McLEAN COUNTY HISTORY & GENEALOGY NEWS
By Euleen Rickard
The winter meeting of the museum membership was held at Smith house on January 22nd and plans for celebrating the 150th anniversary of the founding of McLean County were made. The county has planned special event days and the month of July is the month to mark the anniversary. The museum will be open with exhibits every weekend during July. A descendant of Alney McLean who has history and pictures of the county has offered to let us make copies for the museum and these will be in our July exhibit. She wrote that the tool used by Alney McLean to measure the Muhlenberg/McLean county line is still in existence. Our deceased member Wendell Rone with his great foresight had prepared some things for the celebration that will be used during that time.
Many ideas for progress of the museum are being considered. President Jim Hansford has been in the county working with members and prospective members. He proposed that each town and community work on an exhibit that would represent their history. He met for lunch at the Lighthouse Restaurant with several members and naturalist Joe Ford.
Norman Rickard whose father was a McLean County native has donated genealogy of Maria Elizabeth Happes, wife of Jacob Reichert, ancestors of the Rickards of McLean County.
Other donations include two tobacco-related photos. George Blackburn brought a picture of a plant bed steaming and Andy Joe Peak, grandson of Joe Peak and great-grandson of Joe and Mattie Peak brought a picture of the Peak family on a tobacco frame pulled by horses. It is full of tobacco plants and Andy’s grandfather Joe is a young barefoot boy in the picture. These old pictures show much history of our farm families and are treasures to display in the museum.
Johnny Settles donated a book that he wrote on the “Mystery House” and Delbert Settles has given a write-up of his World War II service. John Algood gave a framed copy of the Memorial Service for Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Belinda Thomson has donated several things that are being cataloged. Volunteers are working one day each week to catalog artifacts and file history and genealogy
Through e-mail, in addition to genealogy requests, we have received questions about the history of the county. An interesting one was in regard to colleges in McLean County. “Were there early schools known as colleges and has anyone ever heard of a “college” or “College Hall” in Sacramento? If you know of a college or college hall in Sacramento, please write the museum at P.O. Box 34 or email mcleancountymuseum@yahoo.com
. Welcome to new members Abraham Byrd of Tucson, Arizona, Douglas Moseley, Bowling Green, Kentucky, Glen Taylor Bowman, Hialeah, Florida, Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Newberry, Owensboro, Kentucky, Dr. and Mrs. Walter Taylor, Winter Park, Florida, Gregory Eck, Lawrenceville, Georgia, Harold Nall, Owensboro, and Gary and Judy Campbell, Livermore.
The annual membership drive is on…McLean Countians get behind this effort to pass the history and heritage of our great county down to future generations. Make the museum the “PRIDE OF THE COUNTY.” Call Helen Anderson Ph:273-5916 or Mildred Iglehart Ph:785-4588 and join today.