places - Monroe County History Center

First Methodist Church Destroyed by Fire

Jan 7, 2019Monroe Historyevents, places, wehiafire, First Methodist Church

Blog post by Randi Richardson The First Methodist Church, dedicated in 1909, was destroyed by a $250,000 fire discovered on the morning of Wednesday, April 7, 1937. Also destroyed by the fire was a $30,000 organ and great sheets of valuable, imported art glass. Located at 4th and Washington streets, the First Methodist Church was

Dr. John Herschel Lemon Reminisces about Early Life in Bloomington

Nov 26, 2018Monroe Historypeople, places, wehiaBloomington, Indiana, John Herschel Lemon, Monroe County

Blog post by Randi Richardson The item noted below is based on a column in an unidentified Bloomington newspaper called “Looking Back.” It was found in a scrapbook compiled by a man named Fred Lockwood. The scrapbook is held by the Monroe County History Center, Bloomington, Indiana. It also includes information and a photograph from

Monroe County History Center Journeys to a Stop on the Underground Railroad

Nov 19, 2018Monroe History1 Commentpeople, places, wehiaFountain City, Levi Coffin, Underground Railroad

Blog post by Randi Richardson On a chilly Wednesday, November 14, enthusiastic travelers boarded a bus at 9 AM in front of the Monroe County History Center (MCHC) for an all-inclusive, day trip to Fountain City to visit several structures associated with Indiana’s Underground Railroad. One of those structures was the Levi Coffin House Interpretive

Evolution of College Avenue c. 1929

Oct 22, 2018Monroe History1 Commentplaces, wehiaCollege Avenue

Blog post by Randi Richardson On December 21, 1929, the front page of the World Telephone was devoted to a view of College Avenue both in the day and in the past. Several photographs of current (1929) business owners and the new Eagle building were included. Let’s take a walk on the Avenue and see

How Samuel Orchard Helped Put Bloomington on the Map

Oct 9, 2018Monroe History3 Commentsevents, people, placesfire, Orchard, Orchard House

Blog post by Randi Richardson Several of the events that helped put Bloomington and Monroe County on the map at an early day were related to efforts put forth by Samuel M. and John Orchard, brothers and natives of Bourbon County, Kentucky. The two men came north to Indiana with their parents, Isaac and Margery

IU Union Club Hotel Opened in 1947

Aug 20, 2018Monroe History2 CommentsplacesIndiana Memorial Union, Indiana University, Union Club

Blog post by Randi Richardson In the 1940s, hotel accommodations in Bloomington were woefully inadequate. For that reason, hotel accommodations at the Indiana Memorial Union on the IU campus were expanded by opening the Union Club Hotel as an annex to the existing facility in the Spring of 1947. The new Union Club, which included

Barbara (Ellett) Dail Remembers Stinesville

Aug 13, 2018Monroe History1 Commentpeople, placesBaker, Dail, Ellett, Indiana, Monroe County, Monroe County History Center, Payton, Stinesville

Barbara Rose Ellett was born March 12, 1937, in the old Hoadley Mansion in Stinesville, Monroe County, Indiana. Her parents were Charles Homer and Blanche Elizabeth (Baker) Ellett. Her maternal grandparents were Sherman and Sarah Lucy Evaline (Stewart) Baker; her paternal grandparents were W. A. Gorman and Mary Gettysburg “Getty” (Payton) Ellett. Barbara grew up

Hays Market One of a Kind

Aug 8, 2018Monroe History3 Commentspeople, placesBloomington, Cavaness, Currie, Curry, Garage, Hays, Indiana, Market, Monroe County, Morton Street, Quarries, Sixth Street, Smithville

Many people who have lived for a while in Bloomington remember Hays Market at 6th and Morton streets. It wasn’t always a market, however, and the stone carving over the door provides a clue to its origins. The first owner of the building was Lawrence Currie and his son, John. Lawrence Currie, whose name was