This early postcard of downtown Chesterton was taken looking north from the corner of Calumet Road and W. Indiana Avenue. Gile Livery & Garage, to the extreme right in the photograph, was later demolished and replaced by a series of automobile...
Ralph Peebles, station agent and telegraph operator for the Michigan Southern's Chesterton station, is seen above c. 1890 in the interior of the original wooden depot. The building housed grain storage facilities, a freight room, passenger waiting...
Conductor John Slont stands proudly beside car 108 of the Valparaiso and Northern line of the Gary Inter-urban that connected Chesterton with LaPorte, Valparaiso, and Gary and was a one-time rival to the South Shore Railroad. Used for passengers,...
The Rands, both ornithologists, moved to Chesterton in 1947 after Austin was appointed Curator of Ornithology at the Field Museum. They were actively involved in the local community, writing a weekly column "Country Diary" in the Chesterton...
In 1903, Chesterton dedicated its first town hall, seen above in the center of this photograph taken at the intersection of Broadway and Calumet. The basement was used for storage and as a jail. The first floor housed the horse-drawn fire engine,...
Westchester Township citizens scoured their basements and garages in September of 1942 to salvage scrap metal in aid of the war effort. Chesterton Town Marshall Joe LaRoche, on the pile wearing a black tie and hat, is shown supervising the growing...
The right-hand building of the Chesterton china factory in the above engraving still stands on Broadway between Ninth and Eleventh Streets, and is now occupied by a number of small retail businesses. The American China Co., and later the...
Frank Waugh and his wife Elmatie are pictured on the front porch of their home in 1903 surrounded by their family. From left to right they are Edward, baby Edna, Glen and Bill Waugh, and standing at the right, Stacy Johnson, Matie's mother. Frank...
Baseball was a very popular sport at the turn of the century. The local team was sponsored by the Chesterton Tribune, which provided detailed reports of the team's progress in each weekly edition. The Tribunes played teams from cities and towns...
Students in the seventh grade at Chesterton Grade School are pictured in their classroom in 1923. Upon the completion of the high school on Morgan Avenue later that year, grades seven through twelve moved to the new building. Westchester Junior...
Transportation; Railroad; depot; Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railroad
The Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railroad built a wooden depot in Chesterton in 1852, just north of Third Street, south of the railroad tracks on land originally owned by the Thomas family. The railroad established a woodlot to the east of the...
Transportation; Automobiles; Mechanic; Waugh family; Waugh, Edward; Waugh, William
Edward and William Waugh are seen outside their automobile garage around 1920. Located at the corner of Grant and Calumet and built by Henry Gotens, it also housed the Chesterton Hall, the site of many town meetings and dances. According to family...
In 1879 a group of Swedish worshippers from Chesterton left Augsburg Lutheran Church to form their own congregation in town. The brick church seen here, located at 135 Lincoln Avenue, was completed in 1882. Substantial improvements and additions...
Lounging on the platform outside the original wooden Michigan Southern depot around the turn of the century were (left to right): John Thompson, William A. Wood, and Willard Place. The two men on the right are thought to be L. Wicter and Albert...
Local son Givens is shown in his Indianapolis office on March 20, 1941. Givens was honored by a parade through Chesterton and Porter after his election to state office in 1940. He was also cashier and later Chief Executive Officer of the First...
The Hannells came to the Furnessville area from Chicago during the Depression and were founding members of the artists' community that flourished there. The Hannells built a studio and kiln near their home and used the native red clay to produce...
The Hannells came to the Furnessville area from Chicago during the Depression and were founding members of the artists' community that flourished there. V.M.S. "Vin" Hannell was a painter and a wood sculptor who exhibited nationally and garnered...
The building that once housed the Hotel Calumet still stands at 1115 Broadway, across from the china factory building, the site of various industries in the town's past. The hotel, which was first operated by H.J. Friday, was proud to offer "meals...
The building that once housed the Hotel Calumet still stands at 1115 Broadway, across from the china factory building, the site of various industries in the town's past. The hotel, which was first operated by H.J. Friday, was proud to offer "meals...
