The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗Bloomington was established in 1872 when it was certain that the railroad would be extended to that point. It was likely named after the city of Bloomington, Illinois.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Be one of the first
Start Bloomington’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Bloomington’s history is told.
0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Bloomington
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Bloomington, decade by decade
Before
2000
2000
No old photos in the archives yetWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your album
National Register of Historic Places
Nothing in Bloomington is on the National Register yet
That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Bloomington has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Franklin County Courthouse in Franklin, 4.5 miles away.
Bloomington and the nearest listed places
Dashed line = Bloomington. Tap a dot.
How a place gets listed
1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. Franklin County Courthouse’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Bloomington?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Bloomington’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old placeNational Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons
Then & now
When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.
Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (2). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.