History Of Bloomington And Normal In Mclean County Illinois

Excerpt from History of Bloomington and Normal, in McLean County, Illinois The history of Bloomington and Normal, herewith given, was written for the History of McLean county, Illinois, published by LeBaron & Co., of Chicago, and appears in the body of that work. Owing to the general design and arrangement of that publication, its cost placed it out of the reach of many who wish to obtain the history of Bloomington and Normal, and, at the request of friends, I have thought best to publish a small edition which can be sold at a price that will place it in the hands of all who may desire a copy. In this connection, I wish to remark that the preparation of this little work was, to the historian, almost a labor of love. As he progressed in the work, his interest in everything pertaining to the towns increased until he could scarcely lay aside the pen. He was aware of the great responsibility resting upon the writer of the first historical sketch, but has attempted conscientiously and fairly to arrange and present an impartial, authentic account of the events of our half century of history. The imperfections of the present work are, perhaps, more evident to its author than they possibly can be to the general reader, and such as exist, he hopes will be regarded with all proper indulgence. Great care was taken in verifying all statements - particularly those relating to the earliest events. The writer visited Pekin and Vandalia, and carefully examined all records, being, perhaps, the only person who has ever taken such pains to ascertain the facts of our early history. Only those who have been actually engaged in an enterprise of this kind, can properly estimate the difficulties and perplexities that must be encountered, and it is asking too much to expect the general public will be satisfied with what has been accomplished. Still, such as it is, we hereby present the little work, hoping our earnest efforts will be appreciated, and that our contribution to history will prove acceptable. It is with pleasure I return thanks to the many friends who have assisted in the preparation of these chapters. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.