McLean County, Illinois - Chapter 33: Mclean County Historical Society, 1924

ORGANIZED IN 1892 - FIRST PRESIDENT - OTHER OFFICERS - FIRST VOLUME PUBLISHED^SECOND VOLUME - INCORPORATED IN 1901 - OFFICERS - IN Mc- BARNES MEMORIAL BUILDING - HISTORICAL COLLECTION - MEETINGS.

One of the institutions of which McLean County people have reason to be proud is the McLean County Historical Society, started in a small way in 1892 and continued to the present time with ever-growing influence and prestige.

On the invitation of Captain J. H. Burnham and E. M. Prince, a few persons assembled on March 12, 1892, for the purpose of forming a local historical society.

The object of the society, according to its constitution, was "To discover, collect and preserve whatever relates to the natural, civic, military, literary and religious history of Illinois in general and McLean county in particular; to maintain a museum and library, and to extend knowledge upon these subjects by appropriate meetings and publications."

The first president of the society was Judge John M. Scott; J. B. Orendorff vice president; Ezra M. Prince, secretary; George P. Davis, treasurer, and John H. Burnham chairman of the executive committee. Judge Scott held the position of president until his death, when George P. Davis was elected to succeed him. Mr. Davis in turn held the presidency until his death. Mr. Prince carried on the work of the secretary of the society and custodian of the society's library and museum until his death. When Mr. Davis was promoted to the presidency, he relinquished the office of treasurer, and Mr. Burnham was elected to that place.

Judge Scott, the first president of the society, was a man eminently fitted for the position. He was a native of St. Clair county, Illinois, and came to McLean county in 1848. He had a very wide knowledge of Illinois history from the beginning, and of McLean county history from its formative period. He was the inspiration of the society during his lifetime and read many valuable papers at its several meetings, which papers were mostly preserved in the printed volumes of the society's proceedings. J. B. Orendorff, the first vice president, lived in McLean county all his life and continued to be a figure of importance until his death.

The persons who gathered at the initial meeting included the above officers of the society, and in addition the following were added to the membership very shortly: Peter Folsom, Charles L. Capen, Joseph B. Weaver, Mrs. J. N. Ward, John W. Cook, Robert 0. Graham, Richard Edwards, Mrs. W. W. Marmon, William McCambridge.

Within five years after the formation of the society, the directors had gathered the material for the publication of the first volume of the "Transactions." This formal title concealed a most laborious and complete work gotten out under the direct charge of Capt. J. H. Burnham and Ezra M. Prince, who were from the first the moving spirits of the society. The volume was sub-titled "War Record of McLean County." It contained a complete story of the part which McLean county people had borne in the Black Hawk war, the Mexican war and the civil war. The book contained a list of the name of all McLean county men who served in the civil war, together with brief histories of all the regiments which contained any McLean county men. This information was gathered with great pains from the records of the state adjutant general at Springfield. i In the same book was published the official records of the board of supervisors so far as it pertained to any civil war actions. The lists of the county officers from the foundation of the county up to that time was also included. A collection of miscellaneous papers on historical subjects completed the volume.

The second volume of the Historical society's "Transactions" was published in the year 1899. The book was called the "School Record of McLean County," and contained many interesting papers concerning the development of the educational interests of the county. The third volume contained a complete text of all the papers and historical data collected at the time of the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the great convention held in Bloomington on May 29, 1856, which was the founding of the republican party in Illinois, and at which time Abraham Lincoln delivered his celebrated "lost speech." This little book is the most interesting and complete work extant concerning the historic convention and the recollections of the persons who attended it and who were still alive fifty years afterward, in 1906.

At the meeting on March 5, 1898, the death of Judge Scott, the first president of the society, was reported and suitable resolutions enacted. George P. Davis was elected president. On Dec. 5, 1898, a great memorial meeting in honor of John McLean, for whom the county was named, was held and a tablet of bronze in his honor set in the walls of the court house.

- In January, 1901, the society was incorporated, and on March 14, 1903, the following officers elected: President, George P. Davis; vice president, J. B. Orendorff; secretary, E. M. Prince; executive committee, Messrs. Burnham, Prince and Davis, Mrs. W. W. Marmon and Mrs. J. N. Ward. The roster of officers remained practically unchanged until the death of the secretary, E. M. Prince, which occurred August 27, 1908. At the following annual meeting, in March, 1909, the list of officers elected were : President, George P. Davis ; W. J. Rhodes, vice president ; secretary, Dwight E. Frink; treasurer, J. H. Burnham; trustees, Lafayette Funk, Reuben M. Benjamin, Simeon H. West, Mrs. W. J. Rhodes, Henry McCormick.

Milo Custer was appointed custodian of the museum to succeed Mr. Prince, on Aug. 2, 1909. At first his salary was raised by private subscriptions, but in March, 1910, the board of supervisors appropriated $480 per year for the custodian's salary. The same list of officers served until 1914, when George P. Davis was elected president; A. V. Pierson vice president ; D. E. Fink, secretary, and J. H. Burnham, treasurer.

In May, 1916, a rule was passed that the relics for the museum should be confined to those specified in the constitution, only such as related in some way to McLean County history. No oriental or non-American relics are to be received.

On Jan. 10, 1917, resolutions were passed on the death of George P. Davis, president of the society. Only ten days later, Jan. 20, the society mourned the death of Capt. J. H. Burnham, one of the charter members

On Feb. 1, 1917, W. B. Carlock was elected treasurer, and on March 1 of that year Emanuel Rhoads was chosen custodian to succeed Milo Custer. Henry McCormick, who had been vice president, was chosen president to succeed Mr. Davis. Prof. McCormick served as president until his death on June 17, 1918. On the death of Prof. McCormick, Hon. Thomas C. Kerrick was chosen president, and he serves till the present time.

Early in 1919, Dwight E. Frink, the secretary, died, and E. Rhoads was selected to succeed to that position. Mr. Rhoads still occupies the secretaryship.

In November, 1921, appears the first record of action by the Historical society looking to a change of location to the new McBarnes Memorial building when it should be completed. This society had a part in the laying of the corner stone on May 27, 1922. T. C. Kerrick was appointed to represent the Historical society on the board of management of the McBarnes building. The first meeting of the directors of the society was held in the new McBarnes building on Jan. 27, 1923. The present officers of the society are: Thomas C. Kerrick, president; Thomas Kennedy, first vice president; Scott Price, second vice president; Mrs. John McBarnes, third vice president, taking the place of F. H. Newcomb, who resigned ; W. B. Carlock, treasurer; Mr. Kerrick, N. W. Brandicon, Sue A. Sanders, Mary L. P. Evans, W. B. Carlock, David Davis and John G. Welch, directors. Emanuel Rhoades was reappointed secretary and custodian of the society's museum. At the last annual meeting, Mrs. McBarnes was made a life member of the society.

From the very first, the promoters of the society desired to assemble a museum of the articles, pictures and manuscripts which should preserve in a visible form the early history and progress of the county. The board of supervisors set aside a room in the court house which was built in 1901 for the special use of the Historical society. Here was gathered a wonderful assemblage of relics of pioneer times, of the mementoes of all wars, pictures of the earlier settlers and their homes, and a thousand and one other articles such as a local historical museum should contain. E. M. Prince was appointed as custodian of the museum, and he served until his death, at a mere nominal salary, for the society had no funds except private donations and a small appropriation each year from the board of supervisors. The room in the court house soon became too small and too cramped for accommodation and classification of the increasing assemblage of relics, and for many years the chief promoters of the society had dreamed of a larger and fire proof building for its use.

Such a dream came true in a measure at least along in the year 1921- 22, when the project for the McBarnes Memorial building, as explained elsewhere, grew into an assured fact. In planning this building, the majority of the space on the first floor was set apart for the use of the County Historical society. When the building was completed, the society moved its vast museum into this room, which even from the first proved to be no more room than was needed, if enough. Emanuel Rhoads had succeeded to the office of custodian, after the death of Mr. Prince and a period when Milo Custer had occupied the position. Mr. Rhoads set about to arrange the collection of relics in a systematic manner in the new quarters, and he succeeded admirably, with the advice and counsel of the officers of the society. The museum is now the best and most complete to be found in Illinois outside of the state museum at Springfield. Indeed, there is probably no better in the middle west.

The Historical society holds quarterly meetings, and its many valuable and comprehensive papers have served to preserve in permanent form the material of local history which would otherwise have been irreparably lost. The officers of the society have, in mind the publication of another volume of "Transactions" at some time in the near future, which will make available some of the material which has been prepared since the second volume appeared. The Historical society museum is open to the public every day, and is visited by hundreds of people every year.