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Bloomington is a village in southern Franklin County, founded in 1872 once it became clear the railroad would extend to the site. It's likely named for Bloomington, Illinois, though that connection isn't stated as certain in available sources. Bloomington's most notable claim to history is that it served as the Franklin County seat from 1874 to 1920, having won the seat from the town of Franklin by a countywide vote before losing it back in 1920 after a long-running rivalry -- a significant chapter of local government history for a village of only about 110 people today. Professional baseball player "Kid" Willson is among Bloomington's notable natives. With a 2020 population of 110, the village has remained roughly stable in recent decades.
Bloomington's 46-year run as county seat is an outsized piece of history for a town its current size, and its rivalry with Franklin over that status is one of the more distinctive local-government stories in the county. Today it remains a small, quiet farming community.