71 topographic sheets cover 65 settlements here, and 35 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.
35 National Register listings published here, 1 of them a National Historic Landmark · the county-history sources tell 2 stories and name 42 people · people the book names include And General Collecting Agent (White Oak Township, 1874) · James Adams (Lexington Township, 1874) (machine-read).
Sources: the county history on the Internet Archive · the National Register database, National Park Service
Among them: Walter Karr; Political History. These passages come from the identified county-history source books. Each inset names its own source and opens the exact section it comes from.
Walter Karr was born July 8, 1797, in Sussex County, New Jersey. His father's name was Thomas Karr, and his mother's maiden name was Celia Lewis, both Americans. Mr. Karr was not old enough to be a soldier in the war of 1812, though many of his relatives were init. He had a half-brother who was captured by the British when Hull surrendered at Detroit.
Our city has always claimed that the great Republican party of the nation had its "birth at Major's Hall in 1856. At the risk of being attacked for our audacity, we will undertake to declare this a spurious claim. In the fall of 1854, the opposition to the Nebraska bill all over the country fought its battles under different names, generally as Free-Soilers, Anti-Nebraska Democrats, the Whig or American party; though in Massa- -chusetts the Free-Soilers and Anti-Nebraska Democrats had declared theoaselves to be Republicans.
Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.
Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 35 of them, burning about 190 acres. None started naturally and 3 were recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 18 |
| Debris and open burning | 10 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 3 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 2 |
| Smoking | 1 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 1 |
The five largest, by the area the report gives. None of them was recorded as arson.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 April 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 acres | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | 68 |
| 31 March 2010 | Debris and open burning | 50 acres | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | KINSELLA |
| 4 May 2010 | Debris and open burning | 20 acres | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | FREED |
| 19 April 2014 | Debris and open burning | 15 acres | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | LEX BROWN1 |
| 6 April 2014 | Debris and open burning | 6.0 acres | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | 2014-060 |
| 7 April 2014 | Debris and open burning | 6.0 acres | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | 2014-62 |
| 2 November 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5.0 acres | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | 2020-0000111 |
| 21 March 2014 | Debris and open burning | 5.0 acres | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | 2014-45 |
Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.
The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 760 reports for this county, causing no deaths, 17 injuries and about $42,566,870 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.
| Kind of event | Reports |
|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 342 |
| Hail | 245 |
| Tornado | 121 |
| Flash Flood | 38 |
| Flood | 7 |
| Lightning | 6 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 |
The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 1988 | Thunderstorm Wind | not stated | 6 hurt | no account filed |
| May 2000 | Tornado (F2) | Shamrock | 4 hurt, $175,000 | A tornado touched down half a mile north of Shamrock. It traveled east northeast causing minor to moderate damage to several machine sheds and barns. The most severe damage was to a two story house 2 miles north northwest of Downs. The 3 to 5 year old house sustained major damage with the roof lifted off and two exterior walls caved in. Four family members sustained minor cuts and bruises. A neighbor's house sustained minor damage, mainly due to flying debris from the destroyed home. |
| November 1988 | Thunderstorm Wind | not stated | 2 hurt | no account filed |
| August 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Danvers | 1 hurt, $3,500,000 | Downburst winds of 70 to 80 mph produced a wide swath of damage from Danvers southeastward into the southwest side of Bloomington. One of the hardest hit locations along this path was the Apollo Acres subdivision just north of Illinois Route 9, where 159 homes sustained damage. 139 of those homes had awnings or shingles damaged, while 19 suffered minor roof and window damage, and 1 home had one-third of its roof torn off. Total damage in Apollo Acres was around $1 million. Other significant damage occurred along the path of the storm, including numerous downed trees, trailers blown over, and several large metal buildings with doors blown in and roofs torn off. Total damage to 30 businesses along the path was estimated at around $2.5 million. One minor injury was reported, as a car was hit by a wind-blown trailer. |
| November 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Stanford | 1 hurt, $275,000 | Numerous trees and power lines were blown down throughout the county. A semi was blown over 4 miles west of Gridley and the driver sustained minor injuries. Also, twelve cars of a freight train were blown over at this location. The double-stack container cars were empty. In McLean, another semi was blown over but the driver did not sustain any injuries. Between Stanford and Danvers, nearly 30 structures, many farm buildings, sustained minor to major wind damage. Damage was estimated around $275,000. |
| March 1961 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | 1 hurt, $250,000 | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hudson | 1 hurt, $40,000 | Numerous tree limbs were blown down. One tree limb fell on a person causing a minor head injury. |
| March 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hudson | 1 hurt | A semi-truck was overturned by thunderstorm wind gusts along I-39. The driver was transported to the hospital. |
| June 2021 | Flash Flood | Stanford | $11,800,000 | Numerous roads were closed due to flood waters, including Route 136 between Heyworth and McLean. Part of the I-55 shoulder collapsed near Kickapoo Creek southwest of Bloomington, prompting the closure of the interstate. A dive team from Hudson was deployed to rescue a stranded motorist on I-55 southwest of Shirley. Other vehicles were stranded by high water near mile marker 159 on I-55 near Bloomington, at exit 142 on I-74 near the Kickapoo Creek Bridge just west of Downs, and about 2 miles north of LeRoy. A homeowner was stranded by high water surrounding their property a mile north of Heyworth. Nearly 1, 600 homes and 75 businesses were damaged by the flooding, including more than 200 structures that had major damage or were destroyed. |
| September 1986 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $2,500,000 | no account filed |
| August 1982 | Tornado (F0) | not stated | $2,500,000 | no account filed |
| August 1982 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $2,500,000 | no account filed |
| August 1982 | Tornado (F0) | not stated | $2,500,000 | no account filed |
| August 1982 | Tornado (F0) | not stated | $2,500,000 | no account filed |
| April 1981 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $2,500,000 | no account filed |
| April 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Countywide | $1,100,000 | Widespread damage was reported countywide. In Stanford, the roof of a business was torn off causing approximately $50,000 in damage. On I-39 northwest of Bloomington, a semi was blown over and at the I-55/I-74 interchange, two semis were blown over. No injuries were reported. At Illinois State University in Normal, windows were shattered in 30 to 40 cars. Also, 6 windows on two dormitories were cracked. At Lake Bloomington, a tree fell onto a police patrol boat, destroying it. In Cooksville, a grain elevator sustained major damage. Two of its grain bins were destroyed and a third one was damaged. Damage to the elevator is estimated around $750,000. Numerous trees, tree limbs, power poles, power lines, and sheds were blown over countywide. Total storm damage is estimated around $1.1 million. |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Countywide | $1,100,000 | In Mclean County as the storms moved through, there were more intense areas of damage due to microbursts (100 to 110 mph) in the Mclean and Leroy areas. In the town of Mclean, a large billboard was bent over and a business on the east side of town lost a large portion of its roof, as well as, several large motorized doors. Further east in Leroy, hundreds of trees were blown down, some of which fell onto homes causing moderate damage. In Bloomington, a home was destroyed by fire due to a freak accident. Large tree limbs were blown down onto the home's gas meter, knocking it off the wall. Live downed power lines helped to spark the fire. No injuries were reported and damage in Mclean County was estimated around $1.1 million. |
| April 1996 | Tornado (F3) | Mc Lean | $1,000,000 | no account filed |
| May 1995 | Tornado (F1) | Sabina to | $518,000 | A tornado touched down 3 W of Sabina and traveled to the east lifting and dissipating 1 E of Sabina. The tornado destroyed one home and damaged 14 homes. Several grain bins and outbuildings were either damaged or destroyed. Numerous trees and power poles were blown down. No one was injured and damage was estimated around $518,000. |
| July 2015 | Flash Flood | Mc Lean | $500,000 | Heavy rainfall amounts of 2.00 to 4.00 inches in two hours during the late evening produced flash flooding in McLean County. The soil was extremely saturated due to excessive rainfall in the latter half of June. Most rural roads from McLean through Downs to Anchor were flooded. An eight mile stretch of I-74 from mile marker 139 to 147 had water cover the road. As a result, a semi-truck drove off of the interstate. Police in Bloomington reported water up to two feet deep with numerous stalled cars and roads closed in the south and east portions of the city. No injuries were reported. |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hudson | $350,000 | Numerous trees and tree branches were blown down in Hudson. Some of the falling trees damaged cars, houses, and power lines. |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Downs | $250,000 | Numerous trees and tree branches were blown down. Some of the falling trees damaged cars, houses, and power lines. |
| December 1991 | Tornado (F0) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| August 1982 | Tornado (F0) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| August 1982 | Tornado (F0) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| July 1977 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| April 1974 | Tornado (F3) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| April 1970 | Tornado | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| September 1965 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| June 1960 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| November 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Normal | $225,000 | A tree was blown down and numerous roofs were damaged near the Illinois State University campus in Normal. |
| June 2021 | Flash Flood | Yuton | $200,000 | Several intersections in Bloomington were flooded. Numerous cars were stranded in high water: however, no water rescues were reported. I-74 near the Downs exit was flooded. |
| November 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Saybrook | $200,000 | Trees were uprooted and numerous homes had shingle damage in Saybrook. |
| July 2008 | Lightning | Bloomington | $200,000 | Lightning struck the roof of Bent Elementary School in Bloomington causing extensive damage to the roof and chimney. There were no injuries. |
| May 1995 | Tornado (F0) | Carlock | $150,000 | A tornado briefly touched down 1 SW of Carlock damaging two homes and three outbuildings. No injuries were reported and damage was estimated around $150,000. |
| May 1995 | Tornado (F1) | LeRoy | $150,000 | A tornado touched down 2 N of Wapella destroying several outbuildings, then it hopped and skipped along a 13-mile path causing sporadic damage along the way, mainly to trees and power lines. It did damage two to three homes in LeRoy before it finally dissipated. No one was injured and damage was estimated around $150,000. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Le Roy | $140,000 | Numerous trees and power lines were blown down. Four cars were damaged by falling trees, and five houses were damaged by falling tree branches. |
| March 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Saybrook | $126,000 | A microburst produced damage to trees roofs and machine sheds in town. 28 structures received damage. |
| December 2018 | Tornado (EF1) | Colfax | $110,000 | A tornado touched down 3 miles west of Colfax at 7:42 PM CST. It destroyed outbuildings and damaged trees before quickly dissipating 3.1 miles west-northwest of Colfax at 7:44 PM CST. |
| May 1995 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $106,000 | A tornado touched down 2 NW of Saybrook and traveled to the northeast. Five homes were damaged, several outbuildings destroyed, and numerous large trees were blown down. No one was injured and damage was estimated around $106,000. |
| August 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Laurette | $100,000 | Several power poles were damaged. |
| August 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Normal | $100,000 | Several large tree branches and a small tree were blown down in Normal. In Lexington, at least 16 homes were damaged. Several reports of trees and tree limbs down were received, with some of the trees falling onto vehicles, causing damage. Damage estimates were around $100,000. |
| April 1997 | Tornado (F0) | Downs | $100,000 | A tornado first touched down 1.5 miles east of Downs, blowing down a barn which trapped a 32-year old pony for 16 hours. Several other barns, machine sheds, cattle sheds, and grain bins were damaged or destroyed in the area. As the tornado travelled to the northeast, it damaged a barn and grain bin 1 mile north of Holder and a cattle barn was destroyed 2.5 miles north of Holder on Route 9. Further to the northeast the tornado caused $100,000 in damage to a gas station in Cooksville where two of the three service bays were destroyed and the third one sustained some damage. The fire station and a golf cart business reported minor roof damage. Also, power poles just north of Cooksville were snapped off and others were leaning to the ground. Before the tornado lifted and dissipated, it damaged a large barn 3 miles northeast of Cooksville. No injuries were reported. |
| July 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Normal | $90,000 | Several large tree branches were blown down. |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Towanda | $80,000 | Numerous trees and tree branches were blown down, including a branch that brought power lines down and caused a fire at a house on North Street. Crops were flattened by strong thunderstorm winds as well. |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bellflower | $80,000 | Numerous large trees and tree branches were blown down. A power pole was broken, and the roof of a shed was damaged. |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Gridley | $75,000 | Numerous trees and power lines were blown down. |
| December 2018 | Tornado (EF1) | Empire | $75,000 | A tornado touched down one-half mile north of the Dewitt/McLean County line about 4.4 miles south of Leroy at 7:06 PM CST. It damaged trees, an outbuilding, the roof of a house, and toppled a road sign before quickly dissipating at 7:07 PM CST. |
| December 2018 | Tornado (EF2) | Le Roy | $75,000 | A tornado touched down one mile south of Moraine View State Park at 7:18 PM CST. It tore off most of the roof of a house and destroyed an attached garage. An outbuilding and several trees were also damaged. The tornado quickly dissipated just east of Moraine View State Park at 7:20 PM CST. |
| August 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Le Roy | $65,000 | Eight houses and a car were damaged by falling trees in LeRoy. Also, widespread tree damage occurred to a residence in rural Leroy. Numerous trees were snapped off or uprooted. Corn was flattened in a nearby field. |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lexington | $60,000 | An 80-foot tall 30-inch diameter tree was blown onto a house. In addition, numerous power lines were blown down in Lexington. |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Colfax | $60,000 | A wind farm office trailer was destroyed. A large tree was blown down on Grove Street damaging a home. |
| May 2016 | Lightning | Normal | $60,000 | Lightning struck a home on Ogelthorpe Avenue in Normal on May 26th at around 7:30 AM CDT. As a result of the strike, a fire broke out in the attic of the home. Damage was estimated at about $60,000. |
| November 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | (Bmi)Bloomngtn/Norma | $60,000 | Several large power poles were blown down along Towanda Barnes Road. |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Chenoa | $55,000 | Numerous trees and tree branches were blown down in Chenoa. A light pole and power lines were blown down, and a grain elevator leg came down. |
| June 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Le Roy | $55,000 | A concrete silo was destroyed and numerous tree limbs were blown down. |
| September 2010 | Lightning | Bloomington | $50,000 | A lightning strike occurred in the 300 block of St. Joseph Drive in Bloomington. The resulting fire caused approximately $50,000 in damages to the roof of a physician's office building. |
| December 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bloomington | $50,000 | Strong winds damaged three to four buildings at a farmstead near Ireland Grove Road and Towanda Barnes Road. A machine shed was also destroyed. |
| June 2008 | Tornado (EF0) | Colfax | $50,000 | The tornado formed in an open field northwest of Colfax and tracked to the southeast. The tornado ripped off one fourth of the roof of a home on the northwest side of Colfax and damaged several trees. As the tornado continued southeast into Colfax, it caused minor damage to the roofs of three more homes and one business, as well as several trees. The tornado dissipated within the town of Colfax. The wind speeds with the tornado were estimated as high as 85 MPH. |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cropsey | $45,000 | Several trees were blown down. |
The Survey's mineral resources record lists 22 workings inside this county. 6 still produce and 16 are closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.
| Commodity | Workings |
|---|---|
| Sand and Gravel, Construction | 21 |
| Stone | 1 |
The least common of them first, because a county's hundredth gravel pit says nothing its first ten did not.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Normal City Pit | Stone | Past Producer | ||
| Baugh Pit & Mill | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Plant | ||
| Carmicheal Pit #90 | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| D. Rowe Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Evergreen Lake Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Freed Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| H. Darling Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Hall Pit No. 74 | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Heidelberg Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Heyworth Pit #1 | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Heyworth Pit #2 | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Market Street Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Mikel Pit & Mill | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Plant | ||
| Mohr Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Money Creek Township Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Pitts Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Probasco Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Riddle Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Rowe Pit No. 3 | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Rowe Pit No.2 | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Ryan Pit No. 39 | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Tipsord Saybrook Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
History of McLean County, Illinois devotes a chapter to each township: its boundaries and streams, who settled it and when, the mills, the schools and the churches. All 19 are reproduced here in full. Each row shows the township's own shape and where it lies in the county, drawn from the Census Bureau's boundary. Which settlements belong to which township is computed from that same boundary, not taken from the book.
3 books written about this county, cut here where the book itself is cut, at its printed chapters: 36 chapters in all. Every chapter is public domain, machine-read from the scan and reproduced complete. A chapter already given under one of the county's towns is not repeated in this list.
| Chapter | Length |
|---|---|
| The whole text | 656,342 words in 42 parts |
| Chapter | Length |
|---|---|
| The whole text | 48,747 words in 4 parts |
Everyone History of McLean County, Illinois stops to write about, with the section that describes them. Among them are the men who founded the place and governed the Territory. Each name opens the passage itself, in the words of 1924.
Named settlements recorded in the Geographic Names Information System, each with the topographic sheets covering it. Villages, hamlets and abandoned places alike. Each is shown with the nearest named watercourse or landform and the survey quadrangle it falls on.
Bloomington township · 61705 · On Goose Creek · Bloomington West quadrangle
13 sheets, 1949 to 1990
Money Creek township · 61753 · On Buck Creek · Lexington quadrangle
14 sheets, 1926 to 1990
Randolph township · 61745 · On Burlison Creek · Heyworth quadrangle
14 sheets, 1951 to 1998
Randolph township · 61745 · On Little Kickapoo Creek · Heyworth quadrangle
14 sheets, 1951 to 1998
No longer a settlement
Lexington township · 61753 · On Patton Creek · Cooksville quadrangle
11 sheets, 1957 to 1990
Lexington township · 61753 · On Turkey Creek · Lexington quadrangle
14 sheets, 1926 to 1990
The vanished settlements of McLean County: the places named above that are no longer on the map.
Block
