We’ll be frequently highlighting old “Looking Back” articles which were a long-standing column in the paper reflecting on earlier life in Monroe County . By Rose H. McIlveen Sept 10, 1983 Ever since Monroe Countians figured out that using some kind of vehicle was preferable to walking, traffic has been a problem here. Consider, for […]
Blog by Rod Spaw Author Theodore Dreiser had not seen Bloomington in 25 years when he arrived on Aug. 26, 1915. It was his 44th birthday, and the writer of “Sister Carrie” and other novels was on a two-week tour of his native Indiana by automobile. His means of conveyance was a brand new, 60-horsepower Pathfinder […]
Blog post by Randi Richardson Fourteen miles northwest of Bloomington lies the little town of Stinesville, Indiana. Founded in 1855, Stinesville was once a hub of Indiana’s stone industry. By the early 1900s, the Hoadley Limestone Mill was the town’s primary employer, and when the mill was destroyed by fire in 1916, the town went […]
Blog post by Wayne Hastings For me personally, the courthouse square has always been strongly linked to how I perceive Bloomington, Indiana’s quality of place. The shops, restaurants, and festivities held around the courthouse have forged memories and life experiences that I will likely recite once I reach old age. Recently, the spread of the […]
Blog post by Randi Richardson Mention the name Boxman around Bloomington today and most people will conjure up an image and, perhaps, a memory of Player’s Pub on South Walnut, a dilapidated property the owner would like to raze against the wishes of the Bloomington Historical Preservation Commission. Many people from Monroe County have either […]
Blog post by Randi Richardson Several months ago I watched an Oscar-winning movie, Green Book, from the comfort of my home with ear phones and captions so I didn’t miss a word. The move is based on the true story of two men, an Italian-American named Anthony Vallelonga aka Tony Lip, and an African American, Don Shirley, a gifted […]
Blog post by Randi Richardson The new Hotel Graham was one of the most modern in the Midwest. And at long last, when weary travelers arrived in Bloomington looking desperately for accommodations there would be some relief. The Hotel Graham was known previously as the Hotel Bowles. A third of the hotel was razed in […]
Blog post by Randi Richardson Much is known about the early history of Monroe County because a significant amount has been written. The earliest and most comprehensive county history is that compiled by Charles Blanchard in Counties of Morgan, Monroe and Brown published in 1884. Several decades later, in 1922, Forest M. “Pop” Hall also provided a […]
Blog post by Randi Richardson The Johnson’s Creamery smoke stack that rises skyward 110 feet is one of Bloomington’s most recognized landmarks. Although the smoke stack was not built until 1949, the original creamery building at 400 W. Seventh Street was completed in 1914. As the creamery business grew, it was necessary to expand the building. The […]
Blog post by Randi Richardson The Phillips Schoolhouse at the southeast intersection of Indiana 446 and Lampkins Ridge Road (Section 12, Perry Township) was among the last of the two-room schoolhouses in Monroe County. In 1967 outdoor toilets were still in use—one for the girls and another for the boys. Clarence Stewart, the School Superintendent, […]