USA > Illinois > McLean County > History of McLean County, Illinois, Volume I > Part 28
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The Orphans' Home was first opened in a building secured for tem- . porary use on Main street in Bloomington on August 5, 1867, nearly two years before the main building at Normal was completed. Mrs. Ira Mer- chant had charge of this temporary home. A second temporary home became a necessity in a few months, and another house was secured at Prairie and North streets, where Mr. and Mrs. B. V. Sharp were placed in charge. The third house was opened in February, 1868, at Springfield, in charge of Mrs. Virginia C. Ohr, who later became general superintend- ent of the new Home when opened at Normal.
All the children from the three temporary homes were transferred to the new buildings at Normal on June 1, 1869, and Mrs. Ohr assumed charge as first superintendent. Mrs. Ohr's management of the Home con- tinued nearly twenty years, or until the spring of 1887. She conducted the institution with a minimum of friction. She introduced humanitarian methods of treatment which come down among the wholesome traditions of the Home.
When Mrs. Ohr retired, the Home was in charge of Capt. Edwin Harlan, one of the trustees, for a short time, until Harvey C. DeMotte, who had been president of Chaddock college, was secured as superintend- ent. Mrs. DeMotte, who had taught English and literature at Chaddock, assumed the duties of matron. They took charge in June, 1887. Dr. DeMotte and his wife served for six years in their respective positions, during which time the plant was partly reconstructed and improved. Thirty acres of additional ground was secured at this time, and the Home then owned a farm of 96 acres in a rectangular form. The school was put upon a higher plane, as might have been expected in the hands of trained educators.
Charles E. Bassett was the next superintendent, he having been ap- pointed by Gov. John P. Altgeld after a political landslide had changed the state administration to democratic. The new board of trustees ap-
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pointed by Gov. Altgeld decided to put in a superintendent of the same political faith as the governor, although they admitted Dr. DeMotte's administration had been satisfactory. Supt. Bassett assumed charge in August, 1893, with his wife as matron. When in 1896 the state adminis- tration had again become republican, the Home saw another change, and J. L. Magner succeeded Capt. Bassett. The administration of Supt. Mag- ner was brief, owing to complaints of conditions while he was there. Col. Isaac L. Clements of Carbondale was appointed, with his wife as matron. Col. Clements did not stay long, for he received appointment to the Sol- diers' Home at Danville. The next superintendent was Major R. N. Mc- Cauley of Olney, and Mrs. McCauley came as matron. Major and Mrs. McCauley remained in the Home for fourteen years, and their adminis- tration was marked by many changes and improvements. The new hos- pital was erected, a new and adequate sewerage system installed, and the internal management of the Home improved in many ways. The system of cottages for the better housing of the girls was also completed during Maj. McCauley's regime, in the year 1904. Maj. and Mrs. McCauley con- tinued in charge of the Home for fourteen years, retiring in 1913, and being succeeded by Edwain M. Van Petten, who had formerly been super- intendent of schools in Bloomington. Mr. Van Petten remained only six weeks, for he accepted a federal government appointment and gave up the work at the Home. His successor was W. H. Claggett of Lexington, who with his wife took charge of the Home. They remained for about four years, and the conditions at the institution were very satisfactory during their regime. On Dec. 15, 1917, John W. Rodgers of Bloomington, a well known business man, was appointed to the superintendency at the Home. He and Mrs. Rodgers remained in charge of the Home for four years. There was considerable progress in the modernizing of the buildings and the addition of new features that were needed for the comfort and con- venience of the children.
In April, 1921, the appointment of Ralph Spafford of Bloomington to the position of managing officer of the Soldiers' Orphans' Home was announced from the office of Gov. Small. Mr. Spafford was sheriff of McLean county, and inasmuch as he could not well resign that position on short notice, he did not take charge at the Home until June 6 of that year. He is the present managing officer, being assisted in the work by Mrs. Spafford. The Home now accepts not only orphan children of sol-
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diers and sailors of all wars, but under an amendment to the law made a few years ago, the children who would otherwise be sent to county alms houses in counties of Illinois are received here to be wards of the state and to receive a good education. This has increased the population of the Home to a great extent, there being over 500 enrolled at the present time.
From the time of its establishment to the present, the Soldiers' Orphans' Home has housed and taken care of, and educated, more than 5,000 children who would otherwise have become inmates of alms houses or left to drift to the whim of fate. Under recent provisions of the law, many of the children left to the care of this institution have been placed in private homes, where their foster parents have legally adopted them.
One of the changes of recent years is that of supervision. When the state departments were consolidated under Gov. Lowden, the general oversight of this and several other charitable establishments were put in the hands of the director of public welfare, the position being now (1923) held by Judge C. H. Jenkins of Sangamon county. The title of the resident manager is changed from that of superintendent to "managing officer."
One of the most appreciated additions to the physical equipment of the institution is that of a fine modern gymnasium, which was first used some three years ago. This gives facilities for all kinds of athletic exer- cises and indoor games, such as are in vogue in all modern schools. The children of the institution have competent leadership in this line, and their health is accordingly conserved.
CHAPTER XXXIII.
McLEAN COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
ORGANIZED IN 1892-FIRST PRESIDENT-OTHER OFFICERS-FIRST VOLUME PUBLISHED-SECOND VOLUME-INCORPORATED IN 1901-OFFICERS-IN Mc- BARNES MEMORIAL BUILDING-HISTORICAL COLLECTION-MEETINGS.
One of the institutions of which McLean County people have reason to be proud is the McLean County Historical Society, started in a small way in 1892 and continued to the present time with ever-growing influence and prestige.
On the invitation of Captain J. H. Burnham and E. M. Prince, a few persons assembled on March 12, 1892, for the purpose of forming a local historical society.
The object of the society, according to its constitution, was "To dis- cover, collect and preserve whatever relates to the natural, civic, military, literary and religious history of Illinois in general and McLean county in particular; to maintain a museum and library, and to extend knowledge upon these subjects by appropriate meetings and publications."
The first president of the society was Judge John M. Scott; J. B. Orendorff vice president; Ezra M. Prince, secretary; George P. Davis, treasurer, and John H. Burnham chairman of the executive committee. Judge Scott held the position of president until his death, when George P. Davis was elected to succeed him. Mr. Davis in turn held the presidency until his death. Mr. Prince carried on the work of the secretary of the society and custodian of the society's library and museum until his death. When Mr. Davis was promoted to the presidency, he relinquished the office of treasurer, and Mr. Burnham was elected to that place.
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Judge Scott, the first president of the society, was a man eminently fitted for the position. He was a native of St. Clair county, Illinois, and came to McLean county in 1848. He had a very wide knowledge of Illinois history from the beginning, and of McLean county history from its forma- tive period. He was the inspiration of the society during his lifetime and read many valuable papers at its several meetings, which papers were mostly preserved in the printed volumes of the society's proceedings. J. B. Orendorff, the first vice president, lived in McLean county all his life and continued to be a figure of importance until his death.
The persons who gathered at the initial meeting included the above officers of the society, and in addition the following were added to the membership very shortly: Peter Folsom, Charles L. Capen, Joseph B. Weaver, Mrs. J. N. Ward, John W. Cook, Robert O. Graham, Richard Edwards, Mrs. W. W. Marmon, William McCambridge.
Within five years after the formation of the society, the directors had gathered the material for the publication of the first volume of the "Transactions." This formal title concealed a most laborious and com- plete work gotten out under the direct charge of Capt. J. H. Burnham and Ezra M. Prince, who were from the first the moving spirits of the society. The volume was sub-titled "War Record of McLean County." It contained a complete story of the part which McLean county people had borne in the Black Hawk war, the Mexican war and the civil war. The book con- tained a list of the name of all McLean county men who served in the civil war, together with brief histories of all the regiments which con- tained any McLean county men. This information was gathered with great pains from the records of the state adjutant general at Springfield. In the same book was published the official records of the board of super- visors so far as it pertained to any civil war actions. The lists of the county officers from the foundation of the county up to that time was also included. A collection of miscellaneous papers on historical subjects completed the volume.
The second volume of the Historical society's "Transactions" was published in the year 1899. The book was called the "School Record of McLean County," and contained many interesting papers concerning the development of the educational interests of the county. The third volume contained a complete text of all the papers and historical data collected at the time of the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the great
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convention held in Bloomington on May 29, 1856, which was the founding of the republican party in Illinois, and at which time Abraham Lincoln delivered his celebrated "lost speech." This little book is the most in- teresting and complete work extant concerning the historic convention and the recollections of the persons who attended it and who were still alive fifty years afterward, in 1906.
At the meeting on March 5, 1898, the death of Judge Scott, the first president of the society, was reported and suitable resolutions enacted. George P. Davis was elected president. On Dec. 5, 1898, a great memorial meeting in honor of John McLean, for whom the county was named, was held and a tablet of bronze in his honor set in the walls of the court house.
. In January, 1901, the society was incorporated, and on March 14, 1903, the following officers elected : President, George P. Davis; vice presi- dent, J. B. Orendorff; secretary, E. M. Prince; executive committee, Messrs. Burnham, Prince and Davis, Mrs. W. W. Marmon and Mrs. J. N. Ward. The roster of officers remained practically unchanged until the death of the secretary, E. M. Prince, which occurred August 27, 1908. At the following annual meeting, in March, 1909, the list of officers elected were: President, George P. Davis; W. J. Rhodes, vice president ; secretary, Dwight E. Frink; treasurer, J. H. Burnham; trustees, Lafayette Funk, Reuben M. Benjamin, Simeon H. West, Mrs. W. J. Rhodes, Henry McCormick.
Milo Custer was appointed custodian of the museum to succeed Mr. Prince, on Aug. 2, 1909. At first his salary was raised by private sub- scriptions, but in March, 1910, the board of supervisors appropriated $480 per year for the custodian's salary. The same list of officers served until 1914, when George P. Davis was elected president; A. V. Pierson vice president ; D. E. Fink, secretary, and J. H. Burnham, treasurer.
In May, 1916, a rule was passed that the relics for the museum should be confined to those specified in the constitution, only such as related in some way to McLean County history. No oriental or non-American relics are to be received.
On Jan. 10, 1917, resolutions were passed on the death of George P. Davis, president of the society. Only ten days later, Jan. 20, the society mourned the death of Capt. J. H. Burnham, one of the charter members
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VIEWS IN MILLER PARK, BLOOMINGTON.
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and a main promoter. Similar memorial resolutions on Capt. Burnham were adopted by the society on Jan. 29.
On Feb. 1, 1917, W. B. Carlock was elected treasurer, and on March 1 of that year Emanuel Rhoads was chosen custodian to succeed Milo Custer. Henry McCormick, who had been vice president, was chosen president to succeed Mr. Davis. Prof. McCormick served as president until his death on June 17, 1918. On the death of Prof. McCormick, Hon. Thomas C. Kerrick was chosen president, and he serves till the present time.
Early in 1919, Dwight E. Frink, the secretary, died, and E. Rhoads was selected to succeed to that position. Mr. Rhoads still occupies the secretaryship.
In November, 1921, appears the first record of action by the Histor- ical society looking to a change of location to the new McBarnes Memorial building when it should be completed. This society had a part in the laying of the corner stone on May 27, 1922. T. C. Kerrick was appointed to represent the Historical society on the board of management of the McBarnes building. The first meeting of the directors of the society was held in the new McBarnes building on Jan. 27, 1923. The present officers of the society are: Thomas C. Kerrick, president; Thomas Kennedy, first vice president; Scott Price, second vice president; Mrs. John McBarnes, third vice president, taking the place of F. H. Newcomb, who resigned ; W. B. Carlock, treasurer; Mr. Kerrick, N. W. Brandicon, Sue A. Sanders, Mary L. P. Evans, W. B. Carlock, David Davis and John G. Welch, direct- ors. Emanuel Rhoades was reappointed secretary and custodian of the society's museum. At the last annual meeting, Mrs. McBarnes was made a life member of the society.
From the very first, the promoters of the society desired to assemble a museum of the articles, pictures and manuscripts which should preserve in a visible form the early history and progress of the county. The board of supervisors set aside a room in the court house which was built in 1901 for the special use of the Historical society. Here was gathered a wonderful assemblage of relics of pioneer times, of the mementoes of all wars, pictures of the earlier settlers and their homes, and a thousand and one other articles such as a local historical museum should contain. E. M. Prince was appointed as custodian of the museum, and he served until his
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death, at a mere nominal salary, for the society had no funds except private donations and a small appropriation each year from the board of supervisors. The room in the court house soon became too small and too cramped for accommodation and classification of the increasing assemblage of relics, and for many years the chief promoters of the society had dreamed of a larger and fire proof building for its use.
Such a dream came true in a measure at least along in the year 1921- 22, when the project for the McBarnes Memorial building, as explained elsewhere, grew into an assured fact. In planning this building, the majority of the space on the first floor was set apart for the use of the County Historical society. When the building was completed, the society moved its vast museum into this room, which even from the first proved to be no more room than was needed, if enough. Emanuel Rhoads had succeeded to the office of custodian, after the death of Mr. Prince and a period when Milo Custer had occupied the position. Mr. Rhoads set about to arrange the collection of relics in a systematic manner in the new quarters, and he succeeded admirably, with the advice and counsel of the officers of the society. The museum is now the best and most complete to be found in Illinois outside of the state museum at Springfield. Indeed, there is probably no better in the middle west.
The Historical society holds quarterly meetings, and its many valu- able and comprehensive papers have served to preserve in permanent form the material of local history which would otherwise have been irreparably lost. The officers of the society have. in mind the publication of another volume of "Transactions" at some time in the near future, which will make available some of the material which has been prepared since the second volume appeared. The Historical society museum is open to the public every day, and is visited by hundreds of people every year.
CHAPTER XXXIV.
MISCELLANEOUS.
McBARNES MEMORIAL BUILDING-COURT HOUSES-COUNTY JAILS-MOTOR CAR AND ERA OF PAVED ROADS.
McBarnes Memorial Building .- One of the outgrows of the world war as it affected McLean county was to bring to the surface the munifi- cent generosity of one of the county's well known wedded couples, Mr. and Mrs. John McBarnes of near Holder, who were the instruments by which the soldiers and sailors of all the wars are to perpetually enjoy a great building erected for their especial benefit. It stands at the south- east corner of Grove and East street, the same corner on which stood for many years the home of Dr. Stipp and earlier of James Allin, the building first used as a court house or county building. The Stipp house had been torn down several years before the world war, and the lot was vacant when the proposition of erecting there a memorial building was first broached.
Housed within the friendly walls of this handsome McBarnes Memor- ial edifice are the patriotic organizations of the city and county, who for years to come will enjoy the privileges that have been made possible by the donor of the building and the taxpayers of the county, who, through the efforts of the Board of Supervisors, provided the splendid site upon which the stately structure now stands.
In the fall of 1920 the people of McLean county voted to erect a suit- able building as a memorial to those of her sons who had made the great sacrifice. However, it was found that no provision was made for further taxing powers to provide funds sufficient to warrant such an undertaking
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and this necessitated the abandonment of the plan. Again in June, 1921, the proposition of a bond issue and additional taxing power was sub- mitted to a vote of the people, and upon this occasion the issue was defeated by a decisive vote.
During the time that intervened between the elections, the Board of supervisors had contracted for a location for the building, and even though the bond issue was defeated, they were under contract for the purchase of the Stipp lot, bounded by Grove, Albert, Olive and East streets.
The site being only six blocks from the public square was considered ideal for such a building, not only because of its location but by reason of the historical lore which this spot holds. It was upon this site that once stood the McLean county court house where the immortal Abraham Lin- coln practised law and made many of the great addresses which have come down through the years as an inspiration to succeeding generations.
It was just at a time that the soldiers of the county and the public spirited citizens who had favored the erection of a building, were about to give up in despair, that John McBarnes appeared before the Board of Supervisors and made a proposition to donate dollar for dollar to a fund for the erection of a Memorial building. The board found that they were without funds and could not accept the offer of Mr. McBarnes. Mr. McBarnes then presented another proposition in which he agreed to pay the sum of $125,000 for the erection of the building, providing the super- visors would provide a suitable site. The county board provided the Stipp lot and the contract for the erection of the building was signed on Sept. 24, 1921.
On Oct. 26, 1921, Mr. McBarnes passed to his reward, without living to see the ground broken for this building which was commenced April 1, 1922. On May 27, 1922 the corner stone was laid and the structure was dedicated on April 30, 1923.
The building is three stories in height, one hundred feet wide and eighty feet deep. This leaves on the rear of the lot, 141 feet upon which is to be erected a Memorial auditorium, and for which funds are to be raised by the local organization within a period of five years. The struc- ture is of the monumental type, of grey pressed brick, trimmed with Bedford stone.
The building is managed and controlled by a board of management composed of one member of each organization for each one hundred of
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McBARNES MEMORIAL BUILDING, BLOOMINGTON, ILL.
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its membership, one member from the board of supervisors and one mem- ber of the McLean County Historical society.
The building committee spent $132,000 for the actual construction of the building. The furnishings as furnished by the county, cost $17,000. Upon entering the first floor of the building, one first comes into the spa- cious lobby, which is furnished with a library table, two formal high back chairs, and on the west wall of the lobby are large pictures of Mr. and Mrs. John McBarnes. On the east wall is the huge bronze tablet contain- ing the names of all of the McLean county soldiers, sailors and marines who lost their lives in the World war.
Immediately to the left of the lobby is the room occupied by the Grand Army of the Republic. This contains a large rug, leather furniture, card tables, chairs, and other equipment necessary for the comfort of the ยท veterans.
On the right of the lobby are a suite of rooms occupied by the state department of the American Legion, consisting of private offices for the commander and adjutant and for finance department and a spacious work room for the clerical force. There is a large vault for the records and a stock room for supplies.
At the end of the lobby will be found the McLean County Historical society, which has one of the largest and finest collections of relics, curios, and historical data of varied character of any organization in Illinois with the exception of the State Historical society.
In quarters in the southeast corner of the building are located the colored soldiers, whose quarters are furnished in keeping with the other appointments of the building.
Across the front of the second floor is a room 22 by 50 feet in dimen- sions which is used as a lounge room. At the east end of this room is a brick fire place which adds to the homelike atmosphere of the place. A handsome rug 18 by 46 covers the floor; there is a library table in the center; there are nine pieces of overstuffed velour furniture, eight chairs upholstered in tapestry and two mahogany writing desks with chairs to match. The three large windows in the front are hung with cretonne drapes.
To the east of the lounging room is the board of manager's office, coat rooms and toilet. To the west of the lounging room are the office rooms occupied by the local post of soldiers organizations.
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In the center of the second floor is the music room. There are six French plate glass doors leading from this to adjoining rooms. A rug 18 by 32 feet covers the floor. The furnishings consist of two leather daven- ports, library table and twelve fumed oak chairs. This is also used as a reading room.
At the rear of the building on the second floor, will be found the bil- liard and recreation room. This is equipped with two billiard and four pool tables and card tables.
To the east of the recreation room is the canteen which is equipped with an eight foot soda fountain, small steam table from which sand- wiches and coffee are served. There is also a cigar and candy stand.
Extending from front to rear in the center of the third floor, is the assembly room which is 51 by 78 feet in dimensions. There are three large windows across the front and false or mirrowed windows in the rear. There are three sets of French doors on either side. The walls are tinted grey, trimmed with mahogany. The furniture consists of one hundred mahogany chairs and mahogany pedestals.
On the northwest corner of the third floor will be found the ladies' parlor. It is covered with a large taupe rug and his thirty-two pieces of frosted wicker furniture. Immediately south of this room is the ladies' retiring room.
In the southwest corner is located the store room, where four hun- dred feet of collapsible banquet table and three hundred folding chairs are housed when not in use.
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