Collections Places

Door-to-Door on 119th Street OVER THE YEARS

An updated list of what’s on 119th Street, both today and in the past, as well as dozens of photos of Whiting’s “Main Street.”

WHITING PUBLIC LIBRARY - PART FOUR

The Whiting Public Library since its inception was an institution built by the people for the people. Over the years the library provided information, recreation and entertainment.  The community has relied on the library for its growth and development.  In the future, the library will continue to be a resource for this generation and the next.

Whiting: a land of Natural Beauty

At one time Whiting-Robertsdale was one of the most beautiful spots along the Great Lakes.

THE WHITING PUBLIC LIBRARY - PART Three

Whiting’s beautiful Carnegie library continues its history with chapter three. The story at 1735 Oliver Street takes us on a journey through the Depression, WWII, and even a Space Battle.

whiting’s restaurants:
1952-1977

A list, with pictures, of where we ate out during those years.

THE WHITING PUBLIC LIBRARY - Part Two

Whiting’s beautiful Carnegie library continues its history with chapter two. The story at 1735 Oliver Street takes us on a journey from the Great War to the Roaring Twenties.

America's Sculptor In Roby -- Art Meets Industry 

For more than sixty years, a work of art created by one of the world's foremost sculptors graced the main entrance of a building in an industrial plant in Roby.

TEEN HANGOUTS, HAVENS & GATHERING PLACES

In the 40s, 50s, and 60s, teenagers talked face-to-face to one another.  For a few nickels adolescents could confer, confide, and converse about personal feelings without risking disclosure, ridicule, or embarrassment at a local teenage hangout.

the road to 46394

The northern part of Hammond is a neighborhood called Robertsdale. Why, then, don’t the people who live in Robertsdale get their mail from Hammond? Why are all letters they receive addressed “Whiting, Indiana,” instead of “Hammond, Indiana?” Why do many of them say that they are from Whiting? Has it always been that way? Lots of questions. But one fact is clear: We are two people, united under one zip code.

The Whiting Public Library

Whiting’s beautiful Carnegie library owes its existence to the undying efforts of a small group of the city’s most prominent citizens. These individuals felt that the need for such an educational institution was pertinent to Whiting’s growth and development.

Wolf Lake Harbor and Seaport

North America's greatest harbor and seaport--in Wolf Lake?  "Potentially more useful than the Panama Canal," they said.  Read all about it.

ROBERTSDALE’S GREATEST MOM AND POP STORE

In 1948 Frank and Gertrude Sandrick opened up Sandrick Sundries. Read as Jim Sandrick reminisces about what is was like growing up in his parents grocery store.

A store where the price was always right

If ever a store defined hometown America in the 1950s, it was Neal Price’s.

PLYMOUTH CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH

It was the earliest church in Whiting. The establishment of the Whiting area drew a large population from the east coast. By 1880 these Easterners established their own permanent religious home in Whiting called the Plymouth Congregational Church.

BUILDING THE STANDARD: THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE WHITING MEMORIAL COMMUNITY HOUSE

The history of the Whiting Community Center is rooted in the overall history of Whiting’s economic development as a vital oil city, and in many ways it still serves its original intended purpose as a recreation center welcoming any and all Whiting residents.

A HISTORY OF THE WHITING NEWS AGENCY

It was a Whiting institution. As an adult you paid bills there, bought greeting cards, rosaries and statues there for gifts. As a kid you went in at least once a day for penny candy. It was the Whiting News Company right in the heart of town but few realize how the history of Whiting News was the history of Whiting and a reflection of national history throughout the years.

ANDE’S: Whiting’s first PIZZA

Pizza was popular with Americans who served in Italy in World War Two. When they came back home after the war their love of pizza fed a nationwide demand for the Italian dish, Although it was available in neighboring towns, it wasn’t until 1957 that it came to Whiting with the opening of Ande’s Pizza.

WHY DID WHITING HAVE FIVE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCHES?

At its peak, Whiting-Robertsdale had around 25,000 residents. Most were Roman Catholics, but there were many Protestants, Jews, and people with other, or no, religious affiliation. For that size of population, five Catholic churches were a lot, and all were less than a mile away from another one.

WHITING’S GOT YOUR NUMBER

Prior to 1931 residences and businesses throughout the City of Whiting had a different address than we see today. Through my research I utilized the Sanborn maps, the Lake County Assessor’s Office Property Search, and Google maps. I did discover some interesting facts about Whiting in my research. There are 190 properties that were built in the 1890s. Forty-eight of those buildings were constructed in 1890, the oldest recorded date of any structure in the city.

hot dog louie’s

A big Whiting landmark, in a little downtown storefront. A visit to Indiana Red Hots (aka, Hot Dog Louie’s) in the 1950s.

Whiting Flower Shop

It's been 121 years since the Whiting Flower Shop began. The shop has been honored with an Outstanding Century Achievement Award from the Society of American Florists as the third oldest floral shop in the nation.

St. John the Baptist

On Holy Saturday, April 17, 1897, Father Benedict Rajcany arrived in the Calumet Region area. His arrival marked the foundation of the Saint John the Baptist Church. Discover the history and early years of the Robertsdale Catholic Church.

Visit to a Castle

White Castle celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. Founded March 10, 1921, in Wichita, Kansas, by Billy Ingram and Walter Anderson, White Castle was America’s first fast food restaurant. Their signature square, steam-grilled burgers, affectionately called sliders, became the most influential burger of all time.

Whiting’s Roman Catholic Churches

With Herbert “Pop” Whiting, and his famous derailment , Whiting’s Crossing was placed on the map of the Calumet Region. As Irish and German immigrants came to work on the railroads, Whiting’s Crossing began to grow. A jump in population occurred and with it the birth of Whiting’s Roman Catholic Churches.

Stories Behind The Giant Falstaff Beer Cans

Countless people, especially children in their parents’ cars on their way to Chicago, watched for the huge beer cans and the Chicago Skyway, signs they were getting close to their destination.

AMAIZO, The Early Years

From its humble beginnings in southern Mexico about 9000 years ago to one of the top sources of nourishment in the world. Learn about the early days of the use of corn, and how the Amaizo factory came to fruition.

The Bialon Music Studio

By the time Van Bialon was four years old, he was on his way to becoming a musical prodigy. His talent and musical abilities and those of his younger sister Melody were talents that they inherited from their father, Stanley Bialon, owner, and teacher of the Bialon School of Music here in Whiting at 1932 Indianapolis Blvd.

The Grand Arch Mural of Saint John Church

Saint John the Baptist Church is a place of worship. But the mural on the grand arch at the front of the church also teaches a history lesson about Whiting’s early Slovak immigrants and their faith.

The State line generating Station

The State Line Generating Station was an engineering and architectural marvel. For eighty-three years it supplied the electricity to power the businesses, farms and homes of millions of people in Northwest Indiana and Northern Illinois.

The Whiting Candle Factory

Before the popularity of the automobile, kerosene, not gasoline, was Standard Oil's best-selling product and one of the by-products of the early refining process itself was paraffin wax.  Standard Oil took this by-product and began one its most successful in-house businesses that would last for 60 years.

Shops, Submarines and Shipwrecks

Standard Oil produced much more than just refined oil products for the United States’ armed forces during World War I.  Today some people, even long-time locals, are surprised to learn what the Whiting refinery’s oilmen made there, how they did it and what became of some of their efforts.

Goebel’s opera house

Every city in Northwest Indiana yearned to be more than just an industrial hub. Each was striving to be thought of as a bastion of culture. Residents needed to be intellectually challenged and just downright entertained. For many cities, this meant the building of a local opera house which could help provide class to the masses.

Whiting park - a look back

Our “Little City by the Lake” has many attractions that bring people to visit us. However, the one location that has seen more visitors than any other is our Whiting Lakefront Park.

129th: the worst street in Whiting-Robertsdale history

It was the area’s leading producer of flat tires. It had “more holes than a prairie dog colony.” Yet it took more than 30 years to fix 129th Street, the top contender for the title of worst street in Whiting-Robertsdale History.

Working At Standard Oil’s Whiting Refinery 100 Years Ago

In a recent post we got a glimpse through the Record of what the physical plant of Whiting’s Standard Oil refinery looked like one hundred years ago.  Now let’s look at some of the employees who made the plant hum back then.

The Whiting Post Office

During this uncertain time that we all find ourselves in, it is important to take time and appreciate the services that are still available to us. Today, people take the Post Office for granted. But, for Whiting’s early pioneers it was the only source where you could get news from family and friends back in Europe. 

Standard Oil’s Whiting Refinery 100 Years Ago

Thanks to The Stanolind Record, a Standard Oil of Indiana monthly magazine published for its employees, there is a treasure trove of stories and images that give us a look at life in and around Whiting as far back as a century ago.  

MONEY, MURDER & POLITICS

The reasons why Whiting and Robertsdale are not one city.

The Whiting Cemetery

Henry Schrage realized the need of a cemetery in the Whiting vicinity. He acquired four acres of property to establish a cemetery on a sand ridge for the sum of $28.00. The cemetery was located within the “Oklahoma” section of Whiting.

The World’s Smallest Post Office?

There was a time when the world’s smallest post office was in Whiting-Robertsdale. Believe it, or not.

A Whiting Landmark

It has gone by many names over its century-plus on the corner of 119th and New York, but most would agree that there is one name the building deserves to be called: A Whiting Landmark.

Berry Lake & Marktown

The following Berry Lake history comes to us with compliments from Paul Meyers, the unofficial “mayor” of Marktown.

Whiting’s Ice Companies

Nothing quenches thirst on a hot summer day, like an ice cold drink. However, Whiting’s early residents couldn’t just open up the freezer and plop a couple ice cubes in their glass of lemonade. The reliance of an ice company was necessary to not only keep their drinks cool but to preserve any perishable food on hand.

Back to School Bells Are Ringing

Remember when the start of August meant that you had only one more month of summer vacation? The Whiting Public Schools start on August 15 this year.This article will take us back to the beginning of education in the Whiting area.

Oklahoma: Whiting’s Toughest Neighborhood

It had a reputation for drunken brawls, murders and a variety of other crimes and vices. Mostly, that reputation was well deserved.

American trust & savings Bank

It was known affectionately as the "Slovak Bank." So it's very important now to trace its roots and its history and what was it that made American Trust & Savings Bank such an important part of Whiting's growth.

The Horse Racing and Gambling capital of the midwest

There were three horse racing tracks in the far northern end of Hammond, a boxing arena which hosted championship bouts, and an off-track betting facility that drew thousands. The full story could fill a book. So, let’s just look at how it all came about, and what it looked like at the start of our brief reign as a gambler’s paradise.

St. Michael’s School

As Sacred Heart Parish celebrated its 130th anniversary on June 28, it’s interesting to note that its first school, the first Catholic parochial school in Whiting, was not named Sacred Heart.

Boardwalk park

While there are amusement parks which date back long before the opening of Disneyland in the 1950s, it was Disneyland that popularized the idea of the theme park. Whiting, Indiana was home to one of these early amusement parks.

Clark High School - Part Three

This short history of George Rogers Clark High School is taken from the Golden Anniversary booklet published in 1982.  It will cover the years from 1960-1982.

Whiting, Before There Was A Whiting

If Standard Oil had not come here; if the industrial barons of the early 20th century had not decided that Northwest Indiana was a wonderful place to locate their mills, refineries and factories; if Chicago had not grown into a major world city, would our naturally sandy corner of Indiana be like the Indiana Dunes?

City hall

The building we all know as City Hall served many roles over the years. It started as a church, became an armory, shared time as a boxing arena, dance hall and eventually became Whiting’s municipal center.

Clark High School - Part Two

This short history of George Rogers Clark High School is taken from the Golden Anniversary booklet published in 1982 by the Fiftieth Anniversary Committee.  It will cover the years from 1946-1959.

Cinematic Whiting

Though it may be hard to believe, over the years there have been four other movie houses besides the beloved Hoosier plus an Opera House in the city of Whiting.

Nardis

The Supreme Court cleared the way in May 2018 for states to legalize sports betting, striking down a federal law that had prohibited most states from authorizing sports betting.  However, some people in Whiting did not let a little law get in the way of running gambling dens throughout the city.

Clark High School

This short history of George Rogers Clark High School is taken from the Golden Anniversary booklet published in 1982 by the Fiftieth Anniversary Committee.  It will cover the years from 1932 to 1945. 

Whiting’s skyscraper

It was the city’s tallest building, on its most expensive lot, on its busiest intersection. The Central State Bank Building, and its journey from being “The Pride of Whiting,” to its days as “A Dangerous Eyesore.”

Gruener’s Grove

Gruener’s Grove was an entertainment area at the turn of the century. It was located on Sheffield Avenue, where the Family Dollar is today.

The History of the Hoosier Theater

Read about the history of the Hoosier Theater, one of the last remaining movie palaces in the country.

The History of White Castle

Selling ‘em by the Sack in Whiting since 1935.

The Birth of the Water Gardens

It was envisioned as a neighborhood of natural beauty along the shores of Wolf Lake, a place for people to escape from the refineries and factories of Whiting-Robertsdale. The Water Gardens were born in 1919.

Phil Smidt’s - Now Just A Memory

On October 20, 2007, one of our oldest and best known landmarks closed its door.  Phil Smidt’s, the restaurant that lasted almost a century and was famous far and wide served its last plate of perch and has not a frog leg left to stand on.

Benjamin Franklin School HISTORY

Going back to the earliest days of Robertsdale.

The Stories Behind (Some) Whiting-Robertsdale Street Names

Vogel’s Restaurant

Before it closed in 1997, after more than 75 years of operation, Vogel’s was the oldest family run restaurant in the Calumet region.