What to See in Crown Point - Top Sights and Attractions

Historical landmark in Crown Point, Indiana. Wellington A. Clark House, also known as The Old Homestead, is a historic home located at Crown Point, Lake County, Indiana. It was built in 1847, and is a one-story, vernacular Greek Revival style timber frame dwelling with a hall and parlor plan. It has an "L" shaped rear extension and is sheathed in clapboard siding. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.

Wellington A. Clark was a native New Yorker. In the winter of 1837, he traveled to northwest Indiana by way of ship from Cleveland to Chicago. After arriving in northern Indiana he settled on a farm south of Crown Point. In 1846, he and his wife, Mary C. Hackley, built “The Old Homestead”. Before finally settling into “The Old Homestead” full-time in 1875, they split their time between Crown Point and their farm in rural Lake County. During his life he pursued a number of different commercial ventures including farming, real estate and was a frequent contributor for the local newspaper. Notably, he opened the first cheese factory in Crown Point. He was a member of a couple fraternal organizations and was an active member of the Presbyterian church. As one of the original settlers in the area, he was one of the founding member of the Old Settlers and Historic Association. He remained in Crown Point till his death at 97 in 1912. As for “The Old Homestead”, it remained in family hands until his grand daughter, Claribel Clark Bevan died in 1965. Prior to her death Mrs. Bevan made arrangements to donate "The Old Homestead" to the city of Crown Point. In celebration of the State's sesquicentennial "The Old Homestead" was opened to the public for tours on May 4, 1966.^[4]

Building in Crown Point, Indiana. Crown Point Courthouse Square Historic District is a historic district in Crown Point, Indiana, that dates back to 1873. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. Its boundaries were changed in 2005, and it was increased in 2007 to include a Moderne architecture building at 208 Main Street. The late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century commercial and public buildings represent a period of economic and political growth. The Lake County Courthouse stands in the center of the district. Designed by architect John C. Cochrane in 1878, this brick building is a combination of Romanesque Revival and Classical styles. Enlarged in 1909 with the addition of north and south wings, designed by Beers and Beers. Continued growth in the county required second enlargement in 1928. This local landmark was placed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

The commercial buildings surrounding the courthouse include examples of the most common styles of the late nineteenth century. The I.O.O.F. Building and the commercial buildings at 103 West Joliet Street and 102 South Main Street are Italianate Commercial with decorative pressed-metal details. The Allman Block is the Romanesque Revival style on the square. These structures were built from 1880 to 1891.

The early twentieth-century architecture include the 1908 Carnegie Library and the Masonic Lodge next to each other on South Main. The Masonic Lodge is a Colonial Revival-style building built c. 1920. Across Main Street are two other examples of the Colonial Revival, the Lake County Criminal Court Building and the Community Center, also from the 1920s.

The Lake County Sheriff's House and Jail, built in 1882, is Second Empire style. These are the first permanent buildings for this purpose. The jail was expanded in 1910. The bulk of the existing two-story building was completed in 1934. This is the jail from which John Dillinger escaped in March 1934 while being held on murder charges. The jail was closed in 1974 and placed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.^[8]