Local History Websites

Index of obituaries that appeared in the Michigan City News Dispatch and earlier Michigan City newspapers. Covers 1887-present. Includes name, obituary date, newspaper name and page/column number. Obituaries are available on microfilm at the library.

Find information about Michigan City history, the old lighthouse, Harriet Colfax, and more.

Find information about the history of La Porte County.

Information on the history and ancestors of LaPorte County, Indiana.

Purdue Northwest Library hosts an online guide, Celebrating Naomi Anderson, about the 19th-century African American suffragist leader who was born and raised in Michigan City. An important public figure of the time, her story fell into obscurity until recently. Find out more about this fascinating and important leader on the Purdue Northwest Library website. 

The Beverly Shores Depot Museum enriches the lives of visitors by preserving and telling the story of Beverly Shores and the area, featuring exhibits by artists from our region, and hosting events. The Beverly Shores Heritage Trail covers local historical sites of interest, highlighting structures that no longer exist. A trail marker at each site provides a brief description of what was there and a QR code allows access to additional information. Download the Beverly Shores Heritage Trail brochure here.

Historical newspapers archive from the 1700s – 2000s containing thousands of well-known regional, state, and small local newspapers in the United States and other countries. Log in with your library card number. Don’t have a library card? Sign up now to get an eCard.

Indiana’s digital historic newspaper program. Free, online access to Indiana’s historic newspapers. Operated by the Indiana State Library.

Collections, exhibitions, publications, and programs about Indiana history.

Indiana Legacy combines existing Indiana State Library databases with the Vital INformation Exchange (VINE), a collaborative statewide database composed of Indiana local history and vital records from Indiana libraries, historical societies, genealogy societies, and related organizations. Search for birth, marriage, death, divorce, obituaries, court records, newspapers, scrapbooks, yearbooks, military records, and many other record types.

A free digital library of Indiana’s unique cultural and historical heritage, including digitized books, manuscripts, photographs, newspapers, maps, and other media. Created through a collaboration of Indiana libraries, museums, and cultural organizations.

Access nearly three million records, including death, institutional, military, naturalization, and other historical records. Fully indexed and searchable. Named a “Best State Website” by Family Tree Magazine.

Historic American newspapers. Search newspaper pages from 1836-1922. A project of the National Endowment for the Humanities & the Library of Congress.

DPLA connects people to the riches held within America’s libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural heritage institutions. Many items related to Michigan City, LaPorte County, and Indiana history are available in the collections. All of the materials found through DPLA—photographs, books, maps, news footage, oral histories, personal letters, museum objects, artwork, government documents, and so much more—are free and immediately available in digital format.

More than five million historical images, books, exhibits and more from the Library of Congress.

Available only for use within the library. Contains billions of records, including U.S. census images and indexes, military records, immigration records, directories, vital records, and international collections.

The largest collection of genealogical and historical records in the world, including records for billions of names. Users can access additional FamilySearch content from within the library building. To access FamilySearch within the library, please click on the FamilySearch icon on any of our Internet computers, or ask at the Reference Desk for additional assistance. FamilySearch is a service provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Fold3 provides convenient access to military records, including the stories, photos, and personal documents of the men and women who served.

The records at Fold3 help you discover and share stories about these everyday heroes, forgotten soldiers, and the families that supported them. On Fold3, you can combine records found on the site with what you have in your own albums and shoeboxes to create an online memorial for someone who served.

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A comprehensive treasury of resources, including U.S. federal census images, periodical resources, genealogy and local history books, Revolutionary War records, Freedman’s Bank records, and the LexisNexis U.S. Serial Set. Log in with your library card number. Don’t have a library card? Sign up now for an eCard.