Laundry service businesses grew during the early twentieth century as awareness of sanitation increased and technological advancements made mass-laundering economical. B.F. Leonard created the Home Laundry Company in 1922 catering to both private homes and large institutions such as Indiana University. By 1950, Home Laundry employed ninety people. The post-World War II era also saw a rapid decline in laundry businesses as home washing machines became readily available and affordable. Home Laundry remained in business until the 1980s. It proved to be one of the last businesses to close in historic Bloomington courthouse square, where twenty-one businesses once operated in seventeen different buildings within a two-block area during the 1910s and 1920s.
The Wylie House Museum is a historic house museum owned by Indiana University that provides a glimpse into the home life of a family in the 1840s. The museum is also one of the oldest homes in Bloomington and offers a collection of early to mid-19th-century American furnishings, including many original pieces from the Wylie family. Letters and personal papers from the Wylie family can also be found in the university's archives. The Wylies were a prominent family in Bloomington, Indiana during the 19th century. The house was built in 1835 and was home to Indiana University's first president, Andrew Wylie. After his death, cousin Theophilus Wylie purchased the home and generations of Wylie family resided there until 1913. Now, the Wylie House is a museum restored to its original appearance and the museum staff work. to preserve and study the house, artifacts, and documents in order to provide a deeper understanding of Bloomington's early years.
In 2011, the Indiana Historical Bureau approved a historical marker for the site of the original IU (then known as Indiana Semnary) campus, which was established in 1820 at what is now South College Avenue, just south of Second Street. The marker suggests a long-delayed recognition of the importance of this historical moment in the life of IU and of the state more generally.
Seminary Square Park is the original location of Indiana University, which is now a large sprawling campus to the northeast. The university was founded here in 1838, but the first educational institution at the site was a seminary founded in 1816 (it didn't actually receive state approval until 1820 and the first building wasn't erected until 1824) four years after the granting of Indiana's statehood. Eventually, the school became a college in 1828 and by 1838 it became Indiana University. The University stayed here until it moved its current location in 1883 when it became clear that the site was too small for the growing institution. However, education remained an important activity here. A high school, junior high, and preparatory school (for the university) operated here. Finally in 1964 a fire destroyed the high school building and it was decided that it would not be rebuilt. The other structures at the park were demolished. The park was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.
Founded in 1995 (it opened in 1998), the WonderLab Museum of Science, Health & Technology features 65 interactive exhibits for people off all ages. It is located in the entertainment and arts district of Bloomington and next to the B-Line Trail, which is used for biking and walking. As its name indicates, the museum's mission is to educate and inspire visitors about science, the natural world, human health, and how technology works. The present two-story building was constructed in 2003. The second floor features a natural science hall that has insects, amphibians and reptiles on display in replica habitats. In 2017 the museum plans to build a salt water aquarium with a coral ecosystem. Outside, there is a landscaped garden featuring native plants, vegetables and herbs, and a water feature.
Constructed in 1908, the historic Monroe County Courthouse was completed at a moment that would mark the apex of the city of Bloomington's population owing to recent industrial growth. The first county courthouse for Monroe County was a two-room log cabin built at what is now the Courthouse Square only five days after the establishment of the county. As the town and county grew, Monroe County's courthouse structures evolved from a log cabin to a brick structure to this stone building. Numerous other public buildings once shared space in the square with the Courthouse, but now this building is all that remains.
Bloomington's Soldiers of All Wars Memorial Marker was funded by the local chapter of the Grand Army of the Republic--a fraternal order created by Union veterans after the Civil War--and dedicated in 1928. The monument was designed by George W. Bunting and carved by Henry McIlveen and Josef Graf. The monument contains a statue of a typical Civil War soldier atop a large pedestal with friezes on each of its four sides that depict scenes from the War With Mexico (1848), the Civil War 1861-1865), Spanish-American War (1898-1901), and World War I (1914-1918. Near this statue is a 816-pound cannon removed from the USS Phoenix in 1864.
This Bloomington veterans memorial was dedicated in 1928 at the southeast corner of Bloomington's Courthouse Square. The monument includes a tall obelisk topped by a sculpture of a Civil War soldier, at the base of which are reliefs showing four scenes representing the conflicts commemorated in the monument: the Mexican War, Civil War, Spanish-American War, and World War I.
Prior to 1874, white and Black students attended the city's Center School at this location. White students attended classes on the school's first floor while Black students of all ages were educated in a separate room upstairs. As the city's population grew, the city constructed a new school for area white students and this school was reserved for African American students. In 1881, there were 54 students attending the school. By 1915, this number had increased to 93 students. In this year, the Center School or "Colored School" as it was generally known, was replaced by the Banneker School at 930 West Seventh Street. That building is now a community center but retains its name which honors early Black inventor and author Benjamin Banneker. The elementary schools of Bloomington remained segregated even after the 1949 Indiana state law that required an end to segregated schools. By 1951, the school of Bloomington were integrated--three years prior to the US Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board that outlawed racial segregation in public school systems.
This local history museum is located within the former Monroe Carnegie Library. Constructed in 1917, the building has been listed on the National Register of Historic places since 1978. The museum has called this building home since 1980, a move that allowed for a significant expansion of the museum's holdings. Monroe County History Center currently boasts 8,000 square feet for its many galleries and exhibits, a genealogy and local history library, museum store, and education room. On the corners of the property stand two historical markers for the “Colored School” - or Center School - which opened its doors to African American children from 1874 to 1915 during the era of segregation. The second marker commemorates the building's role as Bloomington’s public library from the building's construction in 1918 to the creation of a new central library in 1970. Bloomington was one of 2500 communities that built a library with Andrew Carnegie's support as he donated an estimated $56 million for library construction. Though the town attempted many times to acquire public support and funds to build a library from 1897 to 1915, it wasn't until 1917 that the project finally came to fruition. Prior to that time, the library shared space with the courthouse. The library used the building from 1918 to 1970 and since 1994, the building has served as Monroe County History Center since that time.
Constructed in the early twentieth century for the Cantol Wax Company after their relocation from Mexico, this Bloomington building is connected to two high-profile politicians. Harry Timolet of New York created the Cantol Wax company in Mexico and fled the country after his original plant was destroyed during a revolutionary movement. While in Texas, his daughter married Paul V. McNutt of Bloomington and they moved the company to Indiana. McNutt went on to serve as Indiana Governor and then the High Commissioner to the Philippine Islands. The wax company's final owner, Thomas Lemon, served two separate terms as Bloomington Mayor. The company operated until 1950.
The Princess Theatre Building is a historic theatre in Bloomington, Indiana, that was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. It is also located on the Courthouse Square Historic District alongside such other notable locations as the Monroe County Courthouse, Bloomington City Hall, and Wicks Building. The theater portion of the building was removed in 1985, leaving only the front façade as a pointed reminder of its past. Today the upstairs serves as an apartment complex while the downstairs acts as home to local businesses.
Built in 1915, this three-story commercial building incorporates classic features of the Chicago style of architecture and was home to the Wicks Company department store until 1976. The company was established by Civil War veteran Colonel W.W. Wicks after he made his fortune in the limestone quarry business, a flourishing industry in Bloomington at the time. Wicks invested part of his fortune into creating one of Bloomington's first department stores, and his family managed the store from 1915 until its closure in 1976. The building was renovated in 1995 and again in 2014, helping this historic downtown building to serve as an office and retail commercial building.
Ward W. and Ellis W. Johnson established Johnson's Creamery in 1913 and began building the factory in 1914. Its success allowed the company to expand the factory several times through 1951. Johnson's maintained its own horse and stable complex to deliver its dairy products to customers, but finally transitioned fully to the automobile in 1938. The Creamery's most recognizable feature is its iconic 178-foot-tall smokestack with white glazed bricks that vertically spell "Johnson's." Built in 1949, it speaks to the company's growth. While many creameries emerged during the the 1920s and 1930s, the rise of supermarket chains and a more nationalized dairy market forced the closure and consolidation of many of Indiana's creamery businesses. Not only did Johnson's survive, it remained functional until the late 1980s.
The former Illinois Central Railroad Freight Depot played an integral role in Bloomington's development in the early twentieth century. Illinois Central Railroad built it in 1906 and its purpose was solely to facilitate the transportation of freight goods rather than passengers. The depot was therefore designed with efficiency and functionality in mind; there are no decorative elements. The building has in recent years been home to restaurants before transitioning into an office building. Given its role in the city's history, the depot was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
The Millen-Chase-McCalla House emerged in three phases, with an "I House" erected in 1844 by William and Elizabeth Millen, a connecting main house built in 1854 (providing the historic home with its current L-shape) by Aaron Chase, and 1871 renovations conducted by John McCalla and his family, which resulted in its Greek Greek Revival and Italianate-style designs. However, the property enjoys a history that dates back to the Monroe County founding in 1818. Most significantly, James Whitcomb, a Kentucky lawyer purchased the property in 1827. He served as Monroe County's prosecuting attorney, an Indiana Senator in 1830, Commissioner of the General Land Office in Washington, D.C., Indiana Governor, and finally a U.S. Senator. Whitcomb divided the land in two haves, with the southern half eventually becoming the property for which the historic L-shaped home emerged during the middle of the nineteenth century. The house currently serves as a restaurant known as Topo's 403, owned by the Topolgus family. The family's history in Bloomington begins with Dr. James N. Topolgus, who came to America via Ellis Island in 1913 and went on to become one of the first to graduate from the Indiana University School of Medicine’s obstetrics and gynecological department; many refer to the house as The Topolgus Building rather than its historic name.
The Morgan House, built in 1890 by local teacher and lawyer James F. Morgan, is one of thousands of houses built during the 1890s and early 1900s using designs found in catalogs published by architect George Franklin Barber. The self-taught architect began his career in DeKalb, IL in the late 18880s before moving to Knoxville in 1890 where he provided designs via mail-order and published several catalogs and magazines with numerous designs and guides. Houses inspired by his work could be found all throughout the U.S. as well as Europe, Africa, and Asia. The Morgan House design could be found in his breakthrough work, The Cottage Souvenir No. 2, published in 1891.
Named after one of its former owners, Mary and Edwin Farmer, the Farmer House Museum preserves and interprets local history and family life during the 20th century. The house was built in 1869, a period of rapid growth for Bloomington and the surrounding area. The museum offers a variety of artifacts thanks to its namesake, Mary Farmer, and her decision to collect and save many of the items that now constitute the heart of the museum's collection. That collection includes family photographs and images of early Bloomington, clothing, school memorabilia, pottery, furniture, and a variety of letters. The museum offers rotating exhibits featuring items from the collection, as well as items loaned from other museums and members of the community. Admission to the museum is free.
John L Nichols served as Bloomington's first full-time architect and from 1890 to 1920, he designed hundreds of commercial and residential structures in the city. Nichols completed this elliptic-shaped home in 1900 and included the home as one of the hundred designs in his 1902 catalog entitled Album of Artistic Dwellings. Nichols also lived in the home for two years before selling the house by 1905 to a railroad company for use as temporary housing for employees. After World War II, ownership of the home changed several times and the structure fell into disrepair. A renovation during the 1980s likely saved the structure from demolition and in recent years, it has served as an attorney's office.
This Tour is a Walking Tour.
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This walking tour includes a variety of museums, landmarks, and historic markers in the city of Bloomington. The tour offers a chance to learn about a number of the historical homes, downtown buildings, and includes stops at several museums. Visitors might also enjoy using Clio to see some of the landmarks on the University of Indiana campus, located just blocks from the downtown area.
