Indiana Landmarks

On the edge of picturesque Cedar Lake in northwest Indiana, Cedar Lake Historical Association's The Museum at Lassen's Resort offers visitors a tangible connection to the community’s history and heritage. Housed within a former hotel, the museum and its grounds showcase the story of Cedar Lake with multiple exhibits and experiences for guests recalling the lake’s recreational past, including a period-inspired dining room open to guests and lake cruises in a 1915 steamboat.

But the museum’s mission to illustrate Cedar Lake history goes far beyond highlighting recreation, as dedicated volunteers continue to expand exhibits with artifacts vital to preserving the community’s shared history and memories. For longtime residents and their families, local economic history can be traced closely to commercial ice harvesting, which began at Cedar Lake as early as 1880.

Before mechanical refrigeration, large amounts of lake ice, harvested in blocks up to 100 pounds, allowed food suppliers to cool box cars for the first time and transport perishable products much farther than had ever been possible. In the 1880s and 1890s, Cedar Lake became home to more than a dozen ice harvesting companies, a booming business due to the lake’s proximity to Chicago. In subsequent decades use of lake ice gradually gave way to artificial manufacturing plants that relied on distributors like Cedar Lake’s Taylor Ice Company, which operated from 1922 to 1988, to deliver their product to customers.

To share the importance of the local ice industry with a wider audience, Todd Taylor, grandson of Taylor Ice Company’s founder, chose to donate his family’s ice truck, a 1947 International Harvester KB-5, to Cedar Lake Historical Association in 2020. This May, the Museum at Lassen’s Resort dedicated the truck with a new pavilion and interpretive signage funded in part by a grant from Indiana Landmarks’ Indiana Automotive affinity group, recognizing the vehicle’s unique role as a link to Cedar Lake’s industrial heritage.

Learn more: https://www.indianalandmarks.org/2026/07/preserving-community-in-cedar-lake/

📸: Cedar Lake Historical Association and Mitchell Knigga

👀 Have you seen the July/August issue of Indiana Landmarks' member magazine, Indiana Preservation?

Featured articles include:

📖 The revitalization of Crawfordsville's Ben-Hur Building wins the 2026 Cook Cup for Outstanding Restoration

📖 Indianapolis neighborhood advocate Marjorie Kienlie merits the 2026 Williamson Prize for outstanding leadership in historic preservation

📖 Historic sites of recreation ⁠
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📖 The revival of Lawrenceburg's Liberty Theater recognized with Indiana Landmarks' Renaissance Award

Learn how to subscribe:⁠ https://www.indianalandmarks.org/join-give/membership

📸 Cover image of Crawfordsville’s Ben-Hur Building courtesy AP Development LLC

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Samara Tours 2026 Experience the natural beauty of Samara, one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s most fully realized Usonian designs.