Albert Roche, son of Walter P. Roche, was a stockbroker in Chicago. Albert married Alice Kile, a pioneer settler and daughter of Village Board President Merrill Kile, in 1878. The Albert Roche House has been expertly maintained and is a wonderful . . . — — Map (db m274977) HM
Albert Schmidt was a Blue Island businessman before becoming the community's assistant postmaster in 1897. Emma Schmidt's father was a tailor who ran his shop from a building on the northwest corner of Western and New that in about 1895 the couple . . . — — Map (db m297971) HM
In the early days of Blue Island's history, the need for a public burial ground was evident. The Blue Island Cemetery Association organized and managed this plot of land as a cemetery until 1898, when the city passed an ordinance prohibiting burial . . . — — Map (db m274454) HM
Honoring our Korean veterans
Especially those who gave the ultimate sacrifice
Alvarado Jr., Manuel McNulty, Terence Sutherland, Raymond Mrotek, Lawrence M. Ambriz, Humbert J. — — Map (db m274873) WM
1917-1918
Raymond Eames Stanley Fay Ernest Fischer Albert Hecht Herman Klopp Antonio Louis George Ruff Walter C. Schoenenberger Frank Steffes Charles L. Weimar Leo Wolshon Homer Woods Walter Wykoff
1941-1945 . . . — — Map (db m274874) WM
The Blue Island Opera House was built by John L. Zacharias, Blue Island's first Mayor and founder of the First National Bank of Blue Island. The Opera House replaced Robinson Hall, an enormous 1850s wood structure that was destroyed in 1896 during . . . — — Map (db m297895) HM
Honoring our Vietnam veterans
Especially those who gave the ultimate sacrifice
Asplund, Marcus R. Cabrera Jr., Louis X. Engelsen, Robert A. Hockett, James R. Ketelaar, Robert L. Manrique Jr., Ramiro Perillo, Donald L. Racine, . . . — — Map (db m274952) WM
[Text on the north-facing side:]
Ripacandida/Castrolibero
In 2006, Blue Island welcomed as its Sister City the town of Ripacandida, located in the Basilicata region of Southern Italy.
In 2024, Blue Island welcomed as its Sister City the . . . — — Map (db m274445) HM
Conrad Kich arrived in Blue Island in 1849 at age 11. His father, Peter, was among the first Germans to settle in Blue Island. Kich worked as a "section boss" for the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad. He was also a volunteer fireman, and . . . — — Map (db m275014) HM
Blue Island sits atop a 6-mile long glacial ridge, left behind 14,000 years ago when the 5000-foot thick Laurentide ice sheet melted and retreated, also scraping out the basin of Lake Michigan, to a depth of 340 feet below sea level.
In . . . — — Map (db m297904) HM
George F. Fiedler opened a Dodge dealership at the southwest corner of Western Avenue and York Street in 1921 with his neighbor George Burmeister. Its original name was Central Auto Sales. According to Fiedler, it took 5 months in business before he . . . — — Map (db m274431) HM
Henry and Catherine Doehler came to Blue Island from Bavaria in 1851, making them some of the earliest residents here, as Blue Island was still a small town of fewer than thirty-five buildings and more than twenty years away from officially . . . — — Map (db m274439) HM
Referred to in his obituary as a "pioneer resident of Blue Island," Herman Heimbach came here from Germany in 1873, marrying Sophia Marx on October 8th of 1877. Sophia was born in Germany and had immigrated in 1871. By 1879 they lived in this house, . . . — — Map (db m274428) HM
In honor and remembrance of America's women for her strengths and her sacrifices in times of peace as well as war. For her contributions in all aspects of society. For America our great land. — — Map (db m274526) WM
The business that originally operated from this storefront began in 1876 as a harness, blacksmith, and hardware shop owned by Friedrich (Fred) and Henrietta Jebens in a wood frame structure that stood here until 1894. That structure was replaced by . . . — — Map (db m274421) HM
The Albee House, built in 1878, was the home of Harry and Myrtle Albee. The family occupied the home until 1942. It was in that year that Myrtle Albee offered her home and its contents to the Blue Island Woman's Club. Even though she was never a . . . — — Map (db m275016) HM
This house was designed by Doerr, Lindquist & Doerr in what the Chicago Tribune called old English fashion in a 1925 article. The architects designed the Vermont Street addition to Blue Islands City Hall in 1924. Other notable projects include . . . — — Map (db m297996) HM
One of the first three people to settle in Blue Island, Stephan Jones came here in 1836 and opened a wagon shop - a business he operated until his death in 1851. His shop was the farthest south in the new settlement, located at the bottom of the . . . — — Map (db m274424) HM
Alden J. Klein was a director of the First National Bank of Blue Island and proprietor of Klein and Schroth Packaging Company. Aldens wife, Hazel, was a chairman of the Blue Island Womens Club.
This austere Georgian design is constructed of . . . — — Map (db m297949) HM
This home, built for William and Elizabeth Buenger, was designed by their daughter Elsa, who derived her inspiration for it from tours she made through Europe during the time she studied there.
The home was later purchased by Mr. and Mrs. Leo . . . — — Map (db m297997) HM
Joshua P. Young was the second proprietor of the American House, a hotel built in Blue Island in 1844 which had originally been constructed in 1836 in Liverpool, Indiana to house the Lake County courthouse and post office. Young later became a major . . . — — Map (db m297931) HM
The first known owner of this building was Ferdinand Daemicke who started a general store here in about 1857, served as a village trustee from 1873-75, was a founding member of First Evangelical Lutheran Church in 1863, and in 1876 would become both . . . — — Map (db m274353) HM
Robert Seyfarth was born in 1878 to Edward and Clara Seyfarth, well-to-do merchants whose hardware store was located on Western Avenue where his grandparents had operated the tavern and boarding house they established when they came to Blue Island . . . — — Map (db m297954) HM
William Henke was an executive at the Blue Island Ice Company and served as assessor, clerk, and road commissioner for the Township of Worth. He was also the Third Ward alderman. John Kauffman, a prominent Blue Island contractor, built the house for . . . — — Map (db m297937) HM
William Schreiber's great-grandparents came to Blue Island in the 1840's and founded a tin shop on Western Avenue that was the forerunner of the hardware business that served Blue Island for over a century. Schreiber, who served on the board of . . . — — Map (db m274978) HM
William Seyfarth and his wife Edna, commissioned his brother, Robert Seyfarth to build a home for them. The mission revival style home sits on the lot of 400 Elm St. The house is one of several located in the area that was once known as Roche's . . . — — Map (db m298001) HM
The Woolworth Building was built by William F. and John C. Klein, who were members of one of Blue Island's most prominent families. The Klein family established themselves in Blue Island in 1849, and were part of the German influx that changed Blue . . . — — Map (db m297896) HM
The 4.7 was built by the Northwestern Ordinance Co. and was the only U.S. made field piece to be used during WWI. The Blue Island Park District acquired this 4.7 from the U.S. Arsenal at Rock Island, IL in June 1937.
Restored in 2004
. . . — — Map (db m274465) HM
The original two-story part of this building was designed in 1915 by Chicago architect Douglas S. Pentecost for Henry Heimbach's Broadway Grocery & Market, a business that started across the street at what was originally 80 Western Avenue before our . . . — — Map (db m274345) HM
Described in the book The First Hundred Years - A Historical Review of Blue Island as a "high spot" during this area's popular market days in the late 1800s, a tavern has operated on this corner almost continuously since the 1870s. A wood . . . — — Map (db m274365) HM
Two blocks north of this corner the funeral train of President Abraham Lincoln entered Illinois at approximately 10:15 a.m. on May 1, 1865, on the Michigan Central Railroad right-of-way.
In the autumn of 1869, the founders of the State Line . . . — — Map (db m229880) HM
Ed Blaszak, a local resident and employee of Republic Steel, designed the sculpture in 1981. His work conveys the interrelationship between the once towering steel industry, seen here in the 6 tall bars, and the people of Chicago's Southeast side, . . . — — Map (db m305968) HM
This cast-concrete park fieldhouse is an excellent example of the Classical Revival architectural style and is comprised of a large central pavilion, flanked by two gymnasium wings. Its design elements feature eyebrow dormers, large-scale . . . — — Map (db m252550) HM
M-60 Main Battle Tank
54 ton 105 MM. gun. 50 cal. machine gun.
750 HP diesel engine. 4 man crew.
This type used in "Desert Storm" 1991
A memorial to all of the men and women from
the East Side neighborhood who answered
our country's . . . — — Map (db m237905) WM
This Illinois - Indiana state boundary marker is one of the oldest landmarks in the Chicagoland area. It was constructed in 1838 under the direction of the United States Surveyor General to commemorate the establishment of the common boundary . . . — — Map (db m237902) HM
In memory of
Hilding Anderson
Alfred Causey
Leo Francisco
Earl Handley
Otis Jones
Sam Popovich
Kenneth W. Reed
Anthony Tagliori
Lee Tisdale
Joseph Rothmund
MartyrsHeroesUnionists
Shot down May 30, . . . — — Map (db m305958) HM
In memory of
Hilding Anderson
Alfred Causey
Leo Francisco
Earl Handley
Otis Jones
Sam Popovich
Kenneth W. Reed
Anthony Tagliori
Lee Tisdale
Joseph Rothmund
MartyrsHeroesUnionists
Shot down May . . . — — Map (db m305964) HM
This area, which was prairie land in 1937, was the site of the Memorial Day Massacre on May 30, 1937. On that day, about 1500 striking steelworkers, their families, and supporters marched near the entrance of Republic Steel at 118th and Burley . . . — — Map (db m305977) HM
Long hours, low wages, and unfair policies prevailed as the Steel Workers Organizing Committee, or SWOC, reached out to workers in 1936. While US Steel, the industry giant, signed a contract with SWOC in March 1937, other smaller companies or . . . — — Map (db m305972) HM
Although Illinois was established as a "free" state in 1818, federal laws that had been enacted since 1793 permitted the recapture and return of runaway enslaved people within U.S. territory. Beginning in the 1830s, freedom seekers were . . . — — Map (db m261062) HM
From the 1830s until the Civil War, many enslaved African descendants in the South escaped to Chicago on their way to freedom in Canada. Black and white abolitionists in the region were part of the networks of assistance known as the Underground . . . — — Map (db m261050) HM
Prior to the Civil War, an estimated 3,000 to 4,500 African descendants traveled to the Chicago region to escape slavery in the South. Responding to their journeys, Black and White abolitionists in Chicago and across the region formed . . . — — Map (db m261052) HM
Lassen's resort enterprise begins with steam. In 1896, Christian Lassen began his boating service with a single steamboat taking tourists on trips around the lake. By 1904, the boating operation had grown to a fleet with six more boats and brother, . . . — — Map (db m305424) HM
As James Hervey Ball explained in 1884, the native peoples "could not well have declined the inducement to have resorted here for council, pleasure, rest and food."
The French recorded the earliest historic groups in the area surrounding Cedar . . . — — Map (db m305417) HM
The Crown Point Public Library opened in February, 1908 at this location. Andrew Carnegie donated $12,000 for construction of the community would commit to contributing annually to library maintenance. The Carnegie Building was adjoined by the new . . . — — Map (db m241002) HM
The Old Sheriff's House and Jail was built in 1882. The home is a Second Empire-style house with a Mansard roof, the only such style in Crown Point.
The jail was expanded twice. The renovations were completed in 1910 and 1928, extending the . . . — — Map (db m288916) HM
This Neoclassical-style building at 138 S. Main St. was constructed with Southern Indiana Limestone in 1922. People's State Bank operated at this location from 1922 until several years into the Great Depression, closing in 1937.
Although the . . . — — Map (db m288662) HM
The Old Courthouse has been, since its erection in 1878, a landmark in Lake County, Indiana. Construction of the central portion, including the clock tower, began with 500,000 hand-kilned bricks from the Henry Wise Brickyard in Crown Point, . . . — — Map (db m27806) HM
Dedicated by the citizens of Crown Point in memory of all who served their Country that Freedom shall not perish from this Earth — — Map (db m43408) HM
This Italianate-style building was built by William W. Cheshire in 1873. Originally, there were storefronts on the street level with an all-purpose room on the second floor. The Masonic Lodge had a meeting room, as did the Odd Fellows. It was used . . . — — Map (db m287798) HM
The Crown Theatre at 19 N. Court St. started as an independent movie house known as The Palace Theater in 1926. The theater was later renamed to Crown Theatre. The Crown Theatre closed in 2012. Prior to its movie house days, the building was a . . . — — Map (db m287732) HM
The Lake County Courthouse, affectionately known as "The Grand Old Lady," is in the design tradition of Romanesque and Georgian styles. The original structure was built in 1878.
There were two additions to the original building: two-and-a-half . . . — — Map (db m287616) HM
The Lake County Sheriff's house and jail were built in the Second Empire style. The house was a residence for the Lake County Sheriff. The jail was 50x120 feet with six cells. The building was enlarged in 1926, and the residence was converted to . . . — — Map (db m241003) HM
Site of the home of
Solon Robinson
Founder of
Crown Point
First center of religious,
educational, social and
civic activities of
Lake County
1834 — — Map (db m287321) HM
Austin F. Bement poses with his Packard, parked alongside of the "Ideal Section" in Dyer, Indiana, which runs from approximately Calumet Avenue in Dyer to Janice Drive in Schererville. Mr. Bement was Secretary of the Lincoln Highway Association. . . . — — Map (db m254706) HM
Pioneer Indian trail originally connecting Rock Island and Detroit. Indians and early settlers traversed this route including Black Hawk (1767-1838), Chief of the Sauk Indians. Trail now alternates between US 30 and 330 across Lake County. — — Map (db m204911) HM
A model stretch of object-lesson road built by the Lincoln Highway Association with the co-operation and financial aid of the federal government, the State of Indiana, and Lake County, Indiana, with funds contributed by the United States . . . — — Map (db m256673) HM
Ideal Section
During the first few years of its existence, the Lincoln Highway Association (LHA) worked feverishly to promote the idea of a transcontinental highway. The excitement and enthusiasm of Americans for better roads became well . . . — — Map (db m213124) HM
Out of the Mud
The idea that America needed better roads did not originate with the invention of the automobile but with bicyclists known as "wheelmen. "Challenged by rutted roads of gravel and dirt and faced with antagonism from horsemen, . . . — — Map (db m256601) HM
The Lincoln Highway. United States' first transcontinental highway, constructed 1913-1928, from New York City to San Francisco. Dedicated to the memory of Abraham Lincoln. Conceived by Carl G. Fisher to encourage building "good roads." . . . — — Map (db m213119) HM
U.S. Representative Katie Hall, standing second from left, witnesses along with other national dignitaries as Ronald Reagan, 40th President of the United States of America, signs federal legislation establishing a national holiday honoring the . . . — — Map (db m241793) HM
In the early 1900s, immigrants, white migrants, and black southerners came to Gary for work in the steel industry. Rev. William G. Seaman founded City Church downtown in 1926 to serve as a Christianizing influence on the diverse population. The . . . — — Map (db m200385) HM
Dedicated to the memory of the men and women whose love for this nation enabled them to make the supreme sacrifice of life itself in its defense. — — Map (db m226841) WM
Froebel opened here, 1912, as many European immigrants and southern blacks moved to Gary for jobs in steel mills. An experiment in progressive education, it served students of diverse backgrounds and the local community. Despite early status as . . . — — Map (db m200372) HM
As Gary grew in the early 1900s, African American students were segregated within white schools or overcrowded into small, separate schools. To compensate, officials transferred some Black students to Emerson High School in 1927. After over 600 . . . — — Map (db m200382) HM
Gateway Park
This park, along with City Hall and the County Court Building, was envisioned by the Gary Commerce Club as a "front door" to the city. The City and the Gary Public Transportation Corporation (GPTC) used federal transportation . . . — — Map (db m240904) HM
The Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus. The Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus, organized in 1907, became one of the largest and most recognized shows to tour the united States. Resembling a small city, by 1918, it featured over twenty tents, 1000 workers and . . . — — Map (db m238554) HM
Small block, top
This memorial honors American veterans of all wars who have shared a common goal - to valiantly protect our country's freedom.
The memory of their heroism, sacrifice, loyalty, and valor will live on . . . — — Map (db m200607) WM
By 1921, Indiana University offered courses in Lake County, later establishing extension centers in the Calumet Region. As manufacturing jobs in the area drew Black Americans from the South and European and Latino immigrants. IU offered . . . — — Map (db m244325) HM
Whereas; Michael Jackson was born on August 29, 1958 in Gary, Indiana. He was the seventh of nine children and is recognized as one of Gary's favorite sons, and Whereas; Michael Jackson was an American recording artist, world's greatest . . . — — Map (db m241000) HM
In Loving Memory Of
Michael J. Jackson
(1958 - 2009)
"You gave us a lifetime of love"
The Jackson Family
Parents: Joseph & Katherine
Brothers: Jackie, Jermaine, Marlon, Randy, Tito
Sisters: Janet, LaToya, Rebbie . . . — — Map (db m200431) HM
Representative Katie Hall (1938-2012). Democratic leader Katie Hall was born in rural Mississippi and moved to Indiana in 1960. She taught in Gary before serving in the Indiana General Assembly, 1974-82. Hall became the first African American . . . — — Map (db m241795) HM
In need of their own place to worship in the segregated city of Gary, a group of Black professionals helped establish St. Augustine's Episcopal Mission in 1927. In the late 1930s and 1940s, Benedictine monks, assigned by the Episcopal Diocese of . . . — — Map (db m298694) HM
St. John's Church, the oldest surviving institution in Gary and north of the Little Calumet River, began with the work of the Rev. Henry Wunder in the early 1860's. He regularly came from Chicago by horse and buggy. Baptism records date from 1863; . . . — — Map (db m200365) HM
Stewart House was organized during depression of 1921 to provide social services for Garys black community. A vital neighborhood center for unemployed WWI veterans and southern blacks who migrated for jobs in steel mills, it helped thousands . . . — — Map (db m200378) HM
In 1955, the city of Gary donated land for the site of a new Indiana University campus, the Gary Extension Center. The first building, Gary Main, opened in 1959. The Indiana limestone structure housed all campus facilities: classrooms, science . . . — — Map (db m293669) HM
Genesis Plaza - Omri Amrany's The Fusion Centennial Sculpture The 40' sculpture, often called "The Steelworkers' Monument," was completed and dedicated in 2006 and installed to mark Gary's centennial,. — — Map (db m240999) HM
During the 1920's, the population of Gary would double. In order to attract and keep good leadership. U.S. Steel needed quality housing available for its managers. Plans were soon conceived for a 68-unit apartment building near the heart of . . . — — Map (db m226732) HM
Gary's first Methodist Church was established in 1906. In October of 1916, Dr. William Gran Seaman became pastor. Seaman relished his role in the growing congregation, but he had bigger dreams; he wanted to build a new church to serve the . . . — — Map (db m227755) HM
Gary City Hall - Bryant Baker's Elbert H. Gary Statue
The bronze statue was sculpted and erected in 1927. Elbert Gary was the key founder of U.S. Steel, bringing together J.P. Morgan, Andrew Carnegie, and Charles . . . — — Map (db m241907) HM
Gary School Superintendent William Wirt used the Ralph Waldo Emerson School to be the first to use his new Work-Study-Play system of education, a "Whole Child" philosophy. This philosophy drew international attention to Emerson.
The building . . . — — Map (db m227754) HM
Architect Philip Brooks Maher's Gary City Hall Building
City Hall was completed in 1927 by Philip Maher after his father and original architect George W. Maher's death. George drafted a Prairie-style design while . . . — — Map (db m241909) HM
The founding of Gary in 1906 occurred at a time when electric street cars were booming in cities across the country. Provisions were made in the original layout of Gary for electric passenger car rail lines to be placed down the middle of major . . . — — Map (db m241910) HM
This house was the first permanent structure built in Gary, and was the home of Gary's first town hall, polling place, post office, and high school. In 1981 the house was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, and restored in 1982 . . . — — Map (db m253237) HM
Gary Public Library (GPL) was organized on March 30, 1908 when its first library board met, and Ora L. Wildermuth, Gary Public Library's founder, moved "that we have a Public Library and that the Board proceed to arrange for the same." The . . . — — Map (db m254713) HM
In 1906, a two-level building was erected on the corner of Sth Avenue and Broadway and became the Gary State Bank which operated in the building above until it was razed in 1925 to make way for a new high-rise building.
At first, Horace Mann consisted of two portable trailers near the street on the large property. The first class consisted of 45 students who had previously attended Jefferson School. Demand for the west side school was greater than initially . . . — — Map (db m248460) HM
Shortly after the city's founding by U.S. Steel in 1906, the Gary Heat, Light, and Water Company constructed the utilities necessary for tens of thousands of new residents and businesses. The company hired civil engineer John W. Alvord of . . . — — Map (db m226733) HM
500 Broadway - Jason Bord's Lake Wind Sand Composition Sculpture
This piece, installed in 2018, was part of a public art contest supported by the City of Gary, Legacy Foundation, and the Knight Foundation. The . . . — — Map (db m241912) HM
Gary City Hall - Gary Tillery's Mayor Richard G. Hatcher Statue
This statue honors Mayor Hatcher, one of the first two black mayors to be elected in major cities in the U.S. The bronze statue celebrates this . . . — — Map (db m241908) HM
Gary Public Schools Memorial Auditorium was built in 1927 to honor Gary residents who died in World War I. It was part of an emerging movement to build structures of significant public utility rather than traditional monuments.
