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Before entering
Bloomington, you will first travel through
Normal,
Illinois,
though over the years the two cities have virtually merged. As
you travel
Route 66
you’ll have to watch carefully to observe where
Normal ends and
Bloomington begins.
Normal, Illinois
In
1854 the town of North
Bloomington was platted in an
area that was commonly known as “The Junction,” at the intersection of
the
Illinois Central and the
Chicago & Alton railroads.
This parcel of land belonged to Joseph Parkinson, after whom Parkinson
Street was named. Though platted, the town was not developed
until three years later when Jesse Fell began to build in an area that
lay northeast of the original plat. Fell is referred to as the
"founding father" of
Normal,
as he soon became a central figure in the town’s development. Early industries in the town included nurseries, horse breeders, and
canneries.
In 1857,
Governor William Bissell signed a bill to create a “normal” school,
which was the term used for schools established as teachers’ colleges. Jesse Fell took up the campaign for
Bloomington and
obtained financial backing for the school. Abraham Lincoln, in
his capacity as an attorney, drew up the bond guaranteeing that
Bloomington citizens
would fulfill their financial commitments. The University first held
classes in
Bloomington while the
campus was being built north of the town.
Old Main, the
all-purpose building for the University, was completed in 1861 and the
state’s first college was established. Four years later, in
1865, the town was officially incorporated utilizing the name of
Normal. It was
in this same year that legislation was passed to establish the Civil
War Orphans Home in
Normal.
Two years later, the Civil War Orphans' Home, later known as the
Illinois Soldiers' and
Sailors' Children's School, was opened.
The first successful
canning business was started in the 1870's and the town became a
shipping center for berries, small fruits, and vegetables in the next
decade.
On August 4th, 1890 a grocery store caught
fire, causing the destruction of several downtown businesses. As a
result, much of the downtown area was rebuilt in two-story brick
buildings that are still in use today. This fire, along with another
in 1896, led to the purchase of a fire extinguishing equipment and the
establishment of a volunteer fire department.
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