Joseph Bailly Homestead

The Joseph Bailly Homestead is a pioneer settlement from the early 19th century in Indiana Dunes National Park with several buildings made of cedar and oak logs. The complex includes a main house, kitchen, chapel, and storehouse that together show what a working trading post looked like in that era.

Joseph Bailly founded this trading post in 1822 between Detroit and Fort Dearborn, creating a settlement point that influenced the development of northwestern Indiana. The location became a junction between established trading routes and emerging areas of settlement.

The buildings show a blend of French-Canadian, Native American, and American frontier building styles that reflects the trading relationships and daily interactions at this remote post. The architectural heritage demonstrates how different peoples who worked here shaped the place together.

The site is protected within a park and easy to explore on foot, with clearly marked trails connecting the buildings. Most visitors spend one to two hours walking through the structures and surrounding grounds.

The property contains a family cemetery with unmarked graves of Bailly and his relatives, which few visitors notice. This hidden burial ground offers a quiet reminder of the personal lives of those who lived and worked at the trading post.

Location: Porter

Website: https://nps.gov/indu/learn/historyculture/bailly_homestead.htm

GPS coordinates: 41.62306,-87.09417

Latest update: December 12, 2025 07:58