List of communities in Porter County, Indiana facts for kids

Porter County, Indiana, is a place with many interesting communities. Some of these are well-known cities and towns. But there are also many "lost" towns. These are places that might not be official towns anymore, but their names are still used by people living in the county.

These lost communities often had important things like a post office, a local store, a grain elevator (where farmers stored crops), or a train station. Sometimes, they were just special neighborhoods. Even today, people might call their home by one of these old community names. It's like a secret history hidden in the names of places!

Townships and Communities in Porter County

Porter County has 12 main areas called townships. Inside these townships, you'll find many different cities, towns, and other communities.

Other Interesting Communities

Aylesworth

Aylesworth is in Boone Township, about 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Hebron. It's still home to an active grain elevator run by the Cargill Corporation. This community was named after a local family. It grew around a train stop on the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad. Aylesworth only appeared on county maps in 1906 and 1921.

Babcock

Babcock is a neighborhood in Liberty Township. It's located where County Road 200 West crosses the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. This railroad is now operated by CSX. This small village once had a train station and a side track. The station opened in 1889 to ship milk and pump water for trains. There was also a grocery store and a post office here. The post office operated from 1889 to 1904. For a while, this area was known as Whipporwill Prairie.

Baillytown

Baillytown was planned in 1833 by Joseph Bailly, north of Chesterton. This is where the Arcelor/Mittal steel mill is today. Joseph Bailly wanted a group of French Canadians to settle in the sand dunes. But when he got sick in 1835, he told them not to come. He worried they would struggle in the wilderness without knowing English or how to live with Native Americans.

Beatrice

Beatrice grew up along the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway. Not much is left of this community today. The area has become part of the neighborhoods on the west side of Lake Eliza.

Beverly Hill

Beverly Hill is a name that isn't used much anymore. It refers to a steep hill on U.S. 6, about 6 miles (9.7 km) east of Indiana 49. The highway goes through the Coffee Creek valley and then climbs to the top of the Valparaiso Moraine.

Blackhawk Beach

In 1865, Richard Lytle built a fishing camp on the southeast side of Flint Lake. This camp became known as Blackhawk Beach. Later, the fishing camp grew to include an ice house and a hotel.

Brummitt Acres

Brummitt Acres is a local name in Chesterton for a housing development. It's located on Brummitt Road between Indian Boundary Road and Country Road 1300 North. Brummitt Elementary School, part of the Duneland School Corporation, is at the intersection of Indian Boundary and Brummitt Roads.

Burdick

Burdick is still a neighborhood in Jackson Township. It's a railroad community where Burdick Road crosses the New York Central tracks, now operated by Norfolk Southern. This small village once had a station along the Michigan Southern & Northern Indiana Railroad. The original town plan included nine lots south of the tracks. There were seven houses, a boarding house, a small general store, and a pump house for the trains.

Burlington Beach

In 1862, George Merrill built a fishing and boating resort on the shore of Flint Lake. He called it Burlington Beach. In 1902, Charles Specht bought the property and built a bigger resort called The Willows Resort. Today, a community group runs a beach for residents on the last public part of the resort's shoreline. Around 1900, Mr. John McQuiston owned the east side of Flint Lake, including Burlington Beach. He built a resort called Sheridan Beach Hotel. He also operated steam boats on Flint and Long Lakes. A 50-room hotel was built in 1905 on the site of the old Burlington Beach Willows. In 1906, it was sold and renovated. In 1925, the Kilmer-Frasier company bought the Sheridan Beach Resort and renamed it Blackhawk Beach Summer Resort. They added a toboggan slide, food stands, a roller skating rink, and a larger picnic area.

City West

City West was a community of about 15-20 homes. It was planned in 1836 at the mouth of Fort Creek, which is now part of Indiana Dunes State Park. The town failed after a financial crisis in 1837 and was completely empty by 1839. The remaining buildings were destroyed by fire in 1854.

Clanricarde

41°17′18″N 86°56′58″W / 41.28833°N 86.94944°W / 41.28833; -86.94944

Clanricarde was started in 1865 as a railroad siding (a short track next to the main one) on the Chicago and Erie Railroad. It appeared on county maps from 1876 to 1896. By 1921, J.C. Burke owned the grain elevator that served nearby farms. By 1935, the community was still on maps, but the grain elevator likely wasn't working anymore.

Coburg

41°31′08″N 86°56′58″W / 41.51889°N 86.94944°W / 41.51889; -86.94944

Coburg was a stop on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. It's in Washington Township, at the crossing of Country Road 600 East, just below Country Road 600 N. The land for the village was owned by Jacob T. Forbes. He named it Coburg after a town in Canada where he used to live. A post office opened here in 1876 and closed in 1906.

Coolwood Acres

Coolwood Acres is a neighborhood of 261 people on the southwest side of Valparaiso. It's outside the city limits but its students attend Valparaiso Community Schools.

Crestview

Crestview is a local name in Center Township for a housing development. It's built on a hill above Sager Creek. If not for the trees, you could see Valparaiso from here. It's south of Morthland Drive, also known as U.S. 30. We don't have much information to say if this name was more than just for a housing development.

Crisman

Crisman was named after Benjamin G. Crisman, who owned land nearby. The village was planned in 1876 by Dr. Robert E. Miller. The community grew along the Michigan Central Railroad, which later became the Norfolk and Western Railroad. A post office opened here in 1871 and closed in 1933. Crisman later joined with McCool and Garyton to form the City of Portage. The community is centered where Portage Avenue (County Road 1050 North) meets Crisman Road (County Road 550 West). Old maps sometimes spelled the name as Crisman Station or Crissman.

Crocker

Crocker grew up where two railroads met: the Wabash and the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern (EJ&E). In 1891, Charles LaHayne sold land to the Wabash Railroad. A few years later, the EJ&E bought land next to it. This led to new businesses. LaHayne opened the first saloon, and Gottlieb Grieger opened the first grocery store, which also had the post office. The town grew and even had a tomato canning factory. Today, Crocker is an unincorporated community in Liberty Township. It's on the western edge of the township, across Indiana 149 from the City of Portage.

Edgewater

Edgewater is a beach community on the north shore of Flint Lake. In 1890, Howard Dickover bought the whole area and built a resort hotel called ‘Edgewater Beach’. In 1910, the Valparaiso and Northern Railway (an interurban train line) passed around Flint Lake, and an Edgewater station was built. Today, the only thing left of the resort is a beach for the residents' association.

Five Points Corner

Five Points Corner is in Pleasant Township. It's where Baum’s Bridge Road cuts diagonally through the intersection of County Road 150 East and County Road 700 South.

Furnessville

The Furnessville Post Office opened in 1861. It started as Murray’s Side Track, then became Morgan’s Side track. In 1853, the first house was built, followed by a store. Furnessville got its name from its first postmaster, Edwin Leigh Furness. By 1876, it was known as the ‘Furnessville Station of the Michigan Central Railway’. Later, in 1896, it was called the Furnessville Triangle and School No. 3. By 1921, only homes and the school remained.

Garyton

Garyton is known as a community within the City of Portage. Today, two neighborhoods north of Stone Avenue (County Road 900 North) and east of Willowcreek Road still carry the name.

Graham Woods

Graham Woods is a local name in Chesterton for a housing development. It's located north of Indian Boundary Road (County Road 1275 North), about a mile east of where it meets State Route 49. We haven't found information to suggest this name was for more than just a housing development.

Haglund

Haglund was an independent neighborhood in Westchester Township. It became part of Burns Harbor when that community officially became a town.

Hillcrest

Hillcrest is one of several lake communities north of Valparaiso. It's located between Flint Lake on the east and Loomis Lake on the west.

Hurlburt

Hurlburt developed along the Chicago and Erie Railroad, about 2.5 miles (4.0 km) northwest of Boone Grove. In 1910, it had 100 residents and two general stores. Not much is left of the community today, except for the noticeable angle of County Road 450 South.

Lake Eliza

Lake Eliza is not a lost community, but a clearly identifiable one. Located in Porter Township, south of Division Road at County Road 600 West, Lake Eliza is a large neighborhood centered around Lake Eliza itself. In 1838, the lake was called Fish Lake, but its name changed to Lake Eliza after 1841.

Lincoln Hills

This area, bordered by Joliet (the original Lincoln Highway) and Tower Road, was first known as the Lincolndale Country Club (in 1928). The land was later developed into what is now the Lincoln Hill subdivision. The old Lenoard school house used to be just west of Tower Road on the south side of Joliet Road. You can still find the steps to the school today (as of 2017).

Porter Crossroads

Porter Crossroads was a very small village located along what is now Indiana State Road 2. Its name likely came from the fact that three different roads met at this spot. A school was located about half a mile west of the crossroads. A post office, officially named Porters Cross Roads, opened here in 1844 and closed in 1873.

Prattville

Prattville was located along the Indian Trail, which is now the path of Indiana 2. It's shown where the Grand Trunk Railway crosses Route 2 in Washington Township. This is also the location of Chiqua’s Town. Thomas Pratt, Wilson Malone, and Lyman Beach created Prattville in 1841. At that time, there was already a tavern and a shoemaker there.

Roble Woods

Roble Woods is a neighborhood in Center Township. It's part of the lake communities on the north side of Valparaiso. It grew from the nearby resort communities of "Hillcrest" and "Flint Lake." It's located on the west shore of Long Lake.

Sedley

Located in Union Township, Sedley was a post office stop on the Grand Trunk Railroad where it crosses Country Road 475 West. The Miller House, built in 1923, is an important building still standing in the community. The Post Office closed when mail delivery started going directly to homes.

Suman

Suman Valley is now a wildlife refuge. The old community of Suman was a stop along the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. It's located on County Road 750 North, connecting County Road 350 East to Country Road 300 East.

Sylvan Manor

Sylvan Manor is a local name in Center Township for a housing development. It was first built in the early 1960s. Sylvan Manor is still a nice neighborhood with a lake and a large park. It's located south of U.S. 30 and about 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Indiana State Road 2 in Valparaiso, Indiana. We haven't found information to suggest this name was for more than just a housing development.

Tratebas Mill

Tratebas Mill isn't really a community, but more of a landmark. Christian Long and his son John built the mill in 1887 on Coffee Creek. It was located where Tratebas Road and Country Road 250 East meet. A mill pond was created south of Tratebas Road. The mill was later owned by Charles Rolfe. The last owner was John Tratebas, Jr., who owned it from 1920 to 1926. It wasn't used as a mill after that. The Hopkins family still owned the property in 2015.

Tremont

Tremont was located where the South Shore Line, an interurban (electric train) line, gave people access to the Indiana Dunes. The Prairie Club made this station famous. It was the stop for their beach house built on the shore of Lake Michigan.

Wake Robin Fields

Wake Robin is a local name in Chesterton for a housing development. It's located south of Indian Boundary Road (County Road 1275 North), about a mile east of where it meets State Route 49. We haven't found information to suggest this name was for more than just a housing development.

Woodville

Woodville was best known as a junction (meeting point) for interurban train lines. In 1908, the Valparaiso and Northern Railway was created to connect Valparaiso to the Chicago-New York Electric Air Line Railroad. By 1912, regular train service was passing through Woodville. As train service declined, service to Woodville ended in 1938.