Online Object Database
The Museum is excited to launch our online database, which allows viewers to browse through over 800 object records that had previously been for internal use only. The object records list information such as the object’s name, description, period of creation, associated people, images, and more.
Finding Aids
Detailed inventories of archival collections housed in our onsite archives.
Annette, Mme
Perhaps the best local newspaper reporter at the turn of the century wrote for the Bulletin and published a column as simply “Mme....
Moses Montefiore Temple
On May 14, 1882, a group of men of the Jewish faith met in Bloomington “for the purpose of forming a Congregation.” One week later it...
Wayman AME Church Archaeology
In the summer of 1992, an archeological excavation was conducted at the Wayman A.M.E. (African Methodist Episcopal) Church at 806 N....
Photos
Architecture of McLean County
Thousands of images of the built environment, from the earliest cabins to construction of homes in the 21st century.
Work in McLean County
Thousands of images showing hundreds of occupations that helped build McLean County, and the people who labored within them.
Public Life in McLean County
Images in this collection include clubs, schools, parades, sports, service organizations, government, and medicine in McLean County.
Publications
Links to dozens of publications about McLean County history, digitized by the Museum and other institutions
Black History
Publications include History of the Illinois Association of Club Women and Girls, 1901-1975, History of African Americans in McLean County, Wayman AME 175 Year Anniversary, and more!
City Directories
Thanks to a partnership with Bloomington Public Library and intern Noah Tang, local directories from 1855-1920 have been digitized, and are available on the Internet Archive.
General Reference
Good Old Times in McLean County, The Biographical Record of McLean County, Illustrated History of McLean County, and much more.
Pages from our Past Articles
Articles on various topics, written by Museum Librarian Bill Kemp for the Pantagraph
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 nation had been deeply scarred by the...
Washington Home couple worked ‘through the heart’
“Cooks and counselors, painters and referees, they are also mom and pop to up to twenty children,” it was said of Louise and Napoleon...
Lightning a menace, past and present
On May 20, 1897, a heavy afternoon shower accompanied by a “brilliant electrical display” passed through the Lexington area, catching...
Featured Collections
Online Object Database
The Museum is excited to launch our online database, which allows viewers to browse through over 800 object records that had previously been for internal use only. The object records list information such as the object’s name, description, period of creation, associated people, images, and more.
Black History Project
The Bloomington-Normal Black History Project (BNBHP) was founded in 1982 and its collections span the 19th and 20th centuries. The collection contains photographs, portraits, booklets, articles, and photocopies related to club organizations and churches of the local Black community. In 1989, the Black History Project was affiliated with the McLean County Historical Society, which now serves as a repository for the project's collections.
Latino History Project
The McLean County Latino History Project is a cooperative endeavor between the McLean County Museum of History and the Illinois State University Latin American and Latino Studies Program. The project's purpose is to research and record the culture and experience of Latinos who have settled in McLean County and to identify and collect artifacts associated with their culture and lives.
Onsite Resources
Stevenson-Ives Library
The Stevenson-Ives Library contains more than 15,000 books and periodicals with a focus on McLean County and Central Illinois history and genealogy.
Object Collection
Our object collection of more than 18,000 artifacts preserved at the Museum document the growth and development of McLean County from the prehistoric period through the present.
Archives
The Museum's Archive features a wide-range of primary and secondary source material relating to the history of McLean County, from the 1820s to the present.
Websites
Links to even more McLean County history online!
Social Justice Walking Tour
On this website, you will find stories of events and people in and around Downtown Bloomington, Illinois, that illustrate the evolution of our city over time.
Digital Exhibits
Read the rich histories featured in our Challenges, Choices, and Change as well as Abraham Lincoln in McLean County exhibits from anywhere!
Use Policies
Addresses use of digital cameras and personal scanners in Library/Archives.
Fees for Personal Scans of Archival Images
If you want our staff to scan an image from our Archives for personal use, see this document.
Fees for Scans of Archival Images for Commercial Use
If you want our staff to scan an image from our Archives for commercial use, see this document.