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Crown Point is one of the best cities to visit in Northwest Indiana. It features an attractive town square surrounded by several great restaurants and shops. It was also the scene of a legendary jailbreak by one of the most notorious gangsters in American history.
Crown Point Courthouse Square
Crown Point Courthouse Square is the heart of the city. Around the square are several historic buildings, many that have been restored. They host several great restaurants, cafés, and shops. One of the more noticeable buildings is the Crown Theatre. The square has also featured public art exhibitions.
Seward Johnson Exhibit (2016)
From April to November 2016, Courthouse Square featured 12 lifelike bronze sculptures by artist Seward Johnson. They were installed for the Art in Point public art project and really brought Crown Point alive.
In the center around the courthouse were statues depicting people on benches, a woman walking a dog, and a hot dog vendor, among others. They were from the Celebrating the Familiar series, which pays homage to everyday life. Statues placed in front of the businesses lining the square depicted a police officer and a mariachi band. They definitely livened up the area.
Statues from the Icons Revisited series included a small version of Forever Marilyn, portraying Marilyn Monroe in a famous scene from the 1955 movie The Seven Year Itch. In the movie, Monroe stood above a subway grate wearing a white dress that blew upwards as a train passed underneath.
Also on display was God Bless America, depicting the two farmers from American Gothic by Grant Wood. Their stern expression and pitchfork are included, and a suitcase with stickers from around the world sat at their feet.
Lake County Courthouse
The old Lake County Courthouse is a beautiful red and white building that stands proudly in the center of the square. It was built in 1878 and was known as the “Grand Old Lady”.
The courthouse was the location of some interesting historic events and a few celebrity weddings. Crown Point had no waiting period for marriage licenses so it became known as a “Marriage Mill”. Stars such as boxer Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali), silent film actor Rudolph Valentino, Jackson family patriarch Joseph Jackson, and early western film actor Tom Mix were all married at the courthouse.
Historic events include a speech by populist William Jennings Bryan. He addressed a crowd from the steps of the building in 1896 as he was campaigning for president. The 1909 Cobe Trophy Race, a precursor to the Indianapolis 500, took place at the courthouse and was won by Louis Chevrolet, a co-founder of the Chevrolet Motor Car Company.
Today, the courthouse features a handful of shops in the basement and contains the Lake County Historical Museum, which is open Thursday to Saturday from 1pm to 4pm, May through October. Admission is a suggested donation of US$1 (as of May 2024). The John Dillinger Museum was also located in the building but it closed in August 2017.
Lake County Criminal Court
Just a block south of the square is the criminal court where John Dillinger appeared in front of a judge.
Old Sheriff’s House and Jail
Next door is the Old Sheriff’s House and Jail from where Dillinger escaped in 1934. It was built between 1882 and 1928 and used as a jail until 1974. Public Enemies, a movie starring Johnny Depp as Dillinger, filmed scenes at the jail and was released in 2009 (Side note: Depp visited my dad’s restaurant twice for dinner during his time in Crown Point!). The Old Sheriff’s House and Jail is currently closed to the public until further notice (as of May 2024).
Carnegie Library
Across the street is a Carnegie library built in 1908. It was established with a US$12,000 grant on February 28, 1906, and ceased being a library in 1974. Industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie donated 2,509 libraries worldwide between 1883 and 1919. The state of Indiana received the most Carnegie library grants.
John Dillinger Museum (Permanently Closed)
The John Dillinger Museum tells the story of the notorious gangster’s famous escape from the Lake County Jail in 1934. There, you can learn about the gangster’s life from birth to death and all about the infamous jailbreak that angered FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover and led to a nationwide manhunt. (Note: The museum closed its doors on August 31, 2017.)
The museum is located on the bottom floor of the old Lake County Courthouse. It does a fantastic job telling a story that transcends the imagination. I visited with two of my cousins who live in Crown Point. It took us about 45 minutes to go through it and we didn’t read every panel.
The Jailbreak
On March 3, 1934, John Dillinger (1903-1934) escaped from the Lake County Jail in Crown Point using a wooden gun he had carved with a razor in his cell. Dillinger was being held at the jail for the murder of a police officer during a bank robbery on January 15, 1934, in East Chicago, Indiana.
Dillinger had been transported to Indiana from Tucson, Arizona, to stand trial for the crimes. After landing in Chicago, he was escorted by 36 Chicago police officers and 36 Indiana police officers in a 13 car convoy to the “escape-proof” Lake County Jail, which had prepared for his arrival on January 30 by posting extra guards. The smooth-talking gangster charmed the press, deputies, and the prosecutor, posed for photo ops, and put Crown Point in the national spotlight.
On the day of his escape, Dillinger was alone in the exercise room. He used a hand-carved wooden gun painted with black shoe polish to force a trustee, deputy sheriff, and several guards into a cell. Another prisoner, Herbert Youngblood, used a plunger handle to aid Dillinger. In all, about 25 guards were rounded up by the pair. They then swiped real guns from the armory, took the warden hostage, and walked across the street to the city garage. Dillinger asked the mechanic to give him the fastest car, which just happened to be the sheriff’s brand new Ford V8!
Museum Exhibits
The first part of the museum details the life of Dillinger, delving into events that may have shaped his psychological state. His love for baseball is well-documented and his childhood pair of cleats are on display. It then covers his entry into a life of crime and rise to Public Enemy No. 1 as a bank robber.
Next, the daring escape from the Lake County Jail is explained in detail. The wooden gun he used during the event is behind a glass case. Several photos leading up to the escape are on the walls.
After covering Dillinger’s life on the run, the museum has displays on his death in Chicago after watching a film at the Biograph Theater. A street scene and morgue scene using wax figures are used to detail the events surrounding his death.
On the walls are Dillinger’s death mask, the pants and money found in his pocket at the time of his death, the basket that carried his body to Indiana for his funeral, and his original tombstone from the Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis.
Where to Eat in Crown Point
Crown Point has a handful of great dining options. Most of the places are located around Courthouse Square. I’ve only visited a few of them because I always end up going to the same places when I’m in the area.
Provecho Latin Provisions
Provecho Latin Provisions is a Spanish and Latin restaurant on the square. It could fit comfortably into the culinary scene of any major city. It’s well worth working up an appetite for their incredible tapas dishes and larger main courses. The cocktails are also excellent. I know I’ll always have a great meal there and I’ll definitely be back whenever I’m in town. Provecho is open daily except Mondays.
Tapas at Provecho
All of my visits to Provecho have been with a large group and I’ve been fortunate enough to try several of the tapas dishes. We always get an order of guacamole and usually one each of the four empanadas on the menu. The octopus is also a favorite. Each empanada is delicious and the octopus is always cooked perfectly. The wild Argentinian red shrimp tacos al pastor and tamales are both excellent as well.
The ceviche, fried avocados, and carnitas have also been big hits. Unfortunately, every time I visit we don’t have enough room to try more of the menu. At least we have a good reason to go back!
Dessert at Provecho
For dessert, on one visit we split a sweet plantain split along with a rice pudding. The sweet plantain split was to die for, featuring caramelized sweet plantains, white chocolate banana ice cream, and peanut crumble.
Ramen District
Ramen District opened in late 2021. It’s located in the basement of the Lake County Courthouse and includes a variety of Japanese-inspired noodles, rice dishes, and cocktails. It’s open Wednesday through Sunday and is run by the owners of Provecho.
We visited Ramen District for lunch on one of the coldest days in January. We started with the pickle plate, which included pickled carrots, beets, and peppers, and the smoked chicken wings.
For our main course, I had the smoked chicken shoyu ramen while Marisol had the tonkotsu ramen. The smoked chicken shoyu ramen included broccolini, mushroom, shoyu egg, chorizo oil, cilantro, and mung bean. The tonkotsu ramen had pork belly chasu, oyster mushroom, arugula, shoyu egg, and mayu. Both were incredibly delicious and more than we could handle, so make sure you go with a huge appetite!
Smalltown Coffee
If you’re looking to get your coffee fix, look no further than Smalltown Coffee. Located a short drive from the square, it’s open daily except Mondays. Smalltown Coffee has some of the best coffee I’ve had outside Colombia, knowledgable baristas, and a good variety of beans to choose from. In fact, I would say it’s the best cup of coffee I’ve had in the US.
Chemshaw 13 DonutZ & Comics (Permanently Closed)
If you have a sweet tooth and love comic books, a great place to visit on the southeast corner of the square is Chemshaw 13 DonutZ & Comics. As the name suggests, it’s a combination donut shop and comic book store. The donuts are out of this world. (Note: the shop closed in 2021 after the owner, Jason Sullivan, suddenly passed away.)
