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Courtesy/McLean County Museum of HistoryFor the first 100 years of Bloomington history, water was scarce. In 1929, the formation of Lake Bloomington began after periods of drought, contamination and scarcity of safe drinking water. -
![Jesse Fell, the founder of the Town of Normal [center] is depicted in the 1938 depression era mural in the Normal Post Office.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/921f66d/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2588x1456+859+0/resize/480x270!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8b%2F1d%2F096c7ca14caa87b684720c912060%2Fpels-mural-11-6-25-a.jpg)
McLean County Museum of History/CourtesyDuring the Great Depression the federal government tried to stimulate the economy by funding a variety of buildings and programs. Inside the 1936 WPA post office in Normal is a 1938 oil on canvas mural, a salute to the community, to human achievement, and to the importance of beauty in public spaces.
![Jesse Fell, the founder of the Town of Normal [center] is depicted in the 1938 depression era mural in the Normal Post Office.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/b49e7a8/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2588x1456+859+0/resize/960x540!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8b%2F1d%2F096c7ca14caa87b684720c912060%2Fpels-mural-11-6-25-a.jpg)
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Imagine, if you will, how big a deal it would be if Taylor Swift gave a concert in Bloomington-Normal. That's the equivalent to the appearance of lyric tenor John McCormack on Nov. 24, 1924. -
Illinois has a deep connection to the Underground Railroad. That's why lawmakers are pushing an initiative to preserve sites connected to this key part of history. -
It seems like a new biography of President Abraham Lincoln comes out every few years, trying to discern new perspectives of his time and character. Lincoln himself didn't write much about his life, so what he did put down on paper has an outsized importance. -
McHistory is a co-production of WGLT and the McLean County Museum of History. -
McHistory is a co-production of WGLT and the McLean County Museum of History.
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McHistory is a co-production of WGLT and the McLean County Museum of History. -
This week's episode of McHistory recounts Eleanor Roosevelt's visit to Bloomington-Normal in 1937. -
In this episode of McHistory, a look at the McLean County Poor Farm, where living conditions were often inhumane. -
The National Liver and Kidney Cure was said to be made from vegetables and herbs—and may have had some alcohol in it for an extra kick. It was made right here in Normal. -
On this month's episode of McHistory, you'll meet Florence Mae Risser Funk of Bloomington, who played a key role in getting women the right to…
