The boys of Crown Point MYF with their church model. 1953
My friend Jerry sent me the above picture. It was taken in the Spring of 1953 when I was eleven years old. The picture shows the boys in our MYF (Methodist Youth Fellowship) with a model of the new church building that was then being proposed for our congregation. We built the model using blue prints the architect of the proposed building had drawn up.
In those pre-Politically Correct days, the boys and girls of MYF had different activities. The little girl to the right in the picture is the daughter of Mr. Neidigh, our advisor. The picture was taken in Mr. Neidigh’s home, where we did most of the work on the model.
Our church building at that time was next door to the Lake County Jail in Crown Point, Indiana. A wall separated the church from the jail, but prisoners on the top floor of the jail could look out of their windows and see people entering or leaving the church. Usually the prisoners just looked (we kids looked back) but the situation did give rise to funny feelings every once in a while.
The Lake County Jail was rather famous (or infamous) in that part of the country. John Dillinger, the notorious bank robber, escaped from our jail using a ‘pistol’ he carved out of wood and blackened with shoe polish. Lake County had a woman sheriff at the time of Dillinger’s escape — I’m not sure there has been another woman sheriff since!
The last time I was back in Crown Point the old jail was being remodeled into a museum. The new church building is still there, several blocks down the street from the old jail. The model was destroyed by fire several years ago.
Incidently, Mr. Neidigh is standing on the left in the picture and Jerry is in the back in the middle. I’m standing in the back between the two of them.
Senior Moments 