By Howard Packowitz

BLOOMINGTON – A local historian, who’s trying to unwrap the veil of secrecy about racial segregation in McLean County, said people he talks to are very surprised to learn there were segregated beaches at Bloomington’s Miller Park.

Illinois State University History Professor Emeritus Mark Wyman said he continues speaking to church groups and students, who are mainly white.

“When I would ask people about it, ‘Did we ever have racial segregation here? Nope, too far north.”‘

“People just don’t know about it all, and it’s not taught, it’s not mentioned in the schools,” Wyman said.

Wyman wrote the 250 word inscription on a historical marker that tells the story of the segregated beaches at Miller Park. There wasn’t enough space on the marker, according to Wyman, to explain the failed effort in 1919 to integrate the beaches.

“Almost the next day, the Chicago race riots erupted, and that was really violent,” said Wyman.

“It went on for weeks, and again it smothered the opposition here. People were just afraid to do anything. They didn’t want a riot here,” Wyman said.

The retired professor was one of the speakers at Thursday evening’s ceremony dedicating the historical marker at Miller Park.

Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected]