Museums in Northwest Indiana

Barker Mansion

Learn more about the mansion built by one of the founding fathers of the rail car industry, John H. Barker. This house, while actually lived in for only a very short time, has brought many years of enjoyment to the Barker family, and to the residents of the City of Michigan City. From educational guided tours to special seasonal functions, the Barker Mansion and Civic Center is a true jewel in the crown of Michigan City.

Brauer Museum of Art

Located in the state-of-art Center for the Arts on the Valparaiso University campus, the Brauer Museum of Art is home to a nationally recognized collection of 19th, 20th, and 21st-century American art and includes works by Frederic Edwin Church, Asher B. Durand, Childe Hassam, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Ed Paschke.

It also houses the largest known collection of works by Junius R. Sloan (1827-1900), a Hudson River School painter who lived and worked in the Midwest. Other focus areas within the collection include world religious art and Midwestern regional art. As well as displaying selections from its permanent collection, the Brauer Museum hosts a full schedule of special exhibitions and events.

Buckley Homestead

Step into the past when you visit Buckley Homestead. When the Buckley’s first settled in Northwest Indiana in 1849 they would never have imagined that their farmstead would one day be of interest to visitors one hundred and fifty years into the future.

The Buckley’s were Irish immigrants who arrived here in the mid-1800s. They developed their land into a 150-head dairy farm and sold milk to the Chicago market in the early 1900s. The farm grew in size from 79 acres to 520 acres as it passed through four generations.

In 1977, part of the homestead was donated by Rose Buckley Pearce to the Lake County Parks so that park visitors could experience the feeling of early farm life through a living history outdoor museum.

The John Dillinger Museum

Come on an interactive historical adventure illustrating the life and times of John Dillinger and other gangsters during the 1930’s depression era and see advancements made in crime fighting technology during the first 30 years of the 20th century.

The museum was renovated and developed into an educational and historic experience. It uses John Dillinger and other era criminals as examples of the consequences they paid for their criminal behavior.

Crime Doesn’t Pay…But It Does Charge Admission

Great Lakes Museum of Military History

The Great Lakes Museum of Military History was created in 1993 to educate children and adults about American military heritage, and works to preserve, restore and display military memorabilia from the Revolutionary War through present times.

Hesston Steam Museum

History comes alive at the Hesston Steam Museum as real steam locomotives take you on a spectacular two and a half mile journey through deep woods, past lakes and farm fields.

Ride our 1/4 scale and 1/8 scale steam railroads. Both meander over bridges and through an enchanting wooded landscape.

The Hesston Steam Museum is filled with other steam powered machinery including a steam-powered saw mill, a railroad steam crane, steam powered electric power plant, steam traction engines and more.

LaPorte County Historical Society

The home of the La Porte County Historical Society Museum has many extensive collections including the Kesling Automobile Collection which numbers over 30 vehicles.

The Old Lighthouse Museum

The Old Lighthouse Museum hopes that you will visit the only lighthouse in Indiana. Come see the three beautiful ship models, an exhibit on Miss Harriet Colfax, the keeper from 1861 until 1904, a display of running lights from the ship Showboat and learn a bit about the history of Michigan City, Indiana.

Porter County Museum of History

The Porter County Museum of History’s vision is to be the organization that best understands and celebrates the preservation, presentation and education of history, artifacts and archival documents of and from Porter County.

Rag Tops Auto Museum

Rag Tops Auto Museum is a 501C non-profit museum providing a unique educational experience, a means to inspire an interest, and an understanding of the impact of the automobile upon the American Way of Life. Visitors will truly enjoy the “Tour through Time” as automobiles are creatively displayed amid mannequins and memorabilia from the past. Because of the display techniques, visitors will be inspired to connect the history of the automobile to their life through the memorabilia on display.

Westchester Township History Museum

The Westchester Township History Museum was created by the Westchester Public Library in 1998 in order to collect, preserve, and celebrate the history of Westchester Township. The museum offers free house tours, public programs, local history research, exhibits and a museum store.