Linked is the latest edition of Back in the Day. Today, March 15, is the Ides of March, which was supposedly the date of Julius Caesar’s assassination. That said, the newsletter contains nothing about that historic event. But – this is still a timely read because we are only two days away from St. Patrick’s Day. This …
A Bit of Housekeeping at Back in the Day The header for this site now appears in Goudy Old Style type instead of the usual Times New Roman. Goudy Old Style is one of many type styles developed by Frederic W. Goudy. Call it a format change in the newsletter, but it’s also local history. …
Nationally Famous Speakers Heard and big Parades Held By James Hart Like in so many other places in North America, March 17 in Bloomington belonged to the Irish. In 1938 Pantagraph writer James Hart told of the low-key celebration that year, but also shared tales of 19th Century celebrations, rich with names of Bloomington’s Irish …
OLD TIME ST. PATRICK’S DAY CELEBRATIONS MORE ELABORATE Read More »
Ireland’s Saint, by J. B. Bury and Jon M. Sweeney The Bloomington Public Library featured a display of Irish-themed books in March, 2022. One of them, Ireland’s Saint, offered a biographic look at the man whom people of all faiths have come to know as St. Patrick. Of course, there are some gaps in the …
The Illinois Central rail station and this private home had their own stories to tell. The depot was built in 1903 to replace an earlier station that was destroyed in an 1896 train wreck. That’s agent C. E. Roseman on the platform. He and his wife lived in the house at the right. It stood …
Randolph Township, 1880 In last month’s newsletter we questioned certain media’s alertness for not reporting the census results of 2020. How many people live here? Flashback 140 years: a news clipping gave a concise, albeit abstract, rundown of the head count in Randolph Township. The township is just south of Bloomington, and contains the communities …
