Miscellaneous ItemsA catch-all category of Porter County items of interest . . . .
Porter County Histories
1876 History of Porter County written by A. G. Hardesty.
1878 History of Porter County written by Hubert M. Skinner
1923 History of Porter County written by Deborah H.
Shults-Gay.
1956 History of Porter County written by John Drury.
The Vidette-Messenger's Porter County Centennial Edition
On August 18, 1936, The Vidette-Messenger, a Valparaiso newspaper, published the Porter County Centennial, 1836-1936, Special Edition, a 94-page compendium of Porter County history up to that time. We have transcribed all of the articles from this special edition, which contain a wealth of information concerning Porter County people and places not found elsewhere.
Early Recollections of Porter County by Isabel (Stewart) McKnight
These early recollections of Porter County were obtained from a small fourteen page booklet written by Isabel (Stewart) McKnight. The booklet appears to have been published in memory of Isabel Stewart, who died in 1917.
City/County Directories
City and county directories listed here are in Adobe Acrobat
pdf format and are fully searchable. Note that these are large files.
Valparaiso City Directory, 1885
Valparaiso City Directory,
1893
Porter County Directory, 1902
Index to Part I of 1882 Porter County History
The William Henry Harrison Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution published An Index to Part I, Pages 11-230, Porter County, Indiana of the Book "Counties of Porter and Lake, Indiana, Historical and Biographical, Illustrated" prepared by Marvin Phares. This county history was published in 1882 by F. A. Battey and Company, and authored by by Weston A. Goodspeed and Charles Blanchard. It is believed that this 33 page index of the county history was published during the 1960s or early 1970s. Note that the text in this pdf file is at times quite faint and difficult to read.
Dream Cities of the Calumet
Dream Cities of the Calumet was written by John O. Bowers and published in 1929 by the Lake County Historical Association. Bowers' article provides a historical survey of early platted towns that never came fully into existence, most notably City West, all of which were vying to be the next Chicago. No evidence today exists of City West, which was located very near today's beach pavilion at the Indiana Dunes State Park.
Ball's Villages and Towns of Porter
Villages and Towns of Porter was written by Timothy H. Ball (1826-1913) in 1900 and published in his book Northwestern Indiana From 1800 to 1900: A View of Our Region Through the Nineteenth Century. Ball was likely the foremost historian of Northwest Indiana. Having resided as a young boy in City West, a village that once stood near the present day Indiana Dunes State Park beach pavilion, his family later removed to Lake County. Ball wrote numerous books and articles concerning the history of the counties of Lake, LaPorte, and Porter.
Fishing in a Mid-West College Town
In 1919, Outing magazine published a story titled Fishing is a Mid-West College Town, which discussed the lakes located in Center Township and Liberty Township.
The Woodville Train Wreck, 1906
Perhaps the most significant disaster to occur in Porter County was the Woodville Train Wreck on November 12, 1906. The estimated of the number of individuals who perished in this train wreck range from 55 to 61.
History of the Village of McCool
A brief history of the Village of McCool in Portage Township prepared by Lois Mollick.
Bible Records in Porter County, Indiana
The William Henry Harrison Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution published Some Bible Records in Porter County, Indiana, prepared by Mrs. Robert R. Mefford. It is believed that this 32 page book was published during the 1960s or early 1970s. Note that the text in this pdf file is at times quite faint and difficult to read.
Broncho John H. Sullivan
The life
and times of one of Valparaiso's most colorful citizens,
Broncho John
Sullivan, as prepared by Larry Sullivan. In addition, we include a
transcription of a Vidette-Messenger newspaper article concerning the
memories of Broncho John, as told to and recorded by his son, John H.
"Texas Jack" Sullivan.
We also have available a complete transcription that was taken directly from a
book written by Broncho John H. Sullivan in 1896 titled
Life and
Adventures of Broncho John: His First Trip Up the Trail.
Brief History of the School System of Porter County
A history of the Porter County school system written in 1917 by Fred H. Cole, Superintendent of Porter County Schools.
High School Annuals (Yearbooks)
High school annuals listed here are in Adobe Acrobat
pdf format and are fully searchable. Note that these are large files.
Valparaiso
High School, 1907
Valparaiso High School, 1909
Valparaiso High School, 1911
Valparaiso High School, 1920
Valparaiso High School, 1923
High School Alumni Lists
Crisman High School Alumni, 1918 through 1930
Liberty Center High School Alumni, 1914 through 1929
Valparaiso High School Alumni, 1874 through 1914