HOME TOURS GALLERY AERIAL VIEWS COMMUNITY LINKS Marktown Preservation Society 405 Prospect Street East Chicago, Indiana 46312 Paul Myers, Preservationist Tel. (219) 397-2239 Fax (219) 397-3130 Call for information or to request a tour.

Marktown Update Available in PDF Format Marktown Update is a monthly publication of the Marktown Preservation Society which is dedicated to the restoration and preservation of the Marktown Historic District. Below are links to the Marktown Update Newsletters in Adobe PDF format. Click here for the Marktown Update Index. Index of contents of past issues of the Marktown update. Click here for the September 2007 Marktown Update Newsletter. Pullman to Marktown Bicycle Tour Click here for the August 2007 Marktown Update Newsletter. Marktown & The East Chicago Comprehensive Plan Click here for the July 2007 Marktown Update Newsletter. Marktown Parks Click here for the June 2007 Marktown Update Newsletter. Marktown Revitalization Plan Moves Forward Click here for the May 2007 Marktown Update Newsletter. A look back - Marktown in 1975 Click here for the April 2007 Marktown Update Newsletter. Restore Michiana Conference Click here for the March 2007 Marktown Update Newsletter. Historic Preservation As A Tool For Revitalization. The Secrets of Historic Berry Lake Click here for the February 2007 Marktown Update Newsletter. Marktown Participates In Wolf Lake Conference Click here for the January 2007 Marktown Update Newsletter. Marktown Historic District Celebrates 90th Anniversary Click here for the December 2006 Marktown Update Newsletter. Restoring East Chicago's Historic Past Click here for the November 2006 Marktown Update Newsletter. Marquette Plan and East Chicago Click here for the October 2006 Marktown Update Newsletter. The Calumet Region, East Chicago & Marktown - Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow Click here for the September 2006 Marktown Update Newsletter. Memorial Planned for Marktown Veterans Click here for the August 2006 Marktown Update Newsletter. Mittal Steel Supports County Seat Art Project. Click here for the July 2006 Marktown Update Newsletter. Spruce Avenue Project Moves Forward Click here for the June 2006 Marktown Update Newsletter. Marktown Revitalization Plan Underway Click here for the May 2006 Marktown Update Newsletter. Easter Celebrated in Marktown Historic District. Click here for the April 2006 Marktown Update Newsletter. Marktown placed on 10 most endangered historic properties list in Indiana. Click here for the March 2006 Marktown Update Newsletter. East Chicago State Of The City Address Click here for the February 2006 Marktown Update Newsletter. The Benefits and Responsibilities of Being on the National Register Of Historic Places. Click here for the January 2006 Marktown Update Newsletter. Howard Van Doren Shaw and Historic Preservation Technology and Historic Preservation - Preserving Yesterday and Today for Tomorrow Click here for the December 2005 Marktown Update Newsletter. Holidays in Marktown Marktown Preservation Society 15th Anniversary Contained Disposal Facility Information Click here for the November 2005 Marktown Update Newsletter. Howard Van Doren Shaw and Historic Preservation Celebrated With Style In Chicago! Click here for the October 2005 Marktown Update Newsletter. Pullman To Marktown And Back Again... On Bicycles Click here for the September 2005 Marktown Update Newsletter. Marktown Gardens In Bloom Once Again. Click here for the August 2005 Marktown Update Newsletter. Marktown S.T.A.R.S participants go sailing. Click Here for the July 2005 Special Edition of Marktown Update World Changers Change Marktown and Grand Boulevard Historic Districts  Click here for the July 2005 Marktown Update Newsletter. Mittal Steel Comes To The Rescue. Click here for the June 2005 Marktown Update Newsletter. Arbor Day Celebrated In Marktown Plans and Elevations of 1917 Marktown Homes Click here for the May 2005 Marktown Update Newsletter. Easter Celebrated in Marktown. Click here for the April 2005 Marktown Update Newsletter. Snow Snarls Region But Not Tiny Marktown Or E.C. Springtime in the Region along the ShortShore Line. Click here for the March 2005 Marktown Update Newsletter. Snow Snarls Region But Not Tiny Marktown Or E.C. Income Tax Credit and Property Tax Exemptions For Historic Homes  Click here for the February 2005 Marktown Update Newsletter. A New Mayor And A New Vision For East Chicago Marktown 25 Years Ago Click here for the January 2005 Marktown Update Newsletter. A Christmas Present - Christmas in Marktown A Detailed Look at the Marquette Greenway and Marktown Click here for the December 2004 Marktown Update Newsletter. A Christmas Past - YS&T and Inland Steel Christmas Displays Marquette Greenway and Marktown Click here for the November 2004 Marktown Update Newsletter. Halloween in Marktown. David Rodriguez - Star QB for EC Cardinals. All about Marktown on the Party Line. Click here for the October 2004 Marktown Update Newsletter. In Memory of PFC Luis Perez- a fallen hero of the Iraq War Historic Fences and Gardens Take Root on Prospect Street Click here for the September 2004 Marktown Update Newsletter. Marktown and our Dillinger Connections Marktown’s Secret and Not So Secret Gardens Click here for the August 2004 Marktown Update Newsletter. What Historic Preservation is Truly All About… And how it works! Click here for the July 2004 Marktown Update Newsletter. Historic Preservation Is A Concept For All of East Chicago and not just the Marktown Historic District. Click here for the June 2004 Marktown Update Newsletter. The Third Save is the Charm - So let’s all work together to see Marktown fully restored. Click here for the May 2004 Marktown Update Newsletter. Memorial Day in Marktown - A proud history of service to our Nation. Click here for the April 2004 Marktown Update Newsletter. Keeping the Garden City Concept Alive - Some ideas for planting a garden at your Marktown home. Click here for the March 2004 Marktown Update Newsletter. The Old Marktown Community Center - Fond Memories of a Great Old Building. Click here for the February 2004 Marktown Update Newsletter. History of Marktown 1917-1967 From the Marktown Golden Jubilee Program. Click here for the January 2004 Marktown Update Newsletter. The Future of Marktown lies in our historic past, and the realization that historic preservation is the key to our future. Click here for the December 2003 Marktown Update Newsletter. Marktown by Design - The continuing story of the Marktown Historic District. Click here for the November 2003 Marktown Update Newsletter. Marktown’s Architect Howard Van Doren Shaw: More than just an architect – A true visionary. Click here for the October 2003 Marktown Update Newsletter. Industrial Housing in the Early Years of the 20th Century: The real reason the Mark Town Site was built. Click here for the September 2003 Marktown Update Newsletter. The Rise, Fall and Resurrection of Indiana Harbor Works. Click here for the August 2003 Marktown Update Newsletter. Mark Manufacturing & The Steel and Tube Co. of America. Click here for the July 2003 Marktown Update Newsletter. Making a Difference by Rafael Bejar. Click here for the June 2003 Marktown Update Newsletter. What’s this preservation stuff all about? Click here for the May 2003 Marktown Update Newsletter. How To Rebuild Marktown. Click here for the April 2003 Marktown Update Newsletter. AMOCO Fire fuels concerns of residents. Click here for the March 2003 Marktown Update Newsletter. Marktown featured in books. Click here for the Febuary 2003 Marktown Update Newsletter. Peeling Paint and Marktown Stucco. Click here for the January 2003 Marktown Update Newsletter. Marktown Girl Scouts Honor Past Leaders. Click here for the December 2002 Marktown Update Newsletter. Proposal for Marktown Community announced by the City of East Chicago. Historical Marktown Newsletters Introduction to Marktown on the Party Line In 1913 Clayton Mark established the Indiana Harbor Works of the Mark Manufacturing Company. As an integral part of the corporation he commissioned Chicago architect Howard Van Doren Shaw to design and build what is known today as the Marktown Historic District, a housing development for the employees of the corporation. In 1923 the Indiana Harbor Works and the Mark Town Site were sold to the Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company. For many years the Y.S.&T. Co. published a periodical known as "The Bulletin." Employees from many of the departments were asked to act as correspondents for their various organizations. One Jessie Stewart, a resident of Marktown, established and wrote the column "Marktown on the Party Line." We are not sure of the exact dates in which this column ran, but we do know that it was in print from 1935 until 1960. A close friend of Miss Stewart was one Mrs. Bruner who over the years collected and saved many of the various articles in reference to the residents of Marktown. This collection was preserved in two scrapbooks which were in turn handed down to Mrs. Burner's son, James Burner, a lifelong resident of Marktown. This volume entitled "Marktown On The Party Line" by Jessie Stewart - "The James Burner Collection" is a limited edition xerox copy of the original scrapbooks provided through the offices of the Marktown Preservation Society. It is referred to as the James Bruner Memorial Collection due to the fact that if Mr. Bruner and his Mother had not maintained and preserved this collection for more than fifty years, it would have undoubtedly been lost to future generations. This collection is provided in an unedited form. It is hoped that at sometime in the future that a comprehensive cross reference and index will be made available to accompany this edition. As this is provided on the internet, the scanned copies may not be as clear as the professionally printed copies that we bind. In many cases the internet edition may not be legible on screen and may only be read after printing it our. The Marktown Preservation Society would be more than glad to provide the reader with a professionally printed and bound copy. The current price is $60.00 plus shipping. Please note that it is a 270 page book of the entire collection of Marktown on the Party Line. We hope that you will find this to be enjoyable reading, and in doing so, remember the past, present and future of the Marktown Historic District, Miss Jessie Stewart and the Burner family. Most respectfully Paul A. Myers Click here for Marktown on the Party Line Part 1. Where were you on the morning of May 25th between the hours of 1 and 3, Tommy Weir?? Click here for Marktown on the Party Line Part 2. Mary Gertrude Mitchell and her sister, Martha, of Johnsville, Pa., have been visiting their aunt, Mrs. C.M. Stewart, of Prospect Street. Click here for Marktown on the Party Line Part 3. Wedding bells drowned out the jingle bells during December.  Emerson Bell and Betsey Slusser took the fatal leap followied by Eleanor Helgren and John Heim. Click here for Marktown on the Party Line Part 4. Mr. & Mrs. Roy Larson are mighty proud to announce the birth of TWINS, March 3. The babies have been named Laurence and Laurel. Congratulations. Click here for Marktown on the Party Line Part 5. The sympathy of the entire community is extended to the family of George Baier of School Street, who dropped dean on Monday evening, July 25. Click here for Marktown on the Party Line Part 6. Emerson (Red) Bell has gone to the Cubs farm at Miline, Illinois. We are all very proud of Red and wish him loads of success. Click here for Marktown on the Party Line Part 7. Mr. & Mrs. Henry Barnett of Prospect Street are the proud parents of a baby girl born January 16. This young land has been named Sandra Lee. Click here for Marktown on the Party Line Part 8. It is no wonder that John Pollack, who is employed in the Pipe Mill, is proud of his three boys -- Frankie, Al and Johnie. They live in the Subdivision. Click here for Marktown on the Party Line Part 9. Elizabeth Weir is new Librarian at the Mark Branch Library. Now that we are heading towards the winter it might be a good idea to drop in and visit the Library. Click here for Marktown on the Party Line Part 10. Did you know that the record for pancake consumption is held by a certain man on Liberty Street? Click here for Marktown on the Party Line Part 11. Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Eddie Schneck, whose baby boy was born Nov. 25 at the Woodlawn Hospital in Chicago. Click here for Marktown on the Party Line Part 12. We offer our congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Weir on the birth of a baby girl who has been named Lorraine Rose, and to Mr. & Mrs. Henry Barnett whose baby girl wasborn Sept. 19 and has been named Linda Sue. Click here for Marktown on the Party Line Part 13. Edward (Buddy) Deiotte, son of Mrs. Mary Deiotte, Andrew (Buddy) McCann, son of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew McCann, Nick Ackers, son of Mrs. Dan Poskin, and Ed Rappenacker, nephew of Mrs. Louis Stringsteen, have joined the services of Uncle Sam. Our best wishes are extended to these boys. Click here for Marktown on the Party Line Part 14. The following young men from Mark have gone into the service: Louis Brownlee, Robert (Jake) Weir, James Deiotte, Albert Small, James Mullally, all in the Army. Alexander Stewart joined the Navy. Russell Schmidt is an Ensign in the Navy. We all offer good luck and best wishes to these boys. Click here for Marktown on the Party Line Part 15. Since George Johnson has given up delivery of groceries, due to gas rationing, Mrs. Lester Boyd and Mrs. John McDaniels have solved this problem with the first Victory card in town -- a baby cart from the Boyd basement. Click here for Marktown on the Party Line Part 16. Through the efforts of the Office of Civil Defense, Marktown is the first in the district to obtain fire fighting equipment. Thanks to Johnny Mudoon, the truck has been given free space in the garage. Portable Pump pails have been distributed throughout the town. Clarence Farley is Fire Chief and Zone Commanders are Henry Barnett, Eddie chneck, Solly Sylvester and George Kurtz. Thanks to George Johnson for providing a room in his basement for O.C.D headquarters. Click here for Marktown on the Party Line Part 17. When I say Marktown on the Party Line, I'm not kidding. The morning of January 18 found the lines red hot with the news of the death of one of the young women in town. The lady, very much alive and all fixed up with her new permanent, learned after several puzzling telephone calls, that she had been reported dead. Emphatically denying it, the calls were traced to the source of the startling news and the lady was finally resurrected. Click here for Marktown on the Party Line Part 18. 1945 - Teen-agers of Marktown have formed a club with the following officers elected: Jim Bruner, president; Shirley Brassard, vice-president; Rita Burrell, secretary; Rose Simons, treasurer. The sponsors are Mrs. Andrew Holzbach, chairman and Mrs. Homer Ashby, co-chairman Click here for Marktown on the Party Line Part 19. What a commotion aroung town the evening of Aug 24, 1945 when two young bulls broke loose from a truck and raced madly around the place, chased by screaming children, yelping dogs and adults acting like children. Rally a sight to see. Heard one lady say it was surely a novelty to see some of the people chasing the bull insead of shooting it. Click here for Marktown on the Party Line Part 20. Tom Smith, son of Mrs. Alma Smith, a law student at Indiana University, was seriously injured in an automobile accident several weeks ago. Tom was a Lieutenant pilot in the Air Force before being honorably discharged. He is confined in the U.S. Veterans' Hospital in Indianapolis. Click here for Marktown on the Party Line Part 21. Mrs. Laura Mullally has announced the engagement of her daughter, Rita, to James P. McShane of East Chicago. Click here for Marktown on the Party Line Part 22. Bill Holzbach was voted the most popular freshman for 1946 at Roosevelt High School. Gene Donaldson was the star guard on Roosevelt's 1946 Champion Football team. Nice going boys! Click here for Marktown on the Party Line Part 23. Howard Smith, James Bruner & Warren Springsteen - These three boys of Marktown were greaduated from Roosevelt High School in June (1947). There were no Marktown girls in the class. Click here for Marktown on the Party Line Part 24. It is with sadness in our hearts that we report the sudden death from a heart attack of Charles oyer, Feb. 29, 1948. To Mrs. Boyer and their three daughters, Janet, Ora Mae, and Charlotte, we extend our deepest sympathy. Click here for Marktown on the Party Line Part 25. Roy Mulholland was elected president of the Plant Golf League at a meeting at Wicker Park, April 29. Click here for Marktown on the Party Line Part 26. Graduates from Roosevelt High School, East Chicago, in June 1948 were: Barbara Robey, Patricia Taylor, Rita Burrell, Rose Simons, Florence Rosenberg, Doris Bentley, James Holzbach, and Thomas Clark. James Holland was graduated from Washington Hish School, Indiana Harbor. Click here for Marktown on the Party Line Part 27. Paul Burrell, 15-yar-old Roosevelt High School freshman, died early today in St. Catherine's Hospital of a stomach ailment with which he had been afflicted since childhood. The family resides at 515 Liberty Street, East Chicago.