Old Town Hall Museum
Self-guided tour
(Counter-clockwise from the main doors)
Newspaper research area
Early Bloomington
newspapers are available for research.
Bound copies from 1930 to 1960, and from
the 1970's are in the kiosks. More recent
issues of the Sun Current may be in our
basement archives. Ask the Museum host for
assistance.
Why is it named that?
Photo screens feature
early Bloomington families whose names are
found on our roadways and parks.
Old Town Hall
Photos and history of this
building.
Late 1800's baker's table
Two tin "possum
belly" drawers were designed to hold flour etc.
The display on the table is changed regularly.
Timeline
Turn around to see a timeline of
Bloomington's early history.
A farming community springs up
The town
of Bloomington was established the same day
that Minnesota became a state: May 11,
1858. One-room schools were built. Post
offices sprang up on this corner at the Bailiff's
Store, and at Bloomington Ferry. Gideon
Pond established Oak Grove Presbyterian
church. This pump organ was used at the
church at 102nd & Penn from the 1920's to
1940's. Nothing was wasted in this
community on the prairie. A barn loom
(usually stored in the barn) was used to turn
old clothing into throw rugs for their homes.
Bloomington Consolidated School
In 1918 a
brick school building was erected along Penn
Avenue at 100th. (Now the site of
Presbyterian Homes.) In 1957 Bloomington
High School was built at 88th and Queen. It
was re-named Lincoln High School in 1964
when Kennedy High School was built. Fifteen
new elementary schools would eventually
replace the Consolidated School building in
the 1960's.
Seasonal display
Another small display area
that changes regularly.
A Community Serves
Uniforms and other
memorabilia from Bloomington residents
serving in the Civil War, Spanish-American
War, WWI and WWII are on display.
Community members served on the homefront as well. Cargill employed Bloomington
residents at their shipyard just across the
Minnesota River.
Thomas Burnett, Jr.
Bloomington Jefferson HS
graduate, Tom Burnett was killed in the 9/11
attacks 20 years ago this September. Citizen
soldier, he is buried at Ft. Snelling National
Cemetery for his heroism.
Steamboats on the Minnesota
When
Bloomington Township sprang up, steamboat
travel along the Minnesota River was a
primary means of transportation of people,
goods and services.
Native American Villages
In the 1850's there
were three villages in Bloomington along the
Minnesota River. This collection of artifacts
includes gifts from the Dakota people to
Gideon Pond, a dugout canoe found along
the river in Bloomington, and items from a
number of artists and collectors including the
Bloomington Thunderbird Hotel collection.
The Pond family
First arriving in 1853 to be
missionaries, Gideon and Samuel Pond
taught the Dakota people farming skills. Their
hunting and gathering way of life would be
soon overtaken by European American
settlers and farmers. The Ponds helped
devise a written language for the Dakota, and
Dakota children attended school with the
Pond children. The Gideon Pond house is at
Pond Dakota Mission Park on 104th east of
Nicollet Avenue. Be sure to make a visit.
Programs and tours are held on Saturdays.
The Glamour Years
From the early 1910's to
the 1940's wealthy Minneapolis residents built
summer homes along the Minnesota River in
Bloomington. Marion Savage built an estate
overlooking the Minnesota River (now the site
of the Masonic Home.) His investments in
horse racing across the river and in the new
electric Dan Patch Railroad brought visitors to
Bloomington and gave easier access to
Minneapolis for residents. Minnie Ellingson
Tapping's piano entertained many visitors at
the guest houses and youth hostel on her
family farmland. A club for automobile owners
drew crowds with fine dining and
entertainment during the summer months.
Telephones
Around 1920 telephone service
came to Bloomington. Electricity and
automobile traffic were among the other new
modern conveniences for residents.
Big League
It took 100 years to grow from a
Township to Village, but less than 20 years to
grow from a Village of 8,000 to City of 80,000.
Local adult and youth sports teams were
popular. For 30 years Bloomington attracted
professional sports teams and nationally
known concert entertainers at the
Metropolitan Stadium and the Met Sports
Center.
Timeline
This portion of the Bloomington
timeline shows more recent history. Farms
were sold for housing development. New
residents threw themselves into civic action.
BAA sports, garden clubs, places of worship,
civic, business and fraternal organizations
gave Bloomington residents many
opportunities to meet their neighbors and
retain a small-town sense of community as
the City grew. A collage created to promote
business in Bloomington is a fun I-spy puzzle.
Every item has a Bloomington connection.
Your Visit Today
Thank you for visiting today. Please sign our
guest book to help us keep a count of visitors.
Your free-will donations are appreciated. They
help us to maintain our collection and create
displays & programs for you to enjoy.
If you would like to support the Old Town Hall Museum
on an on-going basis, we invite you to become
a Bloomington Historical Society annual
member.
If you would like to join our team of volunteers,
please ask your museum host for more
information. We would love to have you join us!
Come again soon!
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