Merrillville Then and Now: West from the School

Circa early 20th century, and 2013.



(Click on images to enlarge)
Top image courtesy of the Merrillville/Ross Township Historical Society.

We really do not know the date of the first photo. Unless the photographer climbed a tree, the view must be from the upper part of the building that now serves as the Merrillville/Ross Township Historical Society museum — originally a school. I believe it was built in 1896, but I could be mistaken. The road in front (73rd Avenue, aka the Lincoln Highway) appears unpaved; if only I knew when it was first paved, that might help me date it.

The church is still standing, now serving as the township trustee's office. I'm told that the white frame building in the left foreground of the 2013 picture (the insurance office) is in the original picture as well — I'm guessing it's the second house in the left foreground of the original. Several other houses look similar between the two pictures. I leave it to someone else to figure it all out.