Nineteenth century county atlases tell more than just what went where. They spoke of family and places, in color, augmented with lithographs by accomplished artists.

It was a sign of the times, of an emphasis on detail and a pride in craft, said Bloomington historian Greg Koos. But more was driving the work, he said.

As Koos explains it, map book creators were working for private enterprises, so they looked creatively for revenue. They would charge people to get their names listed as patrons and charge them to have drawings of their homesteads included. Naturally, these people also would want to buy the book containing such detail.

The result is what he counts as fabulous illustration work.

There is another aspect to old McLean County's old illustrated plat books - and it was of concern to the McLean County Genealogical Society and its ally, the McLean County Museum of History, of which Koos is executive director. These books are faded, falling apart and inaccessible - until now.

William LaBounty of Bloomington headed a project to compile the McLean County portions of five area map books - from 1856, 1866, 1874, 1895 and 1914.

The volume "McLean County (Combined Indexed Atlases, 1856-1914)" arrived at the history museum this month. The price, $225, sounds daunting until people see the product, said LaBounty, a printing and graphics specialist.

"Anybody who has seen it - if they have any interest at all - really wants one," said LaBounty.

"McLean County (Combined Indexed Atlases, 1856-1914)" is on pages 11 inches wide and 14 inches long. Most of the pages are 77 percent of the size of the original atlas material.

Even with the reduction, the volume is 373 pages and weighs four pounds.

One woman bought four for family members, and then returned to buy three more, LaBounty said.

It took an estimated 2,000 hours to compile the pages and index every name from the county for all five atlases. LaBounty and fellow compilers volunteered their time.

The project will make money only because they gave their effort without charge.

The book blends genealogy, history, geography, art and craft. It serves as a lasting record for material previously seen by just a handful of people still living. The original books are in museum storage.

The work for LaBounty, 76, was reminiscent of his map-making days in Asia while in the Air Force during the Korean War. Later in life, he became involved in computer-assisted printing. He was director of printing for Illinois State University for 23 years before retiring in 1993.

Para-professional work for the genealogical society and the history museum - both located in the old county courthouse - has been his post-retirement passion.

At home, he's run through four computers and three computer scanners so far as he combines zest for histories, family data, computer work and a desire to volunteer.

For the museum, he has worked on a Civil War history and on books indexing cemeteries, among other projects.

He and Koos said the atlas project began to take full bloom when the staff and volunteers decided to use modern technology to augment the old, worn pages.

First, the groups decided the book would be in color; often, these are done in black and white, easing the process and saving money. Secondly, they decided technology would be used to improve the product rather than merely copying it.

LaBounty used a computer program to sharpen the lettering. Further, he sometimes lightened the tint for better readability.

Striking about the atlases is the attention to detail, said Koos.

In the 1874 Atlas, a lithographer for the Dennis Kenyon farm in Mount Hope Township even took note of a damaged tree in the front yard. "Look at that tree," said Koos. "It's been blasted by lightning."

In overview maps, even the shapes of structures are diagramed.

There also is a bit of whimsy that only the careful examiner catches.

In the drawing of the A. Kittle residence, Market and Hinshaw streets, Bloomington, 1874, people are standing on top of lawn ornaments.

In the first couple weeks, the book sold 230 copies. Most of these were preordered sales in response to a direct mailing to advertise the project and give the museum a sense of numbers for the first edition. Three hundred copies were printed.

Subsequent small press runs will be ordered as new sales occur.

Some of the buyers had families with homesteads in the book. Others seek a sense of history. Others just enjoy maps. A handful of libraries ordered copies as well.

LaBounty sees the maps primarily as if they were aerial maps, like those he made in Asia. Koos views them more as historical narratives.

To both, they serve as benchmarks in that people see how old groves once stood and where commercial enterprises now thrive. They can, in a sense, revert to another time as the contemplate McLean County's landscape. The makers also can imagine people 100 years from now looking at them.

DETAILS

Title: "McLean County (Combined Indexed Atlases, 1856-1914)"

Cost: $225

Available for purchase and viewing: McLean County Museum of History

Collaboration: McLean County Museum of History, McLean County Genealogical Society.

Proceeds: To be determined.

Project director and primary compiler: William LaBounty

Other primary volunteers: Dennis Faulk, Nola Marquardt, Nancy Shevokas, Bill Walters, Judith Myers, Mary and Bob Scott, Susie Pope, Ellen Hardy, Joan Vogel, Pat Perkins, Carl Baines, Nadine Reining, Marjorie Mehlberg.

Other contributors: Greg Koos, Bill Steinbacher-Kemp, George Perkins, Jeff Woodard, Linda Olson, Sandra Harmon.

Printing: Progressive Impressions International

Binding: Campbell-Logan Bindery