50 topographic sheets cover 45 settlements here, and 10 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.
10 National Register listings published here · the county-history sources name 1 person · people the book names include P.O. Address (Lima Township, 1874) (machine-read).
Sources: the county history on the Internet Archive · the National Register database, National Park Service
Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.
| Photograph | Property | Type | Listed | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bloomfield Township Graded School | building | 2022 | 100008412 | |
 | John Badlam Howe Mansion | building | 1995 | 95001106 |
 | La Grange County Courthouse | building | 1980 | 80000042 |
 | Olde Store (John O'Ferrell Store) | building | 1975 | 75000024 |
| South Milford I.O.O.F. Hall | building | 2025 | 100011482 | |
 | St. James Memorial Chapel | building | 2001 | 01000989 |
 | Star Milling and Electric Company Historic District | district | 1995 | 95001107 |
 | Samuel P. Williams House | building | 1980 | 80000043 |
| George and Margaret Wolcott House | building | 2020 | 100005042 | |
 | Menno Yoder Polygonal Barn | building | 1993 | 93000191 |
Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 1 of them, burning about 1 acre. None started naturally and none was recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1 |
The five largest, by the area the report gives. None of them was recorded as arson.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 September 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Michigan Department of Natural Resources | TRI-TOWNSHIP FD 000285 - 2019 |
Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.
The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 203 reports for this county, causing 11 deaths, 118 injuries and about $12,091,000 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.
| Kind of event | Reports |
|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 148 |
| Hail | 37 |
| Tornado | 14 |
| Flash Flood | 2 |
| Flood | 2 |
The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 1965 | Tornado (F4) | not stated | 5 killed, 42 hurt | no account filed |
| April 1965 | Tornado (F4) | not stated | 5 killed, 41 hurt, $2,500,000 | no account filed |
| July 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Stroh | 1 killed | Emergency management officials reported a six to eight foot diameter tree fell into a residence on Big Long Lake. A 64 year old male was crushed by the tree, killing him. |
| March 1976 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | 9 hurt, $250,000 | no account filed |
| March 1976 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | 8 hurt, $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 1961 | Tornado (F3) | not stated | 5 hurt, $2,500,000 | no account filed |
| April 1974 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | 5 hurt, $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 1988 | Thunderstorm Wind | not stated | 3 hurt | no account filed |
| September 2024 | Tornado (EF1) | Valentine | 2 hurt, $300,000 | The same storm that produced the EF1 tornado in Noble county, intensified once again, producing yet another tornado near the intersection of County Roads 300 S and 300 E. It continued northeast damaging barns and knocking down trees. It completely destroyed an outbuilding and ripped the roof off and knocked the walls down of a chicken housing structure. The tornado dissipated shortly thereafter in a field. A horse and buggy was blown over in the 2900 block of County Road E 300 S, with 2 occupants suffering minor injuries. Maximum sustained winds of 95 mph were estimated. |
| May 1997 | Tornado (F0) | Lagrange | 1 hurt, $1,500,000 | no account filed |
| May 1997 | Tornado (F0) | Stone Lake | 1 hurt, $1,500,000 | no account filed |
| July 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | not stated | 1 hurt | no account filed |
| May 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Shipshewana | $1,500,000 | no account filed |
| April 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Warsaw | $500,000 | The roof was partially blown off a barn, 20 mobile homes were damaged, and one mobile home was destroyed. Trees and limbs were downed, and 31 vehicles were damaged by falling branches. Damage was estimated between $50,000 and $75,000. |
| April 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | and trees were | $500,000 | The roof was partially blown off a barn, 20 mobile homes were damaged, and one mobile home was destroyed. Trees and limbs were downed, and 31 vehicles were damaged by falling branches. Damage was estimated between $50,000 and $75,000. |
| July 2006 | Flash Flood | Countywide | $400,000 | The same storms that affected southern Elkhart county moved across parts of southern Lagrange county, from Topeka to Oliver Lake. Topaka was the hardest hit area with at least 22 homes reporting some sort of damage from the flash flood. Numerous roads were flooded and closed in and around Topeka. 9 inches of rain was recorded in the Oliver Lake area before tapering off after 3 am EDT. Numerous streams that feed into the lake and rainfall over the lake itself resulted in the lake level rising 0.70 inches over the normal stage at the DNR dam. Water covered many of the piers with some boats floating on shore or into other craft. Also several roads around the lake had water flowing over them. One structure sustained water damage on the lake. Damage is estimated at $400,000. |
| February 2008 | Flood | Scott | $100,000 | Several secondary roads had water on them, with some spots haveing washouts in poor drainage area. |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lagrange | $60,000 | Numerous trees downed with some on cars. Power lines down across town and a barn was destroyed. |
| February 2018 | Flood | Stony Creek Station | $54,000 | Damage occurred to several roads in the county due to high water levels on rivers, creeks and streams. Road damage was reported in parts of the county. High water levels on Whitmer and Westler lakes, located near Wolcottville caused damage to several homes and a water treatment plant suffering damage. Estimates were over 54,000 dollars. |
| March 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Seyberts | $50,000 | Lost the roof on two barns and one outbuilding was destroyed. Fuel tanks were blown a long distance. Some telephone poles were snapped. |
| November 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lagrange | $50,000 | LAKELAND HIGH SCHOOL HAD ONE AUDITORIUM WALL BLOWN IN BY THE STRONG WINDS. |
| July 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Valentine | $25,000 | A three foot diameter oak tree was blown down onto a house and attached deck, causing estimated damage of around $25,000. |
| October 1978 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| June 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lagrange | $20,000 | A few trees and large limbs down along with downed power lines. About 350 to 400 customers without power. |
| April 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Mongo | $15,000 | Downed powerlines on SR 120 between CR 110 E and CR 900. |
| April 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Shipshewana Fld Arpt | $15,000 | Multiple tree down onto powerlines at SR 120 and 900 W. |
| December 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Valentine | $15,000 | Six power poles were blown down on 300S between 300W and 200W. |
| June 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lagrange | $15,000 | Trees were reported down in and around the city of Lagrange. |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lagrange | $15,000 | Trees were reported down in Lagrange, with one tree falling onto a parked car. A car also struck a buggy somewhere in the county as a result of heavy rain. No further details were available. |
| July 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lagrange | $15,000 | Several large trees were knocked down around Oliver Lake. An 18 inch diameter apple tree was uprooted on the west side of the lake. An 20 inch diameter tree was knocked down onto a pontoon and lift and a 31 inch diameter tree was snapped at the base, with an aluminum flag pole being snapped off. Damage amount estimated. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Topeka | $10,000 | Emergency manager reports power lines down. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Shipshewana | $10,000 | Trees and power lines down across area with power outages. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Topeka | $10,000 | Two barn roofs were damaged in Topeka. |
| May 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ontario | $10,000 | Local officials reported scattered trees and power lines down across the nothern part of the county. |
| August 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lagrange | $10,000 | Several trees limbs and power lines were blown down in the city of Lagrange at the intersection of Mountain and Michigan streets. |
| May 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Countywide | $10,000 | Law enforcement reported trees down countywide with cars flipped over in a few locations. |
| May 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lagrange | $10,000 | Barn destroyed. Trees and power lines down. |
| October 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lagrange County | $10,000 | no account filed |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Topeka | $5,000 | Multiple trees down in Topeka. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lagrange | $5,000 | Emergency Manager reports multiple trees down. |
| October 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Scott | $5,000 | A car and semi were blown off the I-80 toll road near mile marker 114. No injuries were reported. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Howe | $3,000 | Four healthy trees or branches down. The largest was 12 inches in diameter. |
| July 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | not stated | $3,000 | Large trees were blown down in Shipshewana and Topeka. |
| October 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Valentine | $2,500 | Law enforcement reported a large tree down on house near Valentine. |
| April 1980 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $2,500 | no account filed |
| April 1956 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $2,500 | no account filed |
| March 2023 | Hail | Shipshewana | $2,000 | A report on Facebook indicates quarter size hail. |
| March 2023 | Hail | Shipshewana | $2,000 | One inch diameter hail reported. |
| March 2025 | Hail | Howe | $1,000 | Nickle to quarter-sized hail for about 4 minutes. Estimated 40 to 50 mph wind gusts. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brushy Prairie | $1,000 | Emergency manager reports tree down across State Road 3. |
| August 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Howe | $1,000 | Large tree down according to the public. |
| August 1997 | Flash Flood | Southern Half Cnty | $1,000 | no account filed |
| June 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brushy Prairie | $500 | Multiple trees with snapped limbs 6 to 12 inches in diameter. |
| August 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lagrange | - | A trained spotter estimated a 50 knot wind gust. |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plato | - | Two semi trucks blown over on US-20. |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plato | - | Several trees down. Estimated 12 inch diameter. |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lagrange | - | Numerous limbs and trees down. |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Eddy | - | The public reported a tree down onto a house and car. |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Eddy | - | Tree down on house and car. |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brighton | - | EM reported multiple trees down. |
Illustrated Historical Atlas of LaGrange County, Indiana. devotes a chapter to each township: its boundaries and streams, who settled it and when, the mills, the schools and the churches. All 6 are reproduced here in full. Each row shows the township's own shape and where it lies in the county, drawn from the Census Bureau's boundary. Which settlements belong to which township is computed from that same boundary, not taken from the book.
| Shape and position in the county | Township | Settlements in it | Length | Sections |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenfield Township | Brighton, Greenfield Mills | 461 words | 0 | |
| Lima Township | Ontario, River Oaks, Star Mill, Twin Lakes | 448 words | 1 | |
| Milford Township | Elmira, Gravel Beach, Greenwood, Hartzel, Indianola, Lakeside Park, Lakeview, Mount Pisgah, Oak Lodge, Ramblewood, Shady Nook, South Milford, Stroh, Tall Timbers, Timberhurst, Woodland Park | 594 words | 1 | |
| Newbury Township | Beatys Beach, Shipshewana, Shipshewana Lake | 210 words | 0 | |
| Springfield Township | Brushy Prairie, Mongo | 799 words | 0 | |
| Van Buren Township | Scott, Seyberts | 1,307 words | 4 |
Everyone Illustrated Historical Atlas of LaGrange County, Indiana. stops to write about, with the section that describes them. Among them are the men who founded the place and governed the Territory. Each name opens the passage itself, in the words of 1874.
Named settlements recorded in the Geographic Names Information System, each with the topographic sheets covering it. Villages, hamlets and abandoned places alike. Each is shown with the nearest named watercourse or landform and the survey quadrangle it falls on.
Van Buren township · 46565 · On McManus Ditch · Shipshewana quadrangle
9 sheets, 1953 to 1985
Block