To schedule a visit to the museum or to learn more about the following programs and to schedule a program for your school or home school call Museum Educator Cobie Ball at (219) 983-9715, or e-mail her at

First Grade Programs

Program: A Visit to the Past: Family Life

What was life like growing up in the late 1800’s? Come to the Westchester Township History Museum and find out. (30 or 45 minutes, can be given in conjunction with School Life (see below), at the Brown Mansion, 700 W. Porter Ave., Chesterton)

Standards Covered:

Social Studies

1.1.1 – Identify examples of things that have changed and things that have remained the same as students compare their lives with the lives of family members, such as parents and grandparents.

1.1.2 – Compare past and present similarities and differences in daily life by using biographies, oral histories, and folklore.

Program: A Visit to the Past: School Life

What would school be like without electricity, running water and computers? Students will learn about life in one room schools through artifacts, photographs, and first hand written accounts from area residents who attended  local one room schools.  (30 or 45 minutes, can be given in conjunction with Family Life (see above), at the Brown Mansion, 700 W. Porter Ave., Chesterton)

Standards Covered:

Social Studies

1.1.1 – Identify examples of things that have changed and things that have remained the same as students compare their lives with the lives of family members, such as parents and grandparents.

1.1.2 – Compare past and present similarities and differences in daily life by using biographies, oral histories, and folklore.

Third / Fourth  Grade Programs

Program: The History of Westchester Township

Artifacts in the museum’s permanent exhibit will bring alive the history of Westchester Township, from the glaciers to the coming of the steel industry. Students will learn interesting facts about Chesterton, Burns Harbor, Porter, and Dune Acres and will hear about some of the key people who were responsible for the development of Westchester Township. Students will also receive a tour of the Brown Mansion, learn about the history of the house and some of the people who have lived in it, and view the museum’s collection of artwork by local artists.

(1 ½ hours, at the Westchester Township History Museum, 700 W. Porter Ave., Chesterton)

Standards Covered:

Social Studies

3.1.2 – Explain why and how the local community was established and identify founders and early settlers.

3.1.3 – Describe the role of specific communities in the development of the region.

3.1.4 – Give examples of people, events, and developments that brought important changes to the local community or region.

3.1.5 – Develop simple timelines of events in the local communities.

3.1.7 – Use a variety of community resources – such as libraries, museums, and county historians – to gather information about the local community.

3.5.1 – Give examples of how the local community is made up of many individuals, as well as many different groups.

Program: A Walk Through the Past: Downtown Chesterton

This walking tour gives students the chance to walk back in time and to learn about Chesterton’s Nationally Registered Historic Commercial District. Please note: an indoor version of the program will be provided in case of rain. (1 hour; available August – October and April – June; maximum number of students: 30; downtown Chesterton and at the Library Service Center, 100 W. Indiana Ave., Chesterton)

Standards Covered:

Social Studies

3.1.4 – Give examples of people, events, and developments that brought important changes to the local community or region.

3.1.7 - Use a variety of community resources – such as libraries, museums, and county historians – to gather information about the local community.

Program: Walking the Pioneer Trail

Pack your bags and get ready to hit the trail! This hands-on program allows each student to travel back in time and become part of one of Chesterton’s first pioneer families, either the Thomas family or the Morgan family, as they prepare for the long trek to Indiana. Students will participate in the decision making process each family  must make to choose which items they will need for the journey, as well as what they will need to start farming and to set up a homestead. The program uses two small replica covered wagons, complete with pioneer families and over 80 miniature pioneer furnishings and supplies.

(1 hour, an outreach program to area schools or at the Westchester Township History Museum)

Standards Covered:

Social Studies

3.1.2 – Explain why and how the local community was established and identify founders and early settlers.

3.1.4 – Give examples of people, events, and developments that brought important changes to the local community or region.

4.1.1 – Identify and compare the major early cultures that existed in the region that became Indiana prior to contact with Europeans.

4.1.2 – Identify and describe historic Indian groups that lived in the region that became Indiana at the time of early European exploration and settlement in the seventeenth century.

4.1.6 – Explain how key individuals and events influenced the early growth of the new state of Indiana.