First Congregational Church of Michigan City

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.

From the record

“First Congregational Church of Michigan City is a historic Congregational church building at 531 Washington Street in Michigan City, Indiana. The church building was built in 1880-1881 and constructed in a Romanesque, Tudor Revival style.”
Wikipedia article First Congregational Church of Michigan City, CC BY-SA 4.0.

One of 34 National Register listings published here for LaPorte County · listed in 2001 · category: Building.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 1 building as contributing to the listing.
Address. 531 Washington St., Michigan City, 46360
When was it listed? December 2001
Category. building
Township. Michigan township
National Register reference number. 01001343 - the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.

Fires near this property

63 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 63 fires within 5 miles of First Congregational Church of Michigan City between 1992 and 2015, burning about 9 acres in total. 5 started naturally. 5 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause	Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined	17
Recreation and ceremony	10
Debris and open burning	7
Railroad operations and maintenance	6
Arson/incendiarism	5
Equipment and vehicle use	5
Natural	5
Power generation/transmission/distribution	4
Fireworks	2
Misuse of fire by a minor	1
Other causes	1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

Date	Cause	Size	Reported by	Name on the report
9 September 2013	Natural	under an acre	Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore	ALDER
30 September 2011	Power generation/transmission/distribution	under an acre	Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore	CENTRAL POLE
28 September 2008	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore	W. BALDY
17 September 1995	Recreation and ceremony	under an acre	Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore	VIEW
17 September 1993	Arson/incendiarism	under an acre	Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore	VALLEY
16 September 1995	Railroad operations and maintenance	under an acre	Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore	HARVEST
14 September 1998	Recreation and ceremony	under an acre	Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore	CENTRAL 5
22 August 2010	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore	MERRIVALE FIRE

Every fire recorded in LaPorte County

Mines and quarries near this property

4 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 4 workings within 5 miles of First Congregational Church of Michigan City: 3 producers, 1 past producer. 3 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Stone, Silica. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Site	Commodity	Status
Michigan City Eng.	Stone	Producer
Michigan City Plant	Silica	Producer
Brown Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer
Sheridan Ave Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer

Storms near this property

60 since 1993

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Michigan City, the town this property stands in, in 60 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 41 thunderstorm wind, 13 hail, 2 lightning, 2 flood. The reports record 1 injury. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

When	Event	Place named	Harm	What the report says
June 2001	Thunderstorm Wind	Michigan City	1 hurt, $15,000	Trees fell on 3 houses causing damage. Girl sleeping in one of the homes suffered broken arm when tree fell into bedroom.
August 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Michigan City	$1,500,000	A supercell came onshore from Lake Michigan at Michigan City with winds initially above 100 mph. Wind gusts to 75 mph were reported several miles inland as the storm continued south through Westville and Wanatah. Widespread tree, power poles and lines damage was observed from the lake shore to Westville. One minor injury was reported from a cleanup worker in Westville. 2 vehicles were destroyed as a result of falling trees. A police car in Westville suffered damage from a tree falling onto it. 2 miles north of Westville a semi was blown off the Indiana Toll Road with a train suffering damage as a result of the winds. Several buildings suffered roof damage, including several factories, homes and a prison. Damage figures are not complete, but initial estimates of damage on the land are at least $1.5 million.
February 2018	Flood	Michigan City	$500,000	High water forced the closures of several roads in LaPorte county, including portions of US 20 and 35 and State Routes 8 and 212. The high water was the result of ditches, creeks, streams and rivers exceeding their capacity, causing extensive flooding that slowly increased over the span of a few days. State Route 8, between US 421 and State Route 39 suffered such severe flooding as a result of flood waters on the Yellow iver that a portion of the road will require complete reconstruction of a portion, causing it to remain closed for several months. See separate entry for damage to a levee in Starke county. Damage in excess of $500,000 was reported to mainly county roads, state highways and the water treatment plant in LaPorte.
July 2009	Flash Flood	Michigan City	$250,000	Numerous reports were received of flash flooding across many parts of Michigan City. Video footage showed water flowing over many roadways, averaging at least a foot deep, causing some vehicles to stall. At one point, all lanes on US 20 between Johnson road and US 421 were closed due to flowing water over the highway. A CoCoRaHS observer southeast of Trail Creek reported a storm total of 5.64 inches of rain, with an observer on the southwest side of Michigan City reporting 4.10 inches of rain. Rainfall amounts quickly tapered south of Michigan City with locations as far south as the Kingsbury area not even seeing a quarter inch. No reports of injuries or fatalities were noted as a result of the flooding. Damage amounts in terms of washout repairs, basements flooding and other types of damage are estimated at $250,000.
June 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Michigan City	$30,000	Numerous trees and power lines blown down from Michigan City to Long Beach.
May 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	Michigan City	$20,000	Storm survey of the area near Town of Pines found vehicle and tree damage consistent with a microburst as well as from large hail.
May 2024	Hail	Michigan City	$12,000	no account filed
June 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Michigan City	$10,000	Numerous trees and large limbs down with some roads closed due to debris.
May 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Michigan City	$10,000	Trees downed on cars and houses. A roof was ripped off of a gas station.
August 1998	Thunderstorm Wind	Michigan City	$10,000	TREE FELL ON CAR ON HIGHWAY 35.
March 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	Michigan City	$5,000	Trees down in Michigan City with estimated wind gusts of 60 mph. Power is out.
July 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	Michigan City	$5,000	Multiple trees are down near Ohio and Garfield streets in Michigan City.
May 2000	Lightning	Michigan City	$5,000	A house caught on fire when a pole was struck by lightning, cutting the power lines and causing them to land along the basement wall.
April 1994	Thunderstorm Wind	Michigan City	$5,000	One- to two-foot diameter trees and power lines were downed.
August 1993	Thunderstorm Wind	Michigan City	$5,000	Power lines were downed.
August 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	Michigan City	-	Michigan City Lake Michigan Buoy.
July 2015	Thunderstorm Wind	Michigan City	-	Trees and power lines down in Michigan City.
August 2015	Thunderstorm Wind	Michigan City	-	Trained spotters reported trees and tree limbs down, with some into roadways.
June 2014	Thunderstorm Wind	Michigan City	-	The public reported a two foot diameter tree being snapped at the base.
May 2014	Thunderstorm Wind	Michigan City	-	Law enforcement officials reported trees down in Michigan City as well as near Westville on County Line Road. Numerous power outages were also reported.
May 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	Michigan City	-	A trained spotter reported a few large tree branches were blown down by thunderstorm winds.
June 2013	Flash Flood	Michigan City	-	Emergency management officials reported widespread flooding of roads and basements with numerous road closures. Reports of basement collapses were received, with at least one road washout at the intersection of Johnson and Pahs Roads. The K&M Plaza in Michigan City suffered a complete roof collapse as a result of the heavy rain. Radar and spotter reports indicated that four to six inches of rain fell from Tuesday evening into Wednesday morning (June 25th into the 26th).
November 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	Michigan City	-	The public reported a two foot diameter tree was uprooted and fell onto a home.
June 2012	Thunderstorm Wind	Michigan City	-	Local media reported numerous trees down throughout Michigan City.
July 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Michigan City	-	Trained spotters reported numerous trees and power lines down in Michigan City.
June 2010	Hail	Michigan City	-	One inch hail was accompanied by measured 70-80 mph wind gusts. Trees downed.
May 2009	Thunderstorm Wind	Michigan City	-	Law enforcement officials reported several trees down in both Michigan City and Long Beach, along US 12.
July 2009	Thunderstorm Wind	Michigan City	-	Local newspapers reported trees and power lines down from Michigan City into LaPorte and Rolling Prairie. No structure damage was reported.
August 2006	Hail	Michigan City	-	Hail increased in from quarter size to golf ball size over several minutes. The hail covered the ground for nearly an hour after falling.
June 2005	Thunderstorm Wind	Michigan City	-	One tree and several large branches were blown down.
June 2004	Thunderstorm Wind	Michigan City	-	Law enforcement reported several trees down in Michigan City.
May 2004	Thunderstorm Wind	Michigan City	-	Michigan City U.S. Coast Guard reported a measured wind gust of 60 MPH.
July 2004	Thunderstorm Wind	Michigan City	-	Three trees were blown down.
July 2004	Thunderstorm Wind	Michigan City	-	Michigan City Lighthouse recorded a wind gust of 75 mph.
July 2004	Thunderstorm Wind	Michigan City	-	Numerous trees and power lines knocked down over the northern part of the county.
August 2004	Thunderstorm Wind	Michigan City	-	Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory observing sight at Michigan City recorded a wind gust to 65 MPH.
August 2004	Thunderstorm Wind	Michigan City	-	U.S. Coast Guard reported a measured wind gust to 68 MPH at the Michigan City Light House.
July 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Michigan City	-	Law enforcement reported trees and power lines down in Michigan City.
July 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Michigan City	-	Law enforcement reported trees and power lines down in Michigan City.
August 2002	Thunderstorm Wind	Michigan City	-	Newspaper reported a large tree limb and power lines down in Michigan City.
June 2001	Thunderstorm Wind	Michigan City	-	Trees down in Michigan City. Ham reports 60 MPH gust.
July 2001	Flood	Michigan City	-	Roads flooded in Michigan City with a few stalled vehicles.
August 2001	Thunderstorm Wind	Michigan City	-	Power lines and a tree down.
May 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Michigan City	-	Numerous trees and power lines downed.
July 1999	Thunderstorm Wind	Michigan City	-	Trees blown down.
June 1998	Thunderstorm Wind	Michigan City	-	COAST GUARD STATION REPORT
June 1998	Thunderstorm Wind	Michigan City	-	LARGE TREES BLOWN DOWN
May 2019	Hail	Michigan City	-	no account filed
June 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	Michigan City	-	no account filed
June 2005	Hail	Michigan City	-	no account filed
March 2004	Hail	Michigan City	-	no account filed
August 2004	Hail	Michigan City	-	no account filed
August 2003	Hail	Michigan City	-	no account filed
July 2003	Hail	Michigan City	-	no account filed
May 2001	Hail	Michigan City	-	no account filed
May 2001	Hail	Michigan City	-	no account filed
May 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Michigan City	-	no account filed
July 1999	Hail	Michigan City	-	no account filed
April 1996	Hail	Michigan City	-	no account filed
August 1996	Lightning	Michigan City	-	no account filed

Every storm recorded in LaPorte County

Map coverage status

No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.

Listed places nearby

6 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Property	Distance	Listed
John H. Barker Mansion	under 500 feet	1975
Franklin Street Commercial Historic District	0.2 miles	2013
Michigan City Post Office	0.2 miles	2000
Haskell and Barker Historic District	0.3 miles	2014
Michigan City Lighthouse	0.5 miles	1974
Elston Grove Historic District	0.5 miles	2013

Sources for this property

National Archives record	The nomination case file for reference 01001343 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia article	Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
LaPorte County	All 34 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.