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Voices from the Past brings
history to life through
costumed actors assuming the intriguing characters of McLean County’s
ancestors
in the beautiful grounds of Evergreen Memorial Cemetery. It’s a great
opportunity to learn about the people who contributed to central Illinois’
colorful
history. Bring your family to participate in this fascinating,
award-winning
outdoor theater program.
A
collaboration between the McLean County Museum of
History, Illinois Voices Theatre and Evergreen Memorial
Cemetery
2008 FEATURED CHARACTERS
John Edward McClun
(b.2/19/1812 - d.7/17/1877) A “pull-himself-up-by-his-bootstraps”
success in his business and public life, Judge McClun questioned his
achievements in the light of multiple family tragedies.
Ellis (b.
3/25/1816 - d. 4/3/1899) & Martha
Dillon (b. 07/10/1827 - d. 02/15/1910) Both husband and wife
were ardent abolitionists and were committed to making life better for
the sick, poor and dispossessed. The family also established a
nationally renowned farm raising world-class Percheron horses.
Absalom Hawkins
(b. Dec 25, 1855 - d. Sept 23, 1903) In spite of the reputation men in
his occupation had of being thieves and crooks, Ab, the only
African-American “hack” driver (cabman) in the city of Bloomington at
one time, was well known and respected by all his customers as a man of
honesty.
Judge Louis Fitzhenry
(b. 6/13/1870 - d. 11/18/1935). An accomplished writer and
speaker, Fitzhenry firmly believed in upholding the law. He was
an advocate for limiting the power of the railroad and coal industries,
and supported Prohibition as the law of the land.
Elizabeth Irons
Folsom Fox (b. 1862 - d. 3/2/1935) She sold the first story she
ever wrote and won an O. Henry prize for Towers of Fame. She
developed her clear-eyed writing ability as a court reporter for The
Daily Pantagraph and moved to New York City to be a writer after she
realized she was going blind.
Carl Gustav Hanner (b.8/8/1840
- d. 2/19/1921) An orphan from Stockholm, Sweden, he bounced from
orphanages to foster homes before settling in a Bloomington, IL home,
where he found stability as part of the Swedish community. He
worked for the McLean County Coal Company – a very
dangerous occupation.
Grace B. Wagner (b.
5/1/1890 - d. 5/23/1964) When World War I forced her to abandon an
international operatic career, she distinguished herself by returning
to the United States and building a career with a unique opera company.
Carl Schurz Vrooman
(b. 10/25/1872 - d. 4/9/1966) and Julia
Scott Vrooman (b. 10/4/1876 - d. 5/30/1981) This power couple
took Washington D.C. by storm – he as Assistant Secretary of
Agriculture (1914-1919); she as a vivacious socialite, writer, and
organizer of entertainment for the WWI soldiers fighting in Europe.
Join us for the 2008
Discovery Walk!
Call 309/827-0428 or visit ww.mchistory.org for more information.
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2008 Performance Dates:
Saturday, October 4; Sunday, October 5;
Saturday, October 11; Sunday, October 12
Tour Times:
11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. each day
Location:
302 E. Miller Street, Bloomington, three blocks
east of
Gene’s Ice Cream
Drive In.
Tickets:
Advance tickets available
September 5, 2008
$12.00
general public
$10.00 museum members
$4.00 kids & students w/ID
Gate tickets:
$2.00 more than
advance
tickets at the cemetery
one hour before showtime.
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