Locals in the area who yearn to step back in time and explore a melting pot of a city once known as the “Workshop of America,” the “Arsenal of America,” and the “Industrial Capital of the World” will enjoy reading author Joseph S. Pete’s latest book.
Pete’s latest book, Lost East Chicago and Indiana Harbor, was recently published by The History Press and contains a diverse mix of information about the city, its notable past residents, landmarks, long-gone businesses, its place in steel industry history and much more.
“I felt like it never got the attention it deserved,” Pete said. “East Chicago has so many facets.”
Author Pete, who works as an editor for the Times, is from Hammond, the neighboring city of East Chicago. He said he worked on the project for more than a year. Pete previously wrote the books “100 Things to Do in Gary and Northwest Indiana Before You Die” and “Lost Hammond, Indiana.” He also wrote “Secret Northwest Indiana: A Guide To The Weird, Wonderful and Obscure.”
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In researching the book, Pete interviewed a number of people from the region, including former colleagues at The Times. On the book’s acknowledgments page, he thanks the East Chicago Public Library, the Calumet Regional Archives, The Times of Northwest Indiana, the Post-Tribune, the Lake County Public Library System and more.
“I camped out at the East Chicago Public Library,” Pete said, adding that the research time for the book was very long.
Pete said that when he wrote “Lost East Chicago,” he was interested in the diversity of the city and the enthusiasm of people who grew up in East Chicago for their origins in this part of the region.
Many people from the Indiana Harbor neighborhood in East City, he said, have a “romanticized idea of growing up there.”
He added that residents found it to be a wonderfully “diverse place with a lot of camaraderie.”
The 236-page book includes chapters on the early history of East Chicago, the diversity of the Indiana waterfront, the former Washington Park Zoo, the city’s connection to the Titanic, Inland Steel and its exciting and popular Christmas celebration, Marktown, Stevie Wonder’s mother’s roots in East Chicago, the Tod Opera House, and many other attractions.
Pete narrates “Jimmie the Mummy” at the McGuan Funeral Home in Indiana Harbor, talks about the town’s long-gone movie theaters, and mentions various shops and restaurants that were popular with residents.
He looks at the city’s sporting history and also puts artists from the region in the spotlight.
“A lot of people (from East Chicago) have gone on to great things,” Pete said, mentioning Friday the 13th actress Betsy Palmer, who graduated from Roosevelt High School.
Pete said he easily could have told us a lot more about the city.
“I wanted to include so much more, but I couldn’t,” he said.
Pete has several book signings planned for “Lost East Chicago and Indiana Harbor.”
Here are some upcoming new signings.
• 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., July 20, at Miles Books, 2819 Jewett Ave., Highland
• July 27, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Green Door Books, 325 Main St., Hobart
August 3, 12:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m. at Paul Henry’s Art Gallery, 416 Sibley St., Hammond
Information about the book can be found at historypress.com.
