Browse Exhibits (13 total)
Strong Winds on the Prairie: Tornadoes in Champaign County
Credit: Sherrie Bowser, Shalini Smith, and Karla Gerdes
Each year, tornadoes rip across America, reminding us that nature is a force to be reckoned with. These rotating air columns result from the atmosphere following a recipe that involves warm moist air combing with cold, dry air. Tornadoes are most often found in the area of the U.S. known as Tornado Alley; however, “they have been reported in all 50 states.” Here in Illinois, the average number of tornadoes per year is 54. The state is no stranger to long-track tornadoes like the deadly Tri-State Tornado (1925) or significant outbreaks like the 1974 Super Outbreak.
This exhibit offers a sampling of images and descriptions of tornados from Champaign County and surrounding counties from 1917 to 2013. It also looks at the technology that has developed to warn us about these dangerous storms. Some of these meteorological firsts were made in Champaign County!
The News-Gazette Collection
Credit: Sara Bennett, Shalini Smith, and Adam Beaty
Since 1858, the newspaper that would become the News-Gazette has supplied news to the people of Champaign-Urbana. In those 165 years, the News-Gazette has documented aspects of life in Champaign County like controversial issues, citizens' daily lives, and trends in entertainment.
Filling a semi-truck to capacity, the News-Gazette's archival holdings arrived at the Champaign County Historical Archives of The Urbana Free Library on June 15, 2020. The holdings amount to over 1,000 square feet of materials, the bulk of which is name and subject clippings that were cut out and maintained by News-Gazette staff from 1945 forward. Additionally, the holdings include records and manuscripts of the former News-Gazette owner, Marajen Stevick Chinigo.
The News-Gazette Collection exhibit showcases the recently acquired News-Gazette archival holdings to chronicle the development of the paper and it's leadership by three members of the Stevick family. The different sections cover an introductory history of the paper, the newspaper's mastheads, the careers of David, Helen, and Marajen Stevick, and the material in The News-Gazette Collection. Special attention is given to Marajen's personal collection, including magazine features and her personal photographs. The photographs and clippings included provide a glimpse into the operations of the News-Gazette through the decades and the popular personalities behind it's leadership.
Window To The Past: The Everett C. Block Collection
Credit: Karla Gerdes, Sherrie Bowser, and Olivia Palid
In 1946, Everett C. Block made a serendipitous discovery when he stumbled across 210 glass photographic negatives that were hidden away in the attic of his new home. 17 years after his initial find, he began a project that would last the rest of his life: developing and documenting the photographs, researching the places and people captured in them, and attempting to learn more about their mysterious creator.
In Window to the Past: The Everett C. Block Collection, learn about Block's work to uncover the secrets behind these photographs of life in early 20th century Illinois. Look at a curated selection of the photos and see how they were made using a process called gelatin dry plate photography. Discover the work of the Champaign County Historical Archives to preserve the Everett C. Block Collection photos using special archival materials. Finally, read up on the modern revival of historical forms of photography.