Munster in Lake County, Indiana — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Schools
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Police Department
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Fire Department
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Hospitals

Photographed by Daniel Barriball, April 25, 2026

1. Schools / Police Department / Fire Department / Hospitals Marker

Inscription.
Schools The area's first school opened in 1852 by the North Township Trustee. It was a one-room schoolhouse on the corner of Ridge Road and present-day Greenwood Avenue. The small 14 by 16 foot building cost $16. Chauncey Wilson was the first teacher in the school. Everyone from kindergarteners to late-blooming adults attended school sessions in ungraded classes. In 1870, a larger one-room school was built across the road. When that school was no longer needed, it became a tool shed for the Stallbohm farm.

Today, The School Town of Munster is a nationally and state recognized public school district. The district includes 5 schools, serves over 4,000 students, and employs approximately 525 staff members.

1852
The area's first school opened on corner of Ridge & present-day Greenwood

1870
A larger school opened across the road

1875
On land purchased by Jacob Munster, a three-room school, pictured to the left, was built on the corner of Ridge & Calumet. It was named The Munster School.

1914
Munster School, changed to the name James F. Lanier in honor of the banker whose loans enabled the state to equip Union Troops

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during the Civil War, moved to the present site of the Performing Arts center. It grew to have 13 classrooms.

1949
James B. Eads Elementary School opened & named in honor of the American Engineer that built the world's first steel arch bridge

1953
Elliott Elementary School opened and named in honor of the town's first superintendent of schools

1960
Wilbur Wright Junior High School opened & named in honor of Indiana native who helped build & fly the first fully practical airplane

1966
Munster High School opened. It allowed students to no longer have to commute to other towns to complete their 4 years of high school

1969
Frank H. Hammond opened & named in honor of former superintendent of Munster School

1972
Wilbur Wright Middle School was built at the cost of 3 million dollars

Police Department In the winter of 1955, Munster voters and the Town Board approved the formation of a modern police department. However, before that, the town created a Town Marshal Office in 1907. The first appointed town marshal was August Richter, and Marshall Gerritt Jansen followed until 1925. The markshal's office was a small town, one-man

Schools / Police Department / Fire Department / Hospitals Marker in context image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Daniel Barriball, April 25, 2026

2. Schools / Police Department / Fire Department / Hospitals Marker in context

operation. All calls were relayed to the marshal to answer. In 1916, Marshal Jensen's home became the town jail.

Today, the Munster Police Department is comprised of 42 sworn officers. The department has grown with the community and is now dedicated with programs such as Neighborhood Watch, Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.), the School Resource Officer Program, the K-9 program and the town's annual National Night Out Against Crime event.

Fire Department Prior to 1925, a special siren code was used to inform people of where to go in case of a fire, and every able-bodied person responded. Starting in 1925, 20 young men in the town organized a fire company with Leonard Brink as Munster's first elected fire chief. The new Fire Department used donations to buy a two-wheeled hose cart with 300 feet of hose. If there was a fire, the cart would be transported behind a member's Model T Ford. 2 years later, the Fire Department bought its first fire engine, a pumper on a dodge chassis, for $3555.

Today, the Munster Fire Department operates out of 3 stations that have 5 fire engines and a tower ladder. The department also has a 1948

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fire engine, Polaris off-road vehicle, fire safety trailer, rescue trailer, and a rescue boat. There are currently 50 personnel who respond to nearly 800 calls for service annually.

Hospitals Starting as a one-doctor town, Munster evolved into a major regional medical center. The Munster Medical Research Foundation took on the project to help build the $6.3 million hospital. In August 1973, Community Hospital opened on MacArthur Boulevard with just over 100 physicians on staff, 100 beds, and 120 employees.

Today, Community Hospital has 458 beds and a medical staff of more than 600 physicians. The hospital has more admissions than any single hospital in Lake County, Indiana.

In 1994, Franciscan Physicians was established in Munster. In 2013, the hospital changed its name to Franciscan Healthcare Munster. It is located on Superior Avenue. Franciscan is a 63-bed facility that offers nearly 50 medical specialities.

Erected 2023 by Dorothy Lakshmanamurthy and the Munster Historical Society.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Education • Law Enforcement. A significant historical year for this entry is 1852.

Location. 41° 33.559′ N, 87° 29.947′ W. Marker is in Munster, Indiana, in Lake County. It can be reached from Ridge Road near Columbia Avenue, on the right when traveling east. This marker stands along the trail in Heritage Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1248 Ridge Rd, Munster IN 46321, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Northwest Indiana

and in the Calumet Region.

It is also in the American Midwest

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Great Lakes,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Bieker Woods (a few steps from this marker); Munster Herstory (a few steps from this marker); A Blooming Town (within shouting distance of this marker); Brass Tavern / Kaske House (within shouting distance of this marker); Munster's Beginnings / How did Munster get its name? (within shouting distance of this marker); The power of the wind has been used to pump water for hundreds of years. (within shouting distance of this marker); Native Plants of Heritage Park & Bieker Woods (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Pollinators at Heritage Park (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Munster.

More about this marker. This marker is part of a series on the Bringing History Outside: A Munster History Trail Walk. It was created by Dorothy Lakshmanamurthy, Girl Scout and Munster Junior Historical Society member. This trail walk was her Girl Scout Gold Award project.

Credits. This page was last revised on May 26, 2026. It was originally submitted on May 18, 2026, by Daniel Barriball of Chesterton, Indiana. This page has been viewed 19 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 18, 2026, by Daniel Barriball of Chesterton, Indiana. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.

Schools⎯⎯⎯Police Department⎯⎯⎯Fire Department⎯⎯⎯Hospitals

Schools
⎯⎯⎯
Police Department
⎯⎯⎯
Fire Department
⎯⎯⎯
Hospitals