Over the years, the WR Historical Society has collected memories of the residents of the community. 

A Monumental Mystery

Discovery the story of a mysterious monument that was discovered in 2017 at the Oak Hill Cemetery in Hammond and its connections to Whiting.

THE STANDARD TORCH: WHITING’S MOST POPULAR MAGAZINE

A look at two years (1950-1951) of Standard Oil’s photo-filled company magazine.

WHITING, ROBERTSDALE AND THE COLD WAR, PART 1

How we came to have a U.S. Army ballistic missile launching station on the shore of Wolf Lake, another one in Munster, and two more in Gary.

a watch, a window, and wonder beyond the stars

Remembering the people, places, and events of a lifetime.

Hometown: Yesterday & Today

Growing up in “Industrial Mayberry” in the 40s, 50s, 60s, was the best thing that could happen to a kid.

OUR REMARKABLE EXPERIMENT WITH HELICOPTER MAIL DELIVERY

Following World War II, people scanned the skies to catch sight of the U.S. Postal Service's new type of air mail.  Helicopters were being used to drop off and pick up mail between Chicago's post office and select Calumet Region cities.

DRIVE-INS, CRUISIN’, and CAR HOPS

What’s your favorite drive-in restaurant memory?

The whiting high school clock

A school, a class, their teachers, and a clock.

BE PREPARED

For more than a century, thousands of youths have left Whiting and Robertsdale a rich legacy through the programs of the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of America.  Here's a brief background and some of their stories.

the shoreline bus company: shorline chauffeur

Although most “Region” residents in the 40s, 50s, and 60s drove automobiles, for countless others, a primary mode of transportation was the bus.

One hundred years ago in whiting-robertsdale

Today, Whiting-Robertsdale has 12,258 people. One hundred years ago, the city of Whiting, by itself, was nearly that large. What was it like to live here in the early 1920s?

A Record Streetcar Ride In 1894

An 1894 newspaper account tells of a brave Chicago man who ventured beyond “the ends of the earth”, across the Indiana line and into The Region, on the Hammond, Whiting and East Chicago Electric Railway streetcar system.

Honoring Whiting’s Vietnam Vets

To honor those war dead, a group of Vietnam veterans began discussing the need to remember these soldiers. Thus in the middle of the 1980s, the idea of a Whiting –Robertsdale Vietnam Memorial Project was created. 

Climb Aboard The Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad

The Indiana Harbor Belt is one of the many railroads that criss-cross Whiting, Robertsdale and the Calumet Region. Stories and photos from the Library of Congress show us what life was like for workers on the IHB, the world's largest belt line railroad, nearly eighty years ago.

a tree for christmas

It was a week before Christmas, and still they had no tree. A Whiting Christmas story from 1947.

silly stories (memories) of George Rogers Clark High School

Memories from the class of 1968.

WHEN the Black & Blue Division was Blacked Out

In 1963, the NFL routinely blacked out home games. That left a few million fans without a ticket and in the middle of a television blackout. This is the story of how people in Whiting were able to overcome this issue for one of the biggest games of the year.

WHEN WE ALL RODE STREETCARS

The Hammond, Whiting and East Chicago Electric Railway

Beginning in 1892, and for nearly half a century, Whiting and Robertsdale residents got around on an extensive streetcar system. Hop aboard the Hammond, Whiting and East Chicago Electric Railway!

from green & white to gold

A tribute to the Whiting High School Class of 1958 at its 50th reunion in 2008.

THE GOLDEN AGE OF AM MUSIC RADIO

The convergence of the modern transistor and the coming of age of millions of Baby Boomers resulted in a big change in American popular culture, and that change was possibly nowhere more evident than on Wolf Lake Beach in the summers of the 1960s and ‘70s.

1960 - A LOOK BACk: Part 2

We continue to look back 60 years as to what was happening in our Whiting/Robertsdale community in 1960.  Our hometown newspaper, The Times-Grafic, was our main source of information for this article.  The paper was filled with pictures of birthdays, weddings, baptisms and local news of clubs and organizations. All of this for only ten cents a copy!

WHS - What was New in 1921-22

What Whiting High Students would come to love and avidly read first appeared on October 14, 1921. It was named “The Tattler” and was the school’s very first semi-monthly school paper.

1960 - A LOOK BACK

If you were alive in 1960, you may remember some of the important events that were taking place in our country and especially in our Whiting and Robertsdale areas. If you are too young, you might be surprised to see what Whiting/Robertsdale was like sixty years ago.

TYPHOID FEVER IN WHITING

Typhoid fever has infected many people over the course of history and Whiting, Indiana was no exception. With Whiting surrounded by half a dozen cities, as well as, being a portal to Chicago, the burden of protecting the public’s health was very challenging. Whiting’s early doctors worked diligently to safeguard the community from a multitude of infectious and contagious diseases.

HOW WHITING’S STANDARD OIL COMPANY HELPED END WORLD WAR II

As the world marks the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II, the hundreds of workers employed by the Standard Oil Company answered the call of their nation. Of course, not every worker left. Men and women were still needed to produce the gasoline, airplane fuel, specialty oils and greases necessary to keep our war machinery running smoothly.

Clubs & Organizations: Part Two

The many clubs and organizations that took root in Whiting just show how important it is for people with a like purpose to band together, be it their heritage, religion, entertainment values, or the early need for some form of intellectual pursuit in Whiting’s early rough and tumble days.

Share Your Story About the Coronavirus

Right now, this moment, is precisely the time to start documenting the history of what it was like in Whiting-Robertsdale during the coronavirus pandemic. The Whiting-Robertsdale Historical Society is asking for you help to do it.

WORLD WAR II SERVICE PLAQUES IN Robertsdale

Like the people of Whiting, the citizens living in the Robertsdale section of Hammond sought to honor their sons and daughters serving in the Armed Forces of the United States. They did this with a series of neighborhood Service Plaques as well as an Honor Roll in the main hallway at George Rogers Clark High School.

WORLD WAR II SERVICE PLAQUES IN WHITING

During WWII, like cities, towns and villages all over America, Whiting did its part to help the war effort. Their most important sacrifices came, however, when their sons and daughters left home to serve their country. To honor these young men and women, many places erected Service Plaques with the names of these soldiers proudly posted for all to see.

Coal in Whiting

Coal is a commodity that was present everywhere in our area not so long ago. But if Santa Claus plans to put coal in any Whiting or Robertsdale Christmas stockings this year, could he even find a place to buy a few lumps?

Whiting Fire department

A lot has changed in Whiting’s fire-fighting efforts since its early days. Long before we had fire engines, there were brave citizens who battled the dangers of fire throughout the Whiting community.

Clubs & Organizations

Many of the earliest organizations that came to be in Whiting were organized specifically to bring particular ethnic groups together, especially the women, and to provide them a place where not only could they share their “from home” traditions, but their beloved language as well.

GYPSIES IN WHITING

Gypsies known as the Rom arrived in the United States from Serbia, Russia and Austria-Hungary beginning in the 1880's. I first discovered that there was a connection with gypsies in Whiting, when I came across a poem written by James Hazzard, in his book New Year’s Eve in Whiting, Indiana.

Whiting: A Pioneer Land of Plenty

With the hustle and bustle of the Amoco refinery and other modern manufacturing industries, it is very easy to overlook the fact that Whiting was once a frontier town teeming with flora and fauna.

Whiting in 1959

Going back in time sixty years, we can see how things might have taken longer to happen, but life was much more simply lived. Many of the things that were part of Whiting in 1959 are still here, whereas many other things, like the voice of a real live person connecting your phone call, are gone forever.

PHOTOS AND BITS FROM WHITING’S FIRST 50 YEARS

The Whiting Times Historical Edition, from 1939, was filled with photos and stories about the city’s first 50 years. A glance back at that newspaper gives us a chance to see some of Whiting’s early history.

The OriginS of Spring Training

 The regular season of major league baseball starts soon. But, until then why not read about the origin of Spring Training. And good luck to your favorite team in their quest to win the World Series this year.

The Telephone comes to Whiting

Read about the evolution of the telephone in the city of Whiting, from its inception in 1895 to the direct dial system in 1960.

Who Remembers the 1950s?

A trivia quiz for those who lived through the 1950s in Whiting-Robertsdale, and a chance for the rest of us to see how many stories from that decade we absorbed while growing up in the years which followed.

A HISTORY OF SAINT VALENTINE’S DAY

Find out about the history of St. Valentine’s Day, and get a glimpse of what the holiday was like for the Region.

THE ORIGIN OF THE OILERS

What is the true story behind Whiting High School’s nickname?

WHAT’S NEW IN WHITING, 1929

The following stories were printed on the front page of The Ben Franklin News ninety years ago, in 1929. 

CHRISTMAS A CENTURY AGO

A snapshot of a Whiting Christmas - 1918.

ICE SKATING WAS ONCE WHITING’S MAJOR WINTER SPORT

Ice skating has appealed to Whiting-Robertsdale residents from our earliest days, but its height of popularity was probably the 1920s through the 1950s.

Grocery Store Memories

We had our full quota of churches and saloons. But aside from quenching sin and thirst, there was a great need for food. The old grocery stores served us well.

A Stroll Down LaPorte Avenue in the Early 1900s

Memories Betty (Long) Gehrke  grew up on the 1600 block of LaPorte Avenue. Years later, she could still remember the people who lived on her block, and on the next block down.