After the third McLean County Courthouse was destroyed by a fire in June 1900, several of the remnants were placed around Bloomington and Normal. Two of column capital stones line up in a perfect line with the state capitol dome in Springfield and the courthouse dome in Bloomington. They both have the same architect. Was this planned...or a coincidence?
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| Red = capital stone, Purple = dome Yellow = Summit St. bridge |
The courthouse remnants included columns and column capitals, the courthouse dome, the bell, and various stones. Column capitals are the top most part of a column or pillar, and are often decorative in design. The map and other information at the end of this post show the exact location of these remnants.
Only the capital on the Illinois State University campus includes a marker and provides any historical context about the capitals. The image on the left shows the location of the six capitals in red.
Two of the capitals are no longer at their original location. One was at the corner of Roosevelt and Grove, where the downtown coliseum now sits. It was referenced in a 1930 Pantagraph article. The other capital was on the corner of Grove and McLean. It shows up on Google Maps, but is no longer there as of 2017. This 2007 Pantagraph article by Bill Kemp provides a good summary of the remnants and their history.
Miller Park Capital Stone: Straight Line to the State Capitol
Using Google maps, a straight line can be drawn between the McLean County Courthouse dome and the state capitol dome in Springfield. This line is shown in the image below.
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| Straight Line between McLean County Courthouse & State Capitol building |
Zooming into the Bloomington part of the map shows that the line intersects perfectly with the capital stone at Miller Park, as shown in the images below. The line also intersects with the capital stone that used to be at Grove and Roosevelt Streets.
Alfred Piquenard was the architect behind both the third McLean County Courthouse and the Illinois State Capital. The placements of these two capital stones, on a straight line, implies a link between the old courthouse and state capital.
Perhaps these capital stones were placed there as a kind of honor to Piquenard?
The location of the Emerson & White Place capital stone was once planned to be a neighborhood park associated with a subdivision called Lakeview and later White Place.
The plan for the park included a walking path and two lakes, each with their own island. A bridge connecting the southern portion of the White Place neighborhood would connect the southern and northern parts of the neighborhood.
The plan was led by Samuel R. White, a prominent businessman who worked in construction, manufacturing, and insurance. The neighborhood was eventually named after White. Plans for the neighborhood were sketched as early as 1899, with moderate progress and work on the park progressing over the years. Sugar Creek was even dammed to create the lake.
However, after White died in 1917, plans for the park were abandoned. The lake was eventually filled in and homes were built on the land planned for the park.
The placement of the capital stone at this location could have been related to the park. There's no evidence, however, that provides a reason for why the capital was placed here.
Emerson & White Place Capital & the Miller Park Courthouse Dome
There are two interesting measurements in relation to the capital stone at Emerson and White Place.
1. The capital stone at Emerson and White Place lines up in a perfect straight line with the capital dome in Miller Park. The angle is almost 180 degrees.
2. The distances from the courthouse to the capital at Emerson & White Place and the dome, are each 1 mile.
Distances between the Capital Stones and the Courthouse
The distance, by straight line, between the courthouse capital dome and the some of the remnants are in exact miles. They are:
Three 90 Degree Angles
Using the courthouse as the center, three of the angles between the remnants are 90 degrees or very close. These are:
Other than lines and distances on a map, I have not come across any evidence to suggest that the old courthouse remnants were intentionally placed in specific locations. Part of the fun in history, though, is gathering evidence and developing theories.
I think there's enough evidence to suggest that the capital stones at Miller Park and Grove & Roosevelt were intentionally placed on a line between the McLean County courthouse and Illinois State Capital building. This is reinforced by the fact that both buildings have the same architect, Alfred Piquenard. The odds of one capital stone being placed on the line can be explained by coincidence. The odds of two, however, is very low.
There is also evidence to suggest that the distance between the courthouse and some of the remnants was intentional. Three of the stones and the courthouse dome are exactly 1 mile each from the courthouse dome, and another is almost exactly 2 miles. Four stones with precise distances from the courthouse suggests some kind of intentional placement.
The location of other capital stones suggest that some kind of plan might have guided their placement. For example, the two capital stones to the east of the courthouse are 22.5 degrees apart, the same angle as the old courthouse dome spines. The placement of many of the remnants in prominent, public spaces makes sense: ISU, Miller Park, and White Place childrens park. The capital stone placements to the east of the courthouse, however, were in locations of little public or civic significance. This implies their placement had more to do with measurement than context. So, some capital stones placement could be part of some abandoned plan. This conclusion should be interpreted with caution, however. I am not aware of any evidence to support this claim than any of the remnants were placed in any kind of deliberate plan.
I could not find information in regard to what happened to the two missing capital stones. The capital stone on Grove & Roosevelt would had to have been moved for the downtown coliseum. The stone on Grove & McLean must have been just recently moved, as it is still pictured in Google Maps.
Location Information - Individual location information displayed below the interactive map.
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| The yellow line runs through two capital stones from the third courthouse. It also makes a straight line between the McLean County Courthouse and state capitol building. |
Emerson & White Place Capital Stone and Children's Park
The plan for the park included a walking path and two lakes, each with their own island. A bridge connecting the southern portion of the White Place neighborhood would connect the southern and northern parts of the neighborhood.
The plan was led by Samuel R. White, a prominent businessman who worked in construction, manufacturing, and insurance. The neighborhood was eventually named after White. Plans for the neighborhood were sketched as early as 1899, with moderate progress and work on the park progressing over the years. Sugar Creek was even dammed to create the lake.
However, after White died in 1917, plans for the park were abandoned. The lake was eventually filled in and homes were built on the land planned for the park.
The placement of the capital stone at this location could have been related to the park. There's no evidence, however, that provides a reason for why the capital was placed here.
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| Proposed Children's Park Fr. 1914 Atlas, Bloomington, Sec. 32-33 |
Emerson & White Place Capital & the Miller Park Courthouse Dome
There are two interesting measurements in relation to the capital stone at Emerson and White Place.
1. The capital stone at Emerson and White Place lines up in a perfect straight line with the capital dome in Miller Park. The angle is almost 180 degrees.
2. The distances from the courthouse to the capital at Emerson & White Place and the dome, are each 1 mile.
The distance, by straight line, between the courthouse capital dome and the some of the remnants are in exact miles. They are:
- ISU capital stone - 2 miles.
- Emerson & White Place capital stone - 1 mile.
- Miller Park capital stone - 1 mile.
- Courthouse dome - 1 mile.
- Main & Division - 1 mile.
The distance to the remnants to the east of the courthouse are about .35 miles each.
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| Red = capital stones Purple = courthouse dome |
Three 90 Degree Angles
- Emerson & White Place and Miller Park capital stones (about 86 degrees).
- ISU and Evans & Washington (90 degrees) - shown in the map below.
- Summit St. Bridge and Grove & McLean (90 degrees).
The result of these angles and the capital stones' distance from the courthouse is a circular shape. Circles, however, can be drawn over many civic buildings and locations, so there it is probably no intent or larger plan in regard to shapes and angles that can be drawn over the capital stones.
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| 90 degree angle between ISU capital line / Evans & Washington line |
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| Circle using three capital stones |
Conclusions
Other than lines and distances on a map, I have not come across any evidence to suggest that the old courthouse remnants were intentionally placed in specific locations. Part of the fun in history, though, is gathering evidence and developing theories.
I think there's enough evidence to suggest that the capital stones at Miller Park and Grove & Roosevelt were intentionally placed on a line between the McLean County courthouse and Illinois State Capital building. This is reinforced by the fact that both buildings have the same architect, Alfred Piquenard. The odds of one capital stone being placed on the line can be explained by coincidence. The odds of two, however, is very low.
There is also evidence to suggest that the distance between the courthouse and some of the remnants was intentional. Three of the stones and the courthouse dome are exactly 1 mile each from the courthouse dome, and another is almost exactly 2 miles. Four stones with precise distances from the courthouse suggests some kind of intentional placement.
The location of other capital stones suggest that some kind of plan might have guided their placement. For example, the two capital stones to the east of the courthouse are 22.5 degrees apart, the same angle as the old courthouse dome spines. The placement of many of the remnants in prominent, public spaces makes sense: ISU, Miller Park, and White Place childrens park. The capital stone placements to the east of the courthouse, however, were in locations of little public or civic significance. This implies their placement had more to do with measurement than context. So, some capital stones placement could be part of some abandoned plan. This conclusion should be interpreted with caution, however. I am not aware of any evidence to support this claim than any of the remnants were placed in any kind of deliberate plan.
I could not find information in regard to what happened to the two missing capital stones. The capital stone on Grove & Roosevelt would had to have been moved for the downtown coliseum. The stone on Grove & McLean must have been just recently moved, as it is still pictured in Google Maps.
Location Information - Individual location information displayed below the interactive map.
Sources
- At Miller Park. (1900, November 6). Pantagraph, p. 5.
- Auction Sale of Court House Fence. (1902, September 30). Pantagraph, p. 7.
- Community Council Asks Grand Jury Investigate Alton Water Pollution. (1920, March 17). Pantagraph, p. 7.
- Graybill, Elaine. (1980, June 15). Great Fire of 1900. Pantagraph, p. 8-9.
- Graybill, Elaine. (1984, January 4). White Place a Bold New Idea. Pantagraph, p. 17.
- Kemp, Bill. (2007, April 7). Remants All That's Left of 3rd Courthouse. Pantagraph.
- Koos, Greg. (1997). The Old McLean County Courthouse. Bloomington, IL: McLean County Historical Society.
- Mansberger, Floyd. (2015, February 28). In Search of the 1836 McLean County Courthouse. Illinois Archaeology Association.
- McLean County Historical Society. (2013, March). Bloomington Fire of June 1900.
- McLean County Courthouse & Square. Wikipedia.
- McLean County Museum of History. An Architectural Glimpse into Historic Downtown Bloomington: Old McLean County Courthouse.
- Miller & Low Street Blog.
- Old Courthouse Remains Scatter After 1900 Fire. (1970, February 25). Pantagraph, p. 21.
- Picture Identification Winners Are Announced; Contest Brings Out Interesting Facts. (1933, December 15). Pantagraph, p. 1, 11.
- Riding the Courthouse Fence. (1969, March 23). Pantagraph, p. 7.
- Stone Debris Proves Useful. (1930, April 27). Pantagraph, p. 25.
- To Open Up New Northeast Addition: Lakeview Subdivision of White Place. (1909, March 23). Pantagraph, p. 7.
- View of Stein's Grove - Showing Stone Bridge. (1910, June 23). Pantagraph, p. 7.
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