la porte county historical society museum

Always fun to check out all the vintage pieces of history from my home town. BelLe Gunness exhibit is interesting. Many pieces of vintage clothing and vintage dishware. Kesling car collection is there as well.

We decided to take a side trip from Mich City just to see this museum after some uncooperative weather for our beach vacation. It was worth the 20 minute drive and the $6. admission to see these amazing collections. The car collection alone was top notch. It is basically a family's entire collection (the lady there said over 100 cars but I think she meant was the collection spans over 100 years. There were probably about 50 cars in all--still an impressive number indeed. They had a Delorean, a Tucker and several other very rare models to name a few. The museum also housed the world's largest gun collection, which had some of the most unique peices around. There were "rooms" set up to appear as they did during different eras in time. Make sure you check out the Belle Gunness serial killer display. Interesting to say the least! Allow at least two hours to take it all in.

I was blown away by the quality of the LaPorte County Historical Society Museum. I expected a small town, little museum in an old house. I was completely wrong. The museum is housed in a purpose built building, on the acreage of an old farm. The building itself incorporates actual architectural artifacts saved from historic buildings that were torn down. The museum was started by the Kesling family as an auto museum and it still MANY perfectly restored cars from the earliest era through the 60's. Many are extremely rare - a Tucker, Dusenburg "J"; several Auburns (including a t-top model carefully reconstructed from ALL original parts, when it was impossible to buy the entire car due to its rarity). The 2nd floor also includes cases full of old transportation related toys; sleds, etc. The main floor includes more toys and dolls; cases of interesting household items; glassware and multiple "period rooms" furnished in the actual items from the pioneer and victorian eras as well as the 1920's and 1960's. Included are living rooms; bedrooms; dentist and doctor's offices and a school room. On the lower level is an amazing gun collection (I know nothing about guns, but I am sure if you are interested in that topic, you would be impressed); archeological items found in Indiana; a HUGE bar from am old tavern and a very interesting video about the family and the collection. There are also several old planes hanging from the ceilings and a prototype electric car, designed and built by the patriarch of the family. I cannot say enough things about this museum - it has something for everybody!! Cost to get in for out of county people is only $6!!!!

This museum will appeal to anyone interested in learning about the history of LaPorte. Love the recreated street scene depicting what LaPorte looked like long ago.

Finally got to visit here last year with the kids. Had no idea what to expect, but I didn't expect it to be so nice! Virtually free in price, it is filled will beautiful autos from years past as well as a amazing walk through of different areas of homes and businesses. Kind of a a time tunnel as my kids called it. Worth your 2 hours and then some.

First rate gun and auto collections plus local items of historical interest and period items of the upper Mid-west. You could easily spend a half day going through this little gem if you like off-beat information and local history .

I must say I was very pleasantly surprised by the museum! It was included on a Christmas house tour so the fee was included in the tour cost. I thought we would breeze thru in no time, but there is really ALOT to see and do here. Enjoyed the local lore, great displays, wonderful cars, friendly staff, lots of fun!

This museum will surprise your with the collection of automobiles, firearms and other period pieces. A very large collection automobiles include many early 20th century cars, worth the price of admission itself. Many rooms are laid out like it was in the 1920s through the 50s. One of the largest private gun collections in the country also reside here. This is a great asset the county has and should not be missed.

This museum has one of the best gun collections in the world. They are old and vary rare guns. Also, many autos that have been restored and very rare also. This is a unique museum with items you will not see anywhere else.

Decided to visit last Saturday on a rainy afternoon. I had been wanting to visit and am so glad that I did. A real Halloween story is depicted in the display regarding Belle Gunness, a serial murderess on a farm just north of LaPorte. What a story! So many interesting displays. The recreation of a 1950's living room looked just like the one I remember from childhood! Am enormous gun collection! Many vintage automobiles. Something for everyone. GO!

The history of the town is here, the automobile collection of one of the most extensive anywhere. The outside elegance of the building is just a clue to how impressive the inside is. You must see the selection of cars in this museum to believe it.

This museum is one of my favorites. We had our grandchildren with us (ages 2 and 4) so it was a little difficult trying to concentrate on some of the exhibits. Being a doll collector I definitely loved the dolls. This museum has something for everyone. I was a little bit nervous when we went through the gun display. We were warned not to touch the guns because the alarm goes off and the police come running. Well you can imagine how tight we held onto the grandkids hands. The museum has two train displays which the grandkids loved. That gave us a chance to look more closely at some of the exhibits in that area. I definiety will be going back to the museum. They have a church that is turned on at Christmas time and from what I am told there are replica's of people that go in/out of the church.

Easy to find and in a lovely building, this was a step back into history. They had an engaging exhibit on Bridal Gowns through the decades and an entire floor dedicated to vehicles, including a Tucker that was featured in the Movie. Rooms throughout the decades so you can see what life was like. Very enjoyable.

We visited this wonderful museum in 2010 and thoroughly enjoyed it. We read that they had an exhibit of "vintage" wedding dresses and decided to again visit this museum. We were not disappointed. The wedding dresses were in various locations and displayed beautifully. The wedding display will only be there till the end of August, but if you miss it, there are still many, many things of interest to view. The car collection is still a highlight as is the varied displays on the lower level. There is also a fabulous gun collection. Don't miss reading about "La Porte's Madam Bluebeard", who murdered more than 40 people! There is a $5.00 admission fee and this museum is well worth it! Allow several hours to really see and appreciate it all if it's your first visit.

Worth the stop ! It has the 3rd largest gun collection in the WORLD ! many other things as well. Every time I go, there are new things to see.