Museum News
104 posts
June 1st, 2022
0 mins read by Susan Hartzold
March 29th, 2022
2022 History Makers: Deanna Frautschi & Alan Bedell
Deanna Frautschi & Alan Bedell2022 History MakersTwo McLean County residents with working class roots continue to make history as major community and philanthropic leaders. Deanna Frautschi and Alan Bedell both impact many lives with their generous souls, nurtured ...
5 mins read by Norris Porter
March 29th, 2022
2022 History Makers: Myra & George Gordon
“Tikkun Olam,” a phrase in Hebrew meaning to “repair the world,” sums up George and Myra Gordon’s many community contributions, including education, recycling, and planting trees.Their multiple involvements are legend. Between the two, there are almost 60 years of environmental activism, g...
5 mins read by Norris Porter
March 21st, 2022
Press Release: MCMH Wins Community Partnership Award for “Breaking Bread in McLean County”
MCMH Wins Community Partnership Award for “Breaking Bread in McLean County”Bloomington, IL-The McLean County Museum of History (MCMH) received an award for Superior Achievement in Community Partnerships by the Illinois Association for Museums (IAM) in recognition ...
3 mins read by Jeffery Woodard
March 2nd, 2022
0 mins read by Susan Hartzold
September 1st, 2021
Treasures Under the Dome -- Part 1
Treasures Under the Dome will be a semi-regular video series that showcases one of the objects, papers, or images in our collections & archives that is not routinely on display at the Museum.Watch on YouTube...
1 mins read by Norris Porter
August 24th, 2021
Two more digitization grants!
The McLean County Museum of History is the recipient of two digitization grants to expand its efforts in making the Pantagraph Negatives Collection more readily available to the public online. The first grant in the a...
2 mins read by Norris Porter
April 15th, 2021
Barbara Stuart -- 2021 History Maker Honoree
Barbara served for several years as president of the Normal Public Library Board and became the first president of the Friends of the Normal Public Library. She founded seven activist organizations: Young Adult Problems Study Group, The Minority Advocacy Council, the Minority Complaints about Pol...
2 mins read by Norris Porter
April 15th, 2021
Robert and Marilyn Sutherland -- 2021 History Maker Honorees
During their over five decades in Bloomington-Normal, Bob and Marilyn Sutherland participated in many ways to help make this a better community for everyone, particularly for those who often cannot make their own voices heard. Bob "has been arrested, investigated, and vilified, but he can...
2 mins read by Norris Porter
April 15th, 2021
Jerry and Carole Ringer -- 2021 History Maker Honorees
Jerry and Carole’s shared passion for the arts is well-known in the community. Carole says, “(Art) helps to define the quality of life. Even if you are well able to put food on the table, culture is needed for the soul, mind, and spirit.”Carole was a volunteer and ultimately a professional...
2 mins read by Norris Porter
April 16th, 2020
Cemetery Walk Videos Now Online
The McLean County Museum of History has been a strong supporter of the arts and live theater for many years. And in turn, the arts community has reciprocated that strong support of the Museum and our educational programs, helping us bring to life our vibrant and diverse local history through live...
2 mins read by Candace Summers
March 13th, 2020
Museum Closed to the Public
In the interest of the safety of our patrons, volunteers, and staff in light of the developing COVID-19 situation regionally and nationally, the McLean County Museum of History and Cruisin’ with Lincoln on 66 Visitors Center will be closed to the public beginning Saturday, March 14. Should condit...
2 mins read by Jeffery Woodard
September 30th, 2019
Practicing Inclusion at the McLean County Museum of History
The McLean County Museum of History welcomes and values all visitors. We are committed to representing the entire community by sharing your history, your story. In fact, it is part of our mission to “reflect the diversity of McLean County,” and we take that mission seriously. As an educational in...
4 mins read by Torii Moré
March 19th, 2019
Henry Gay Named 2019 History Maker Honoree
It’s a rough road from the Louisiana cotton fields to Bloomington-Normal, with obstacles every step of the way. Henry Gay Sr. completed that journey with dignity and standing up for human rights.Born outside Shreveport, Louisiana on August 5, 1924, Henry grew up in the segregated South. ...
4 mins read by Divah Griffin
March 19th, 2019
Jana Edge named 2019 History Maker Honoree
How does a small-town girl from Wisconsin find herself in a C5A Air Force transport, directing Russian soldiers unloading relief supplies?Jana Edge did not plan to enter nursing, but looking at the limited options open to an educated woman in the 1950s – secretarial, nursing or education –...
6 mins read by Divah Griffin
March 19th, 2019
Richard and Judy Buchanan Named 2019 History Maker Honorees
What happens when you mix a Chicago Irish Democrat with a small-town Illinois Baptist Republican? - The amazing community servant duo of Richard and Judy Buchanan.Judy grew up on Chicago’s southside and in the Englewood neighborhood. her father and mother were both first generation Irish-...
6 mins read by Divah Griffin
November 1st, 2018
0 mins read by Susan Hartzold
September 26th, 2018
0 mins read by Susan Hartzold
May 16th, 2018
0 mins read by Susan Hartzold
March 19th, 2018
Don Munson Named 2018 History Maker Honoree
Donald G. Munson was born September 26, 1941, in Gibson City and attended Gibson City schools. Growing up an only child, Don spent a lot of time listening to music, reading, and listening to the radio, a seemingly very metropolitan source of news and entertainment. 'When I graduated I had ne...
10 mins read by Lauren Lacy
March 19th, 2018
Paul and Sandra Harmon Named 2018 History Maker Honorees
Paul and Sandra Harmon shake their heads when they’re referred to as a “power couple,” but that’s how many people in the community describe them. This reluctant “power couple” first met during their freshman year at the University of Dubuque in Iowa, marrying shortly after they graduated in 1964....
11 mins read by Lauren Lacy
March 19th, 2018
Ronn Morehead Named 2018 History Maker Honoree
Ronn grew up in Normal, Illinois. Working in his father’s tavern as a young man, Ronn feels, shaped him and helped prepare him for the workforce. On Sundays, Ronn would go to church, then head to his father’s tavern on Front Street. If he got his work done in time, he could play shuffleboard with...
8 mins read by Lauren Lacy
March 15th, 2018
Lovell Named Executive Director
Adam Lovell, of Reedsville Wisconsin, has been named the new Executive Director at the McLean County Museum of History.
Lovell has over 18 years’ experience in museum operations. Most recently he spent two years as Assistant Director and Curator at the Rahr-West Art Museum in Manitowoc, Wi...
1 mins read by Torii Moré
March 14th, 2018
2018 History Makers Announced
The McLean County Museum of History announced on Tuesday four recipients of the 2018 History Makers award to be presented during the Museum’s sixth annual History Makers Gala on Thursday, June 28 at the DoubleTree by Hilton.
Each year, the History Makers Gala recognizes senior citizens who...
2 mins read by Lauren Lacy
March 9th, 2018
0 mins read by Susan Hartzold
December 19th, 2017
Pages from the Past Available Now
“A Page from Our Past,” a weekly look at Central Illinois and McLean County history, debuted in the Sunday Pantagraph on December 18, 2005. Since first appearing in Bloomington’s longtime daily paper, there have been more than 600 original columns in this award-winning series.
This highly anticip...
3 mins read by Lauren Lacy
December 14th, 2017
A message from our Museum director
Dear Museum members and friends,
You have likely heard the news that I will be leaving the McLean County Museum of History next year for a new opportunity with the Town of Normal. I wish I could have personally delivered the news to each of you in person, and perhaps I am in this moment. I...
2 mins read by Beth Whisman
December 4th, 2017
Illinois Bicentennial flag raising kicks off year of programs
The State of Illinois will celebrate its 200th birthday on Dec. 3, 2018. To help kick off a yearlong celebration of the Illinois Bicentennial, communities across the state hosted a simultaneous Illinois Bicentennial Flag Raising Ceremony at noon on Monday, Dec. 4, 2017.The County of McLean hosted...
2 mins read by Jeffery Woodard
November 21st, 2017
Collection Storage Improvement Fund Drive Underway
This holiday season, the McLean County Museum of History is raising $5,500 to upgrade our collections storage space to further meet museum and archival standards and ensure our collections are preserved for future generations. Our collection contains more than 20,000 objects donated from local re...
3 mins read by Lauren Lacy
November 21st, 2017
0 mins read by Torii Moré