Roxy Theatre Closed
Blog post by Randi Richardson In an effort to determine when the Roxy Theatre closed in Bloomington at 221 N. College, every issue of the Bloomington (IN) Daily Herald Telephone was reviewed starting on January 1, 1955. This date was chosen because there was no listing for the Roxy in the 1956 telephone directory or city directory
TODD SCHOOL CLOSED; ONLY THREE 1-ROOM SCHOOLS LEFT IN THE COUNTY
Blog post by Randi Richardson No documentation has been found to indicate when the Todd School was established in Section 35 of Polk Township. One thing is for certain, however. It was opened in 1872 or earlier when Capt. George W. Friedley and Hon. F. Wilson, candidates for the state senate, were scheduled to have
The Making of Monroe County’s First Permanent Courthouse
Blog post by Randi Richardson Charles Blanchard in his History of Morgan, Monroe and Brown Counties published in 1884, noted that John Ketcham was given the contract to build Bloomington’s first permanent courthouse in 1820, but the courthouse was not complete until 1826. He supposed the reason for the delay was that Ketcham was paid
Bloomington Town Pumps Were Watering Holes for Man and Beast
Blog post by Randi Richardson The old town pumps were a part of Bloomington’s early endeavors to furnish water for the community. One of the first acts of the Monroe County commissioners in 1818 was the cleaning out of two springs near the square for public use. As the community grew, so did the need
John F. Dillon Designed His Own Tombstone
Blog post by Randi Richardson It isn’t often that one designs their own tombstone or the designer of a tombstone is even known. And it isn’t often that one tombstone stands about among many others in a given cemetery. For those reasons the tombstones of John F. Dillon and the Dillon family at Rose Hill
Visit Louden’s; Win a New Ford
Blog post by Randi Richardson Monroe County wasn’t exactly hurting for grocery stores in the 1950s. According to the 1953 Bloomington Telephone Directory, there were 53 supermarkets spread throughout the county with the large majority situated in Bloomington. Nevertheless, Louden’s Supermarket at 4th and Madison opened with much pomp and circumstance in September 1955. An 8-page ad was published
Stories of Suffrage, Part 1: Mrs. Agnes Evans
Hello! I am Hilary Fleck, the Collection Manager at the Monroe County History Center. I have the wonderful opportunity to research Monroe County women involved in the Women’s Suffrage Movement and the fight for the right to vote through funding from the Indiana Humanities’ May Wright Sewall Fellowship. My research so far has uncovered dozens
A STINKY SITUATION
Blog post by Randi Richardson In 1877 a large number of Bloomington residents raised hogs as a supplemental means of livelihood and/or to provide meat for the family. Hogs roaming at large were a familiar sight in the city making themselves a nuisance even about the public square. Sometimes an errant porker, finding a door
Letters Home from an Enlistee in IU’s S. A. T. C. Program: Darling Mother
Blog post by Randi Richardson On October 1, 1918, as nature dressed the trees in lovely autumn colors, many life-changing events were occurring within the Student Army Training Corps (S.A.T.C.) on the IU campus. That morning, precisely at 11 AM, President William Lowe Bryan met with 1,200 inductees assembled on Jordan Field in an oath-taking
Letters Home from an Enlistee in IU’s S. A. T. C. Program: Darling Mother
Blog post by Randi Richardson On April 6, 1917, more than two years after the beginning of World War I, the United States declared war on Germany. A military draft was instituted in the U. S. for all men between the ages of 21 and 30 and was soon amended to include all men from 18-45.