admin, Author at Historical Society of Ogden Dunes

19th Century: The Alpha Shipwreck on Ogden Dunes Beach

The odyssey of the "Alpha Wreck" shipwreck, as it was described in 2007, near the east end of the shoreline in Ogden Dunes beach has periodically been the subject of articles, especially when the lake level is lower than normal. In 2007 the shipwreck was very visible and was investigated by a team, described as the Briggs team, and lead by Roger J. Barski. He and his team made the following presentation at the Historical Society. Please note: It is extremely important that the Alpha Wreck not be disturbed in its resting place. Please do not [...]

19th Century: The Alpha Shipwreck on Ogden Dunes Beachadmin2018-08-18T11:30:52-05:00

Roads, Trails & Rails

Old Trails of Ogden Dunes and Vicinity By Peter Youngman [This exposition appeared in the October, 1997, Hour Glass, vol. 5, #10. © 1997 Historical Society of Ogden Dunes, Indiana, Inc.] There were undoubtedly trails traversing Ogden Dunes before Mackenzie laid out our roads but they were obliterated long ago and, if there are any records of where they ran, I am unaware of them. George Dalby recalls an old hunters' trail from his childhood. It is still visible cut into the side of the hill west of and parallel to Cedar Trail 1/3 of [...]

Roads, Trails & Railsadmin2018-07-09T15:22:06-05:00

Mahoney, Joella: Artist

Joella Mahoney is a former Ogden Dunes resident and Professor of Art Emerita, University of La Verne where she began developing the art Department n 1964. She holds a B.A. in Art from Northern Arizona University and an MFA in painting from Claremont Graduate University. Mahoney is known for her dramatic, large scale landscapes in oil. Even though she has a flower series, a figure series, and a horse series, the canyon landscape of the Colorado Plateau has become the major motif of her paintings. Joella spent her childhood at 11 Woodland Trail in Ogden [...]

Mahoney, Joella: Artistadmin2018-08-02T20:36:16-05:00

Dudley, Frank Virgil

Frank Virgil Dudley (1868-1957) The Historical Society of Ogden Dunes is proud to sponsor a program by author James Dabbert about local dunes Frank V. Dudley on Sunday, April 13, 2008. The program includes several Dudley paintings never exhibited in public. Dudley lived during summers in what is now the Indiana Dunes State Park about ten miles east of Ogden Dunes. He was seen painting on the east side of Ogden Dunes by residents in the area now called Burns Ditch (and area soon to become the City of Portage beach on Lake Michigan). We are uncertain what [...]

Dudley, Frank Virgiladmin2018-08-02T20:37:09-05:00

History of Our Historical Society

In 1988 the residents of Portage, Ogden Dunes' neighbor, established the Portage Historical Society. This encouraged a group of four residents to establish a committee to explore the possibility of establishing a historical society in Ogden Dunes. After a great deal of interest and support, the Historical Society of Ogden Dunes, Indiana was incorporated 1991 with nearly a 100 members. Several programs were held at the town firehall. In 1992, Sue Mechtersheimer loaned the Society the "Hour Glass Cottage" to serve as a museum for local history and as an art gallery. Being assured that the Society [...]

History of Our Historical Societyadmin2018-07-25T16:50:20-05:00

Gingrich, William Fredrick

William Fredrick Gingrich (December 22, 1874 - January 31, 1959) Within the collection of the Historical Society of Ogden Dunes are sixty-two, 3”*4” glass slides of photographs of the dunes. William F. Gingrich is the photographer. His name or initials appear on almost all the slides. These slides were taken in the 1920s, perhaps the early 1930s; some may be images of the Marquette Park lagoon; others of the Prairie Club cottages and/or the cottages in Porter Beach. They may date from the time when the Prairie Club was active in the dunes, approximately 1915 [...]

Gingrich, William Fredrickadmin2018-08-02T20:39:38-05:00

The Hour Glass Museum at 8 Lupine Lane

The "Hour Glass" is a historic house built by Professor O. D. Frank at Eight Lupine Lane in 1934. The west wing was added on circa 1942. The building now houses the Historical Society of Ogden Dunes' collections of books, papers, & records; artifacts; and paintings & sculpture. In 1992, Sue Mechtersheimer loaned the Society the Hour Glass, to use as a museum for local history and art. The following year, Sue gave the house to the Historical Society. The main floor is used for programs, meetings, and historical exhibits. The ground level houses collections [...]

The Hour Glass Museum at 8 Lupine Laneadmin2018-07-10T15:30:42-05:00

Gray, Alice Mabel: ‘Diana of the Dunes’: The True Story

by Janet Zenke Edwards, published by The History Press, 2010. Review by Dick Meister Background to the Review: The connection between Ogden Dunes and Alice Gray, a.k.a. Diana of the Dunes, begins in 1923. Samuel Reck and his associates in Ogden Dunes Inc. discovered that, on closing their deal on the 513 acres for their planned community, the purchase included a couple of squatters, Alice Gray and Paul Wilson. Wilson, born Paul George Eisenblatter in Michigan City, was, most likely, Alice’s common-law husband. Joseph Thomas, a journalist and a long-time resident of Ogden Dunes, edited A History [...]

Gray, Alice Mabel: ‘Diana of the Dunes’: The True Storyadmin2018-08-02T20:40:39-05:00

Gray, Alice Mabel: Diana of the Dunes

Biographical (to the degree that fictionalized accounts can be referred to as "biographical") pieces on former town resident Alice Gray ("Diana of the Dunes") claim that articles on her appeared in newspapers around the globe. An excellent recap of Alice Gray's life was written by Indiana writer David Hoppe, published in the 1996 edition of "Traces". Here is a link to his excellent article: http://www.spicerweb.org/miller/Diana_TracesArticle.pdf The Historical Society of Ogden Dunes (HSOD) has collected stories from three dozen papers in four midwestern states. HSOD now has members living pretty far afield. If such, or even vacationers, have [...]

Gray, Alice Mabel: Diana of the Dunesadmin2018-08-02T20:42:40-05:00

Ski Hill Road: Historic Houses 2007 House Walk

On September 23, 2007 the Historical Society sponsored its first ever tour of houses. The focus of this event was the history of the homes built in the early formation of Ogden dunes. This is an image of the promotional banner used for the House Tour event. An extensive overview of the featured houses was written by Richard Meister and published in the special house tour edition of The Hour Glass in September 2007 (volume 5, number 3). Excerpts of Dr. Meiste's publication are below. The Historic Homes of Ski Hill Road By Dick Meister Importance of these [...]

Ski Hill Road: Historic Houses 2007 House Walkadmin2018-08-03T09:31:50-05:00

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