aerial
This undated view of Bloomington High School’s Athletic Field is looking southeast. “A” signifies Bloomington Country Club; “B” Elmwood Road; “C” Colton Avenue; and “D” Locust Street.Opened in 1927, this facility was first known as Davis Field, named for U.S. Supreme Court Justice and Bloomington...
1 mins read by Bill Kemp
February 18th, 2016
When Paperboys Were … Boys Pantagraph Carriers, May 1929
These lively lads were earning a life’s worth of lessons as Pantagraph paperboys back in the spring of 1929. Unfortunately, these carriers are unidentified. Can anyone help us identify these boys? And who has had memories of delivering The Pantagraph?...
1 mins read by Bill Kemp
February 17th, 2016
Lakeside Country Club Aerial 1930
Established in 1923, Lakeside Country Club made use of a former clay brick and tile pit enjoying a second life as a small recreational lake. The view here is looking northeast.If you’re having trouble orientating yourself, perhaps we can help. “A” is Croxton Avenue; “B” the site of today’s Holida...
1 mins read by Bill Kemp
February 16th, 2016
Fourth Generation American Passion Play, 1961
The American Passion Play, staged right here in Bloomington, is the nation’s oldest such staging of the story of Christ. The former Scottish Rite Consistory Temple (now the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts) serves as the play’s traditional home.Seen here is five-year-old John Ald...
1 mins read by Bill Kemp
February 15th, 2016
Chiddix Junior High, Normal Early 1960s
Seen here is an early photograph of the International-style inspired Chiddix Jr High School, the work of the Normal-based architectural firm of Middleton Associates. Chiddix opened in April 1961.The late Keith Middleton, principal architect and president of Middleton Associates from 1955 to 1996,...
1 mins read by Bill Kemp
February 14th, 2016
Randolph from On High Undated Aerial
Central Illinois is dotted with the tiniest of communities that owe their existence to the railroad boom of the nineteenth century. Many of these places featured a pocket-sized train station, grain elevator, livestock pens, and a small cluster of residential and commercial buildings.One such rail...
February 12th, 2016
Second Presbyterian Church block Pre-Parking Lot Mania
This undated aerial shows a section of the east side of downtown Bloomington prior to the loss of much of the built environment to surface parking lots. Everything in the L-shaped blue box is gone, replaced by surface parking for State Farm Insurance and Second Presbyterian (Second Pres). The red...
1 mins read by Bill Kemp
February 10th, 2016
Lost Treasure of Bloomington First Church of Christ, Scientist
Designed by Bloomington architect Arthur L. Pillsbury, this Classical Revival-style First Church of Christ, Scientist featured a Greek temple entry and a copper dome, making it one of the most distinctive buildings in the Twin Cities. It was located at the southwest corner of Prairie and Monroe s...
1 mins read by Bill Kemp
February 9th, 2016
Bohemian Bloomington Evans Building, December 1947
In the mid-1940s, the Evans Building earned the nickname “Little Greenwich Village” due to all the colorful characters that made the downtown high-rise their home or place of business. The Evans is actually two buildings—one fronting Jefferson Street and the other Main Street—which together form ...
1 mins read by Bill Kemp
February 8th, 2016
Anchor School Circa 1900
The small community of Anchor, located in the northeastern corner of McLean County, was once home to this attractive 1896 school building. In 1949, the neighboring rural communities of Anchor, Cooksville, and Colfax consolidated to form Octavia High School, which was located in Colfax, the larges...
1 mins read by Bill Kemp
February 7th, 2016
Miller Park and Bloomington’s West Side Undated Aerial
This undated view, looking north, shows Miller Park and much of Bloomington’s west side as seen from on high.“A” shows the Chicago & Alton Railroad Shops; “B” a till pile from the McLean County Coal Co. mine; “C” the former site of St. Joseph’s Hospital; “D” the 1906 Miller Park Pavilion desi...
1 mins read by Bill Kemp
February 5th, 2016
American Passion Play Backstage Laughs, 1954
Every spring Delmar D. Darrah’s theatrical retelling of “the greatest story ever told” is brought back to life on the local stage. The American Passion Play tells the story of Christ and his crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. The former Scottish Rite Consistory Temple (now the Bloomington ...
1 mins read by Bill Kemp
February 4th, 2016
North Center Street, circa 1935 Downtown Bloomington
This lovely view of the 300 and 400 blocks of North Center Street, looking north, offers plenty of “eye candy” for the local history buff. For instance, on the far left is the Illinois Hotel, now known as the Illinois House. The hotel also included a barber shop, cafe (note the sign), and cigar s...
2 mins read by Bill Kemp
February 3rd, 2016
‘Union’ Depot, December 1979 Bloomington’s West Side
Opened in 1913, Union Depot (also known as Bloomington Depot) was located just south of West Washington Street on the west side of the Chicago & Alton Railroad tracks. In 1979, this line was used by Amtrak for passenger service but owned by Illinois Central Gulf Railroad. Today this mainline ...
1 mins read by Bill Kemp
February 2nd, 2016
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, not a sideline,” read a grand opening advertisement from the January 11, 1954 Pantagraph. Located on the 200 block of West Washington Street in downtown Bloomington, Home TV lasted a year or two before i...
1 mins read by Bill Kemp
January 30th, 2016
Carlock from the Air Circa 1930
The Village of Carlock, established in 1888, is seen here in an undated but circa 1930 aerial. The view is northwest. “A” shows the Lake Erie & Western Railroad line (now Norfolk Southern) ; “B” is U.S. 150; “C” is Farmers State Bank of Carlock (now the Carlock Public Library District main bu...
January 28th, 2016
Dedication of Holton Homes Bloomington’s West Side, July 1954
Several hundred folks sat in the shade of a box elder tree on Sunday, July 11, 1954, for the dedication of Bloomington’s new public housing project. The featured speaker was Charles E. Slusser, commissioner of the Public Housing Administration in Washington, D.C. Slusser attended Bloomington High...
1 mins read by Bill Kemp
January 27th, 2016
Bloomington’s “Great West Side” July 1932
This aerial view, taken on July 20, 1932, shows the near west side of Bloomington. The view is looking northeast.“A” marks the western edge of downtown Bloomington; “B” the once-bustling commercial district along the 1000 block of West Washington Street; “C” Union Depot, the Chicago & Alton R...
1 mins read by Bill Kemp