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The Porter County Museum (PoCo Muse) contains exhibits related to the history of Porter County, Indiana. It sits on the southeast corner of the square in downtown Valparaiso.
History
The Porter County Museum occupies in the old county jail and sheriff’s house. The sheriff’s house was a private residence built in 1860 for Franklin Hunt, a wealthy local merchant. The Porter County Sheriff lived there from March 1872 to January 1975.
The jail was added to the house in 1871 and opened in March 1872. Before that, from 1850 to 1871, prisoners were taken to LaPorte County. In 1974, a new county jail opened and this jail officially closed. Because the sheriff’s house was attached to the jail, the sheriff had to be on duty 24 hours a day. His wife was required to cook meals for the prisoners and act as matron when female prisoners were present.
The Porter County Museum was founded in 1916. It officially opened in the old county jail and sheriff’s house on May 11, 1975. The museum maintains one rotating and six permanent exhibits as well as programs and activities throughout the year.
Visiting
The Porter County Museum typically open Tuesday through Sunday from 11am to 4pm. Admission is free but donations are encouraged (as of February 2024).
Natural History
The first exhibits I visited at the Porter County Museum were in the former jail section. They covered the natural history of the region, including a mastodon bone dug up by Myron Benedict on his farm in Boone Grove in 1949. There were also other fossils found in the area, including bones from a giant beaver, short faced bear, ground sloth, saber tooth cat, musk ox, and caribou.
Porter County History
Next were displays on the history of Porter County, which was founded on February 5, 1836, and named for Commodore David Porter (1780-1843). There was information about the life of David Porter, the arrival of the railroad, women’s suffrage, and the struggle between the steel mills and dunes.
Local Residents
One room contained hundreds of artifacts significant to local history. They included furniture, tools, photos, clothing, musical instruments, furniture, and strange items collected by former Porter County residents.
Another room highlighted the contributions of locals to World War II. Uniforms, items captured from Nazi and Japanese enemies, photos, and newspaper clippings were all on display. There was even a wedding dress made from a silk parachute!
Finally, a section of the museum was dedicated to some famous locals. They included astronaut Mike Brown, originally from Valparaiso, and comic strip artist Dale Messick (1906-2005).
Messick, born Dalia Messick in South Bend, grew up in Hobart and worked out of Ogden Dunes. She created Brenda Star, Reporter, which she illustrated and scripted from June 30, 1940, until her retirement from illustration in 1980. Messick continued scripting for another two years, and the comic ran until January 2, 2011.
Broncho John Sullivan
One of the most intriguing exhibits was a room dedicated to John Harrington Sullivan (1859-1951), better known as Broncho John Sullivan. He was originally a scout in the West, joined Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show as a stuntman, and eventually started his own show. Sullivan settled in Valpo in the early 1900s and donated his entire collection to the Porter County Historical Society two years before his death.
