9/11 Collection

The 9/11 attacks were a series of four coordinated terrorist attacks by the Islamic group, al-Quada against the United States on the mo...

Abraham, Paul J. Collection

Paul J. Abraham (1909-1989) was born in Flint, Michigan to Gregory and Elizabeth Nameth Abraham. He married Zelma D. Riley on April 17,...

Almon Morrow

The collection consists mainly of correspondence from Almon Morrow, a private in the Union Army, to his wife, Ruth....
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American Legion

This collection includes various Legion programs and publications, plus newspaper articles and research on the origins of McLean County...

Augsperger, LaRue

LaRue Augspurger’s diary records her observations, experiences, and adventures at Mennonite Hospital’s nursing school. The entries are ...

Bagosy, John Jr.

John Bagosy, Jr (1949-2016) was born in Bloomington, IL. He served from 1966 to 1972 in the U.S. Army, including two tours of duty in V...

Beel, Floyd E.—World War II Army Air Force Service

Floyd Everett Beel was born to Leown Iri and Emma Jane Calvert Beel in Decatur, IL, on February 9, 1922. He joined the United States Ar...

Bloomington-Normal Black History Project

In 1970 Marge Smith and others began to organize local African Americans to discuss their history. This group (Margaret Esposito, Joe M...

Carlton Collection

Box 1 includes items from family members including newspaper articles, a Civil War muster roll, G.A.R. booklets and event programs, Car...

Castle, Drew/E. M. Pike

This collection relates to Drew W. Castle (1895-1978) and Edward M. Pike (1838-1924). Pike served in the 33rd Illinois Infantry during ...

Civil War Era Correspondence

This collection contains hundreds of letters written during the Civil War by many people including: Reuben M. Benjamin, Joseph Burnett,...
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Corn Belt Bank

The Corn Belt Bank was organized December 2, 1891 by General John McNulta, J.T. Snell, and A. S. Eddy. The bank was incorporated in 189...

Craig Family

This collection covers day-to-day events in Warren F. Craig’s life starting in the late 1930s to 2015 documented in ledger books, which...

Delbridge, Mary E.

The Mary E. Delbridge Collection is organized into ten folders by date and subject with two scrapbooks, photographs, and yearbook filed...

Dossett, David C.

Born in Campbell County, TN, David Dossett moved to Anderson County, TN, with his family when he was about fifteen years old. There he ...

Dunn, Richard T.

Richard Thomas Dunn was born on August 21, 1918 in Normal, IL, to Richard Francis Dunn and Clara Huxtable.  After graduating from Unive...

Ela, George and Frances

This collection contains photocopied letters (and digital documents of transcriptions) from Frances Harriet Rowell Ela (1835-1924) and ...

Exhibit: A Turbulent Time: Perspectives of the Vietnam War

Guest curator Ross Kennedy and staff member Susan Hartzold prepared these materials for the 2008-2010 exhibit “A Turbulent Time: Perspe...

Geneva, William B. & Carolyn Schertz

Carolyn Mabel Schertz was born October 13, 1892 in Hudson, Illinois, the daughter of David Schertz and Carrie Kaufman. The Schertz fami...

George Weldon Funk Collection

George Weldon Funk was born to a prominent family in McLean, Illinois on October 30, 1895. His great-grandfather, Isaac Funk, had carve...

Gold Star Mothers

The Evergreen Chapter, National Gold Star Mothers, was incorporated on October 14, 1950, by the national organization.This colle...

Grand Army of the Republic (GAR)

The Grand Army of the Republic was founded by Benjamin Franklin Stephenson of Springfield, Illinois in 1866.  The first post was in Dec...

Hartzold Family

Henry Hartzold was born about 1862 in Lancaster, PA. He moved to McLean County in 1894, becoming a prominent farmer near Danvers. ...

Holder, John

The Holder collection consists primarily of materials from John’s time of service in the U.S. Navy from 1942 to 1945. The collection is...

Hoppe, Jim

Jim Hoppe is an avid lover of history and McLean County. He has written manuscripts about various aspects of WWI, and has discussed and...

Illinois Air Force Mothers

The Illinois Air Force Mothers Club began in 1970 to support Air Force personnel at bases and hospitals around the world, as well was i...

Illinois National Guard

This collection contains rosters, newspaper clippings, command report, narrative, and other materials related to the National Guard in ...

John Howard Burnham Collection

Captain J.H. Burnham came to McLean County in 1858 as a student at the State Normal University.  At the outbreak of the Civil War, he e...

Johnston, George W. and Alice M. Collection

George W. (1901-1988) and Alice M. (1905-1991) Johnston were both active in the American Legion, the Red Cross, and social services dur...

Kelley, George R.

The letters of George R. Kelley relate to the life and times of a McLean County serviceman during World War II.  In 1938 George worked ...

LaBounty, William P.

William P. LaBounty was born September 1, 1930, educated in Bloomington schools, and IWU, enlisted in the Air Force in 1953 spending mu...

Ladies Auxiliary of WWI Veterans

This collection includes a selection of materials preserved by Jennie Mae Taylor of Bloomington primarily from the Auxiliary and the De...

Lillard Collection

This collection contains genealogical research materials for the Lillard family and a World War I chaplain’s diary....

Manahan, Eugene

Lester Eugene Manahan was born to Benton and Lillie Manahan in Arrowsmith, Illinois, August 30, 1919.   Eugene graduated from Saybrook ...

McLean County WWII Memorial

The WWII Memorial Committee was formed in the fall of 1994 after Normal Mayor Paul Harmon noticed there was a memorial for local soldie...

McNulta, John Collection

The collection includes a photocopy of the Appointment to Captain document from the Illinois State Militia, autographs dated 1881, vari...

Middleton, Richard & James Gill

This collection contains newspaper clippings, genealogical research, annual reports, WWII forms, ID cards, correspondence (WWII and Civ...

Millard, Lt. Mark

This collection consists of materials collected by Helen Millard, mother of Mark Millard. The materials consist of letters, photos (not...

Morgan, Raymond “Doc”

“He was a humble person, a fine golfer and a great gentleman.” So opined Bloomington Country Club’s John Brokaw in 1952 after losing th...

Morrissey, John O.

John O’Connell Morrissey was born April 13, 1896.  He was educated in Bloomington schools, and attended University of Illinois but left...

Ninety-fourth Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment

This collection contains documents, both official and personal, related to the Ninety-Fourth Illinois Infantry Regiment. Mustered into ...

O’Hara, William J.

William J. O’Hara (1896-1986) was born in the Hudson area, the son of Owen and Johanna O’Neil O’Hara. A lifelong farmer, he also served...

Purnell, Paul

This collection contains documents, newspaper clippings, and other two-dimensional objects that Mr. Purnell compiled throughout his lif...

Quinton

The J. R. Quinton Collection consists of one box with thirty-eight folders. It primarily contains letters written by J. Richard Quinton...

Rice, Charles Edward

Charles Edward Rice (October 5, 1949-October 17, 2008) was an Army veteran of the Vietnam War, a talented musician, and a close friend ...

Rolley, Elias W.

Elias William Rolley was drafted into the U.S. Army Coast Artillery Corps (CAC), became a commissioned officer, and was stationed throu...

Schultz, Herman C.

Herman C. Schultz (1912-1995) was born in McLean County, Illinois.  He was inducted into the United States Army on April 23, 1941 in Wi...

Slack, Kent Collection 33rd Illinois Volunteer Infantry Research

Kent Slack was an intern at the McLean County Museum of History in 1981.  His project included researching Company C of the 33rd Illino...

Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War

The Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) Collection consists of personal and form letters, membership lists, check recei...

Spanish-American War Veterans

Includes rosters, newspaper articles, burial records, programs and proceedings from annual veterans’ encampment meetings, war history a...

Sterzbach, Robert WWII

This collection holds the correspondence between Robert Sterzbach and Alyne Tracy from January 1944 to June 1945....

Streid, Robert

Robert Eugene Streid, born July 28, 1916, was a lifetime Chenoa resident farmer educated in the Chenoa schools and at Illinois State Un...

The Auxiliary to the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (ASUVCW)

The ASUVCW Collection consists of encampment proceedings (1933-40), constitutions and by-laws, rituals and other assorted materials (19...

Thirty-third Illinois Infantry Regiment of Volunteers Company C.

This collection contains clerical records including: muster in and out rolls; inventory of supplies and clothes; casualty reports; orde...

Veterans of World War 1 Barracks

The Veterans of World War 1 organization was created in 1949, first in Ohio, and then, in 1954, in Illinois. In 1958, the 85th Congress...

Vietnam Moving Wall

Several organizations present a "Moving Wall" -- a scaled down replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. T...

Washburn, Dorothy M.

Born in 1904, Dorothy M. Washburn was a daughter of M/M George Washburn of Bloomington.  George was a principal in the family’s flower ...

Webb, Sidney

Sidney Webb was born on December 28, 1899 in Leicester, England. He came to America with his parents in 1904. He served in World War I ...

Woodward, Horace E.

Woodward, known by his friends as “Hod,” was born on August 21, 1878 to Walter M. and Ellen N. Woodward in Franklin, New Hampshire. At ...

World War I Collection

The World War I Collection is divided into five sections, organized from general to specific as documents relate to McLean County. The...

World War I: State Council of Defense

During the summer of 1918, the State Council of Defense of Illinois organized local committees to collect “World War”-related documents...

World War II Collection

World War II erupted in September 1939 with the German invasion of Poland and ended with Japan’s surrender in September 1945. The US, ...

World War II Home Front Oral Histories

The Interviewers were senior students of W. Michael Weis, Ph.D., Professor of History at Illinois Wesleyan University.  Interviewees ha...

World War II Interview Papers Collection

World War II erupted in September 1939 with the German invasion of Poland and ended with Japan’s surrender in September 1945. The US, s...

World War II Magazine Collection

The World War II Magazine Collection contains publications that were kept or found by residents of McLean County, many of whom particip...

Zobrist, Charles J.

This collection contains material relating to the life and career of World War I veteran Charles J. Zobrist. Born February 16, 1895, in...