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The tiny town of Westville, Indiana, isn’t worth going out of your way to see. If you’re passing through, there are a couple minor points of interest. It’s located between Valparaiso and La Porte.
Introduction to Westville
The first resident of Westville is considered to be Miriam Benedict, who settled there in 1829 to avoid an Illinois law prohibiting widows from retaining custody of their children. The town was platted in 1851 and incorporated in 1864. It was a station at the junction of two railroads and developed rapidly after the Civil War.
The town has hosted Westville Correctional Facility since 1977. The prison is the town’s largest employer and holds approximately 3,000 inmates.
Downtown
The downtown is only about a block long. It’s made up of a few historic buildings along Main Street. They hold shops and a couple restaurants.
Abraham Lincoln Historical Marker
Just west of downtown is a historical marker. It indicates the spot where the train carrying Abraham Lincoln’s body stopped briefly, shortly before 8am on Monday, May 1, 1865. The train passed 2,000 mourners before continuing to a scheduled stop in Michigan City and onto Chicago.
Carnegie Library
Also on Main Street is a Carnegie library. Industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie donated 2,509 libraries worldwide between 1883 and 1919. This one was built thanks to a public grant of US$8,000 on December 8, 1913. The building was expanded and still functions as the Westville Public Library.
