The Gunness Farm / Visit LaPorte

The Gunness trail.

Everything in this story is within a few miles of downtown LaPorte, Indiana, about 90 minutes from Chicago. Here is how to see it in an afternoon, in the order the story happened, without bothering anyone who lives there now.

Before you go

The farm site is private property. There is no marker, no parking, and nothing to see from the road but a field and some trees. People live there. Drive past, take your photo from the shoulder if it's safe, and keep moving. Do not walk onto the land, and do not dig. Anyone caught doing either makes it harder for the rest of us.

Start at the museum. It holds the artifacts, the photographs and the context. The other stops mean more after you've seen it.

Timing. The full loop is about two hours including an hour at the museum. Downtown LaPorte is a good lunch stop between the courthouse and the cemeteries.

Getting here

From Chicago
I-90/I-94 east to US-421 south, about 90 minutes. Or the South Shore Line to Michigan City and a 15-minute drive.
From Indianapolis
US-31 north to US-30 west, about 2.5 hours.
From South Bend
US-20 west, about 35 minutes.

At a glance

Stops
5, all within 6 miles
Time
About 2 hours
Cost
Museum admission only
Best time
Daylight. The cemeteries close at dusk.
Print the trail mapA free tri-fold map of all five stops with the story on the back. Letter size, folds in thirds. Print it, hand it out, leave a stack at the museum.Download PDF ↗ Come on April 28The anniversary of the fire. New video from McClung Road every year.April 28 ↗

The stops

In story order. Photographs of each stop as it looks today are being added.

Stop 1

LaPorte County Historical Society Museum

2405 Indiana Ave, LaPorte, IN 46350

The largest Gunness collection anywhere: photographs from the digging, artifacts recovered from the farm, newspaper coverage, and the society's own research into whether she escaped. The exhibit is permanent. Ask at the desk about photography; policies vary by gallery.

Check the society's website for current hours and admission before you drive out, especially in winter.

Open in Google Maps ↗

Museum exteriorThe LaPorte County Historical Society Museum on Indiana Avenue.
The LaPorte County Historical Society Museum on Indiana Avenue.
Stop 2

LaPorte County Courthouse

813 Lincolnway, LaPorte, IN 46350

Ray Lamphere's trial ran here through November 1908, with reporters from Chicago, New York and Indianapolis filling the gallery. The 1890s building still anchors downtown. The square around it is where Belle shopped, banked and drew up her will the day before the fire.

Good lunch stop. Downtown has several places within a block.

Open in Google Maps ↗

CourthouseThe LaPorte County Courthouse, where Lamphere was tried.
The LaPorte County Courthouse, where Lamphere was tried.
Stop 3

Patton Cemetery

Patton Cemetery, LaPorte, IN

Andrew Helgelien, the first body out of the hog pen, was buried here in May 1908 by lantern light. In 2008, a century after the digging, markers were placed here and at Pine Lake Cemetery for the known and unknown victims recovered from the farm. Belle and her children are not here; they were taken to Forest Home Cemetery in Forest Park, Illinois.

Open in Google Maps ↗

Patton CemeteryThe 2008 victims' marker at Patton Cemetery.
The 2008 victims' marker at Patton Cemetery.
Stop 4

McClung Road, the farm site

McClung Road, north of LaPorte

The house, the barn, the hog lot and the granary morgue are all gone. The land is private and in use. What's left is the shape of the ground, the lake the 1908 postcards called Fish Trap Lake, and the quiet, which is considerable.

View from the road. Pull fully onto the shoulder. Do not enter the property.

Open in Google Maps ↗

McClung RoadMcClung Road today, looking toward the farm site.
McClung Road today, looking toward the farm site.
Stop 5

Rossburg Cemetery (optional)

Rossburg Cemetery, LaPorte County, IN

Ray Lamphere, the hired man convicted of arson and acquitted of murder, died in the state prison at Michigan City on December 30, 1909 and was buried here in an unmarked grave. A headstone was finally placed in 2015. A short drive out of town, and the quietest stop on the loop.

Open in Google Maps ↗

Rossburg CemeteryRay Lamphere's 2015 marker at Rossburg Cemetery.
Ray Lamphere's 2015 marker at Rossburg Cemetery.

Farther afield

Two more sites for anyone making a longer trip of it.

Forest Home Cemetery, Forest Park, IllinoisThe headless woman identified as Belle, and the three children, are buried here beside Mads Sorenson. The 2008 forensic exhumation took place here. About 90 minutes west.Open in Maps ↗ Indiana State Prison, Michigan CityWhere Lamphere served his sentence and died in 1909. Still an active prison; the walls are visible from the street. 20 minutes north.Open in Maps ↗

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