Off Limits: Explore the dome at the McLean County Museum of History – The Pantagraph

BLOOMINGTON Most visitors to the McLean County Museum of Historyare there either to experience the architecture of the former courthouse or explore the local history documented within, including the area's ties to Abraham Lincoln.

But once they reach the main floor and begin to look up, another key historic space is visible but not accessible to the general public. The clocktower dome towers above the downtown Bloomington skyline;inside the museum, the rotunda rises over 100 feet in the center of the building and is finished at the top with a painting said to represent peace and prosperity.

The clocktower dome above the McLean County Museum of History formerly the county's courthouse also appears as part of the county symbol.

Museum officials last week agreed to give a tour of the dome interior to Pantagraph journalists as part of a new series, "Off Limits," that seeks to offer a glimpse into places that are typically restricted.

That's not to say that you couldn't get a peek inside the dome yourself. Museum staff offer tours as an incentive for small groups or individuals who have either won a prize in a raffle or raised money for another nonprofit.

Jeff Woodard, director of marketing and community relations, said he'll bring prospective staff members up during the interview process.

A view from inside the dome of the McLean County Museum of History.

Maybe 10 or 20 years from now, when they might even have their own kids, people will look from a distance and see this dome and theyll never look at this building the same again," he said.

Keeping county time

The museum inhabits the former McLean County Courthouse, which was built between 1900 and 1903 after the Great Fire of June 1900. In the 1960s, it was determined that the courthouse was not large enough to support all the courtrooms, government offices and employees based there.

Instead of razing and replacing the building with something newer, the courthouse was preserved, and the Mclean County Historical Society entered an agreement with the county to be a tenant of the building in 1991.

Jeff Woodard, director of marketing and community relations, speaks about the history of the dome that sits atop the McLean County Museum of History. Behind him, the signatures of former staff members and other visitors can be seen on the walls.

Inside the dome itself, names from past workers, local officials and residents line the brick walls holding up the four individual sides of the clocktower. The original "brain" of the clock sits off to the side, while the new digital system moves the hands each minute, Woodard said.

A bell and a clock were both key parts of historical McLean County courthouse buildings. The county's third courthouse the immediate predecessor to the building that now houses the history museum was built in 1868 and in service by 1871, when a bell was added to summon parties to court sessions. A clock was installed in the tower in 1878, and it was decided that the bell would toll every hour and half-hour.

In those days, the county's clock provided an important standard for its residents.

A view of the McLean County Museum of History, looking down from above.

Greg Koos, executive director emeritus at the museum, said the whole notion of having public time can be foreign concept to most, but at the time, county leaders were proud of their ability to provide a precise time to all.

For example, the board of supervisors of McLean County would set their watches to the courthouse clock, and they would bring that back to Saybrook or Arrowsmith or wherever they were from as an official county time, Koos said.

Jeff Woodard, director of marketing and community relations, walks around a narrow way to get to the interior of the dome of the McLean County Museum of History.

Preserving that piece is important to us and I think for the community as part of the overall architecture of the building; then theres a sonic component which is the bell, Koos said. The unique voice of that bell has been part of the sonic environment of downtown Bloomington since 1868.

Records said the original clock in the current history museum building was a Johnson Pneumatic Time System that would release a gallon of water every 60 seconds, creating air pressure that moved the clock hands forward.

In August 1959, lightning struck the dome, stopping the clocks at 3:39 a.m. Starting in the 1970s, the clocks didn't work reliably, and by the 1990s they didn't work at all. New driver motors were installed in 2000.

In the mid-2000s, the museum undertook extensive restoration efforts that saw the dome clad in new copper. In 2005, close to 400 residents gathered in the old courthouse to hear the bell ring for the first time in 50 years, according to museum records.

The rotunda rises over 100 feet in the center of the building and is finished at the top with an allegorical painting representing peace and prosperity.

Today, the bell no longer rings on the hour and half-hour, but can be rung on special occasions.

Koos said he worked in the history museum for 30 years, but never ran out of aspects to marvel at.

Every day there was a new way of looking at what was there, Koos said. I recall walking to work and coming on a foggy day and seeing this beautiful stone building gently unfolding itself in a deep fog. Theres just so many different ways to experience it, and it was an ever-changing opportunity to see something new.

Gathering place

In many ways, the former courthouse still remains at the heart of the county. The silhouette of the dome appears on the official McLean County symbol. A variety of community groups host events inside the building, and demonstrations of all kinds frequently take place in the plaza outside.

This door leads to a closer view of the dome at the McLean County Museum of History.

Museum Executive Director Julie Emig said one of her main goals was to get word out that the museum is not just a place to access stories and history, but a space for the community to use for events, meetings and dialogue.

Whatever the issue, whatever the topic, people come here to gather and we just ask that they give us a heads up, Emig said. I always keep the county (government) in the loop about anything thats happening because they own the building and as long as people are gathered peacefully and all of that, we love hosting for whoever needs a space.

During the month of June, the museum hung Pride flags donated by a community member off the railing of the rotunda. Currently, the Bloomington Public Library is hosting most of its programs there as the library is under construction, Emig said.

As for tours of the clocktower dome, Emig said it is something they offer as an incentive for small groups or individuals who have either won a prize in a raffle or have raised money for another nonprofit but only if the groups or individuals are physically abled to do so.

Jeff Woodard, director of marketing and community relations, speaks about the history of the McLean County Museum of History.

Another goal is to continue to partner with all religious organizations in the community and really amplify holidays that significant to them and use the dome as a centerpiece for rotating displays while providing background information, Emig said. Were really committed to revamping our entrance so its much more of a welcoming place, turning it into a plaza, making the entrance more of a centerpiece and creating more space for people to gather. All of that should really ratchet up what it is we want to communicate about what's underneath the dome.

For Woodard, the memory of first coming to the museum as a volunteer in 2000 is crystallized.

He walked in the front entrance, which was on the east side of the building on Main Street at the time, walked up the stairs to first floor and looked up.

I was just shocked because Im just a big fan of architecture and was hooked on it, but to come up here and actually see this space from the inside and see the mechanical working and all the craftsmanship that goes into it. Thats what it means to me, Woodard said.

And then have the ability to just continue to do that for people, offer that authentic experience and totally engage the public," he said. "This is the center of the county and you cant get any more central than this.

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Off Limits: Explore the dome at the McLean County Museum of History - The Pantagraph