Hello, my name is Eva Ladd and I’m currently an intern at the Monroe County History Center (MCHC) from Bloomington High School North through my Service Learning Program. I have a general interest in history, specifically the 1960’s, with the Civil Rights movement being one of my favorite topics. My Service Learning class required me
Blog post by Randi Richardson The story below was taken from an article titled “Double Murder, Terrible Shooting Affair,” published in the Bloomington Telephone on December 27, 1889, and found in the clipping file at the research library, Monroe County History Center, Bloomington, Indiana. It was abbreviated from the lengthy original as shown by the
Blog post by Randi Richardson If you or someone you love graduated from Bloomington High School 1908-1958, you might be happy to know that most of the yearbooks between those dates are available from the Indiana Memory Digital Collections from the Indiana State Library. The Collections are relevant to a number of people, places and
Winfred Hinkle established Hinkle’s Hamburgers at Tenth and Grant in 1930. After his death in 1947, his two brothers, Max and Leon, took over the management and, eventually, the ownership of the business. The three brothers were sons of Charles Hinkle and grandsons of Jonathan Marion “Marion” Hinkle. Meat seemed to course through the blood
Blog post by Randi Richardson Hinkle’s Hamburgers at 206 S. Adams Street has new owners and a new look. The business was purchased in March 2019 by Richie and Janna Shields. In early May, after a temporary closure to complete some updates, Hinkle’s was again open for business. Hinkle’s has a long history in Bloomington.
The history of the Bloomington High School, as noted below, was transcribed from the Bloomington (IN) Evening World, November 25, 1904, p. 1. The school was built in 1873 and in 1953 was razed to make room for a municipal parking lot. In the fall of 1873, a preparatory school for Indiana University was established
Blog post by Randi Richardson Joseph Tarkington, an early settler in Monroe County, wrote that the first known Methodist meetings in what is now Monroe County were held in 1816. According to a church history published in 1999 in conjunction with the laying of the cornerstone of the Wesley Wing, the first formal church organization
On Monday morning, February 26, [1838], about half past four in the morning, the citizens of Bloomington were roused from their sleep by the ringing of bells and cries of fire. It was soon ascertained that the fire was in the frame buildings owned by G. R. Johnson and occupied by Mr. Jonathan Legg as
Blog post by Randi Richardson On May 9, 1883, the Bloomington Progress reported that a car load of old rubber boots had been gathered up over the past year and shipped to eastern cities as they were in great demand by the manufacturers of chewing gum. The rubber was reportedly melted in large kettles and
At this year’s Gala, the Collection Manager, Hilary Fleck, was asked to have objects or projects from the Collection that attendees could sponsor to help us further care for the artifacts in our collection. Dr. John Thiel answered this call and fully sponsored two graduate interns to identify, clean, and catalog the geological and fossil
Blog post by Randi Richardson The Lilly Library at Indiana University, Bloomington, has a number of items relevant to the history of Monroe County. Among those items is Session Book 2 for the Reformed Presbyterian Congregation at Bloomington. This book covers the period from 1838 to 1860 and includes a list of baptisms from January
Blog post by Randi Richardson Harold Franklin Hayes was born in Marion County, Indiana, on February 6, 1925, to John Michael and Daisy “Fern” (Baugh) Hayes. He had an older sister named Rosemary at the time of his birth and would eventually have a younger sister, Hannah. Harold’s paternal grandfather, John Joseph Hayes, was a
New Collection of World War II Letters Donated to the History Center
The Research Library recently received a small collection of correspondence between a son, Glen Whaley, and his family in Stanford, IN during his time enlisted with the Navy during World War II. Library volunteer, Lee Ehman, recently went through the letters and wrote up a bit about the contents of the collection and about Glen’s
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