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Challenges, Choices, and Change:
Challenges, Choices, and Change: Making a Home

The stories told here reveal the challenges faced by the diverse people who have made McLean County their home. These are stories of determination and hard choices, of the ways traditions were maintained and new ones invented, of how lives unfolded and changed—of Making a Home.

Who are the people who have made McLean County their home?
Where did they come from and how did they get here?
What did they experience after they arrived?

Exhibit Sections

Native Groups

People have inhabited the vast prairies and woodlands of Illinois for thousands of years.
Frontier

The first European Americans to settle McLean County faced many unknowns. Migrating primarily from Kentucky, Tennessee, and southern Ohio, their survival was dependent upon their ability to fend for themselves and get along with their Native neighbors.
The Great Rush

With the forced removal of the Kickapoo and remaining Native peoples in 1832, the trickle of settlers moving into the state turned into a great rush of people hoping to acquire new land for farming.
A Cosmopolitan Place

With the arrival of the railroad, McLean County became a more cosmopolitan place with many ethnic communities. German, Irish, African Americans, Swedish, Italian, and Welsh people all came.
Post-WWII

With a booming post-war economy, U.S. workers looked outside their hometowns for work and opportunities for advancement. McLean County was growing.

Acknowledgements

Curated By

Susan K. Hartzold

Exhibit Consultation

Gina Hunter

Assistance Provided By

Anthony Bowman
Tod Eagleton
Greg Koos
Gary Iverson
Milan Jackson
Hannah Johnson
Billie Kirkton
Dee Myer
Candace Summers
Bill Kemp
Kate E. Kettelkamp
Rachael Masa
Mike Matejka
Torii Moré
George Perkins
Daryl Watson
Beth Whisman
Ashley White
Jeff Woodard
Mark Wyman
Bill Zimmerman

Special Thanks To

The Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
The Illinois State Museum, Springfield
The Fort, Lexington
The North Danvers Mennonite Church
Chad Schieler

Support Provided By

Donors to the Extending Excellence Campaign for the McLean County Museum of History

Design By

Susan K. Hartzold