Feel Good Friday – Bruce Woods & the Lake Co. Historical Museum by Tim Fealy
John Dillinger Exhibit
You may drive by the museum a dozen times a week and just not realize it’s there. Housed within its walls inside the Old Courthouse are the treasures that make up the history of Crown Point and Lake County.
When you come to the Public Enemy 5K/2K on Sunday, June 30th, you may notice a few artifacts that the Lake Co. Historical Museum has been gracious enough to loan to us for the morning.
Bruce Woods is the Director of the Museum. In his previous career, Bruce taught English for 29 years at Merrillville Senior High School, retiring in June 1999. He began his work at the Museum in 1982. We asked Bruce to tell us more about the Museum and its collections.
Museum Director, Bruce Woods
During your time at the Museum, what projects have you undertaken and what progress have you seen?
While I have been the Director, we have put the collection in the PastPerfect data base. We have increased the collection to over 10,000 artifacts. We are in the process of archiving materials. We have created a website and Facebook page. We have expanded our staff from 3 volunteers to 8.
What are projects are you currently working on and what big project do you have for the future?
We are working on a second DVD. Our last DVD was “Riding the Rails” documenting the South Shore Railroad. Our current DVD project is “Octave Chanute-Pioneer of Flight” who used the Dunes in Marquette Park to experiment with gliders. We are also working on programming in addition to numerous student field trips.
What do you wish more people knew about local history or about the Museum?
I wish more people became aware of richness of history in NW Indiana. For example, how many people know that Hollywood silent films were filmed in Marquette Park? Or that Crown Point was the Marriage Mill for many celebrities? Or that the Indy 500 had its origin in Crown Point? There is so much more as well!
What are the hours of the Museum and what does it cost?
The Museum is located on the 2nd floor of the Old Courthouse in Crown Point. It’s hours of operation are May thru October, every Thursday, Friday & Saturday from 1-4 pm. Donation of $1 for adults and 50 cents for children.
Is it possible to tell the story of John Dillinger without glorifying the criminal or making him a hero? How do we do this.
Yes, I think we accomplish that in the museum. 
Thank you to Bruce & the Lake Co. Historical Museum for all the work they do in preserving our history and presenting it in a fun, interesting way for future generations. Again, we are please to have some of their artifacts on loan to us on Sunday, June 30th at 8 am at the Fairgrounds for the Public Enemy 5K/2K. But, also don’t miss seeing the museum this summer on the 2nd Floor of the Old Courthouse in Crown Point.