Tolleston
Encyclopedia
Tolleston is a neighborhood and former town in west-central Gary, Indiana
. It is situated south of Ambridge, west of Midtown
, east of Westside
and north of Glen Park
. Tolleston is the site of two large city parks (MC Bennett Park and Tolleston Park), a historic cemetery, and the oldest church north of the Little Calumet River. The neighborhood's borders are defined by the Norfolk Southern tracks on the north, Grant Street on the east, 25th Avenue on the south, and Clark Road on the west. As of 2000, Tolleston had a population of 14,289, and was 97.5% African-American.
Tolleston is primarily residential, with commercial districts along 11th and 15th Avenues. The housing stock of Tolleston consists chiefly of single-family homes, which as of 2000 had a 92% occupancy rate. The neighborhood is served by the Tolleston Branch of the Gary Public Library and the Tolleston Station post office. Distinctive subdivisions within Tolleston include Tarrytown, running for ten blocks north-to-south between Clark Road and Whitcomb Street, and Small Farms at the neighborhood's southern end. Small Farms is the site of some of Gary's most expensive homes.
Tolleston was platted in 1857 by George Tolle. The Tolleston post office was established in 1860, and a Lutheran church in 1868; by 1870 the town contained approximately 80 families. The early population consisted chiefly of German immigrant farmers and railroad workers. In the late 19th century, sand mining and ice harvesting became the chief local industries. Prior to the founding of Gary in 1906, it was the principal settlement in the region, and Tolleston's Gibson Hotel was used as a base by the officials of US Steel planning the new city.
Tolleston was incorporated as an independent town on September 4, 1906, to prevent annexation by Gary. It was annexed nonetheless in 1910, as a byproduct of an annexation dispute between East Chicago
and Gary. As a neighborhood of Gary, it was exclusively white until the early 1960s, when legal segregation in Gary ended; it was almost entirely African-American by 1985.
Tolleston is the birthplace of astronaut Frank Borman
, for whom the nearby Borman Expressway
is named.
Gary, Indiana
Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population is 80,294 at the 2010 census, making it the seventh-largest city in the state. It borders Lake Michigan and is known...
. It is situated south of Ambridge, west of Midtown
Midtown (Gary)
Midtown, also called Central, is a neighborhood in central Gary, Indiana. For many decades it was the only African-American neighborhood in the city. It is located south of Downtown Gary and north of Glen Park along Broadway, Gary's principal thoroughfare. It adjoins the neighborhoods of...
, east of Westside
Westside (Gary)
In Gary, "West Side" may also refer collectively to the neighborhoods west of Broadway, including Westside, Brunswick, Ambridge Mann and Tolleston....
and north of Glen Park
Glen Park (Gary)
Glen Park, also sometimes called University Park, is the most populous neighborhood in Gary, Indiana. It is situated on the city's far south side, south of the Little Calumet River and Borman Expressway. The neighborhood is often divided into Glen Park East and Glen Park West, on the respective...
. Tolleston is the site of two large city parks (MC Bennett Park and Tolleston Park), a historic cemetery, and the oldest church north of the Little Calumet River. The neighborhood's borders are defined by the Norfolk Southern tracks on the north, Grant Street on the east, 25th Avenue on the south, and Clark Road on the west. As of 2000, Tolleston had a population of 14,289, and was 97.5% African-American.
Tolleston is primarily residential, with commercial districts along 11th and 15th Avenues. The housing stock of Tolleston consists chiefly of single-family homes, which as of 2000 had a 92% occupancy rate. The neighborhood is served by the Tolleston Branch of the Gary Public Library and the Tolleston Station post office. Distinctive subdivisions within Tolleston include Tarrytown, running for ten blocks north-to-south between Clark Road and Whitcomb Street, and Small Farms at the neighborhood's southern end. Small Farms is the site of some of Gary's most expensive homes.
Tolleston was platted in 1857 by George Tolle. The Tolleston post office was established in 1860, and a Lutheran church in 1868; by 1870 the town contained approximately 80 families. The early population consisted chiefly of German immigrant farmers and railroad workers. In the late 19th century, sand mining and ice harvesting became the chief local industries. Prior to the founding of Gary in 1906, it was the principal settlement in the region, and Tolleston's Gibson Hotel was used as a base by the officials of US Steel planning the new city.
Tolleston was incorporated as an independent town on September 4, 1906, to prevent annexation by Gary. It was annexed nonetheless in 1910, as a byproduct of an annexation dispute between East Chicago
East Chicago, Indiana
East Chicago is a city in Lake County, Indiana. The population was 29,698 at the 2010 census.-Geography:East Chicago is located at ....
and Gary. As a neighborhood of Gary, it was exclusively white until the early 1960s, when legal segregation in Gary ended; it was almost entirely African-American by 1985.
Tolleston is the birthplace of astronaut Frank Borman
Frank Borman
Frank Frederick Borman, II is a retired NASA astronaut and engineer, best remembered as the Commander of Apollo 8, the first mission to fly around the Moon, making him, along with fellow crew mates Jim Lovell and Bill Anders, the first of only 24 humans to do so...
, for whom the nearby Borman Expressway
Borman Expressway
The Frank Borman Expressway is an east–west highway in the northwest part of the U.S. state of Indiana, named after astronaut and former Eastern Airlines CEO Frank Borman. The expressway consists of parts of Interstate 80 , I-94, and U.S. Highway 6 , as well as a short section of US 41...
is named.