The McLean County Museum of History will dedicate a new historical marker created to share the story of Normal's early African American residents and mark the location of the Simon Malone home on the southeast corner near Kingsley Jr. High (303 Kingsley St.) in Normal.
The dedication ceremony will commence at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, July 20, 2023.
Attendees may park in the Kingsley Jr. High parking lot and walk a short distance southeast to the marker's location on the corner of Kingsley St. and Hale St. Please note that seating will not be provided, and attendees are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs if they wish to sit during the ceremony.
Simon Malone was one of the first African American residents in Normal, Illinois, settling there around 1867. Two years later, he and his family settled in a house at 504 Kingsley Ave. in 1869.
The Malone home burnt down in a fire in 1981 and was memorialized by the Town of Normal Human Relations Committee the following year. Changes in Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) regulations led to the 1982 marker's removal.
The Museum identified the recreation of this marker as a priority in its 2022 Historic Marker Matching Gift Initiative and collaborated with the Illinois State Historical Society, the Town of Normal, and McLean County Unit 5 to bring it to life.
The Malone home originally stood immediately Southeast of the new marker's location. Project collaborators chose this location to circumvent current IDOT regulations, place the marker in an accessible area, and allow those viewing the marker to look directly toward the home's location.
"Through the marker, we are attempting to share his [Malone's] story as representative of what many went through and encourage additional research to learn more about others' stories," shares Museum Director of Development Norris Porter.
Malone was born into slavery in Mississippi in 1842. According to Greg Koos' "Freedom, Land & Community: A History of McLean County Illinois, 1730-1900", Malone escaped during the confusion of a Union Cavalry raid, and his brother-in-law helped him remove a chain affixed around his neck. Malone then went north and found his way to Illinois, joining the 13th U.S. Colored Heavy Artillery. While stationed in Kentucky with his unit, Confederate irregulars captured him. Koos writes, "Such a capture often resulted in death. Malone escaped but injured one leg in the effort. He was discharged and made his way to Illinois and eventually to Normal."
Malone worked as a wagon driver and completed other odd jobs around town to make ends meet. The Town Council even appointed him to be the Pound Master in 1878.
Like many African American veterans of this time, Malone received a cash bounty of $100 (which would be a little over $2,000 today) in 1870 for his service, which helped him establish his new life. He used this money to build his home, which he lived in for 50-plus years. Simon died in his home in 1925 at the age of 82.
Koos details three other African American families who had settled in the area when Malone arrived: the Fields, Underwoods, and Bartons. Their names, too, are inscribed on the new marker.
William Fields came to Illinois with his wife Maria and their growing family in 1856. By 1866, Fields had a 160-acre farm in Normal Township which his four sons and three daughters aided in maintaining.
John and Laura Underwood migrated to Normal in 1867, and in 1871, John was working as a laborer at the Illinois Soldiers' Orphans' Home.
As for Milton and Lucinda Barton, Koos' book cites Barton family lore, remembering Milton Barton and his father "as the ones who planted the hundreds of silver maple street trees, which Fell had chosen as a quick-growing tree to fulfill his plan for a shady academic village."
By 1870, 103 African Americans had settled in Normal. Koos states, "They were attracted to the work opportunities in the rapidly developing new town."
The contributions of these early African American settlers shaped the growth and success of the Town of Normal. The Bloomington-Normal Black History Project (BNBHP) has preserved many of their stories and made them available at mchistory.org/research/black-history-project.
Later this summer, on Thursday, August 3, at 10:30 a.m., the Museum will also dedicate a historical marker at the Booker T. Washington Home site. The BNBHP has been actively researching the story of this significant place in McLean County history. To learn more, please visit mchistory.org.
Questions? Contact Norris.