https://digitalresearch.bsu.edu/digitalcivilrightsmuseum/files/original/a1c8b35156d8c668e634f6c104ad3f08.jpg 0b1b30008fa594b4eb1ec194e91b0b31 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Places Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Miller Beach Description An account of the resource Nestled between a steel plant and the Indiana Dunes National Park, Miller Beach is a community on the easternmost side of Gary with a reputation of progressive attitudes. Fine sunsets and beautiful wilderness sanctuaries paint Miller Beach as a resplendent recreational getaway for anybody looking to escape the crowded and busy streets of Chicago. Miller Beach was not always a destination that welcomed everyone, however. Miller Beach began as a sundown town, where African Americans spent time as daytime workers and household servants but were expected to be out of town by dark [1]. In its infancy, Miller Beach had a long way to go before it encapsulated the progressive ideals for which it is known today. Miller Beach began as the small town of Miller Station in 1865. Although a mere train stop in its beginning, it soon became a settlement for steel workers. In 1919 the town was annexed by Gary and became Miller Beach or, as it is often referred, Miller. Annexation was against the wishes of many who wanted to keep their clandestine beaches unspoiled. Quickly encroaching on the solitude of the community, people flocked to Miller on streetcars that connected downtown Gary to Lake Street in Miller Beach [2]. Miller rapidly became a hotspot for wealthy white Chicagoans to build summer cottages or luxurious landmark homes so they could spend their summers enjoying the dunes and lagoons of Lake Michigan. During this early period, the people of Miller Beach did not allow African Americans to live in the community [3]. War production of steel brought an era of economic prosperity in Gary. A labor shortage and company recruitment inspired a large number of black workers to move up from the south to find jobs. Barred from Miller Beach, they were forced to live in the Midtown neighborhood, overcrowding soon pushed African Americans to buy property in other neighborhoods. White residents in these nearby neighborhoods quickly became uncomfortable at the thought of integration and moved to Miller, where African Americans were not allowed to visit the beaches or bathe in the waters of the lake [4]. The racist attitudes of the affluent white people did not sit well with some of Miller’s residents. In 1949, black and white Gary citizens banded together to march to the beaches of Miller. They planned to have the African Americans among them step into the waters of Lake Michigan in an act of defiance against racist attitudes. A white mob met the group at Marquette Park, armed with clubs and pipes. Only three black residents reached the water. Racist and violent incidents like this continued for years after the Gary residents marched for integration in Miller Beach [5]. The bleak reality of Miller’s racist reputation was not to last, however. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 pushed small communities like Miller Beach to address their overtly racist practices. In that same year, television writer Stanley Greenberg sold a Miller Beach house to a black family. It was an unprecedented decision that brought Miller closer to integration, but caused violent threats against Greenberg. A few years later, Richard Hatcher became the first African American mayor of Gary. He was a pro-civil-rights and antipollution activist [6]. White flight rapidly followed Hatcher’s election. Entire Gary neighborhoods were put up for sale as white residents with uncompromising attitudes about integration left the area [7]. In 1971, the residents of Miller Beach decided to act on the unrest in their community. The Miller Citizens Corporation, or MCC, was created by a group of primarily white, liberal residents who sought to bring stability to Miller Beach. The corporation’s goals were to welcome black families into the community and discourage the panic selling by white citizens that had afflicted the community since Hatcher’s election. They also set up a hotline to oust harmful, false rumors [8]. Davetta M. Haywood, a woman whose family moved to Gary during the Second Great Migration from the South, joined the MCC after moving to Miller as an adult. Describing the work of the group, she said “we wanted to work with our neighbors instead of pushing them away" [9]. The combined effort quelled white anxiety and led to racial stability in the area. By the end of the 1980s, Miller Beach was about 68% black, making a primarily black neighborhood out of a space that had been a prejudiced, exclusive white community only a couple decades earlier [10]. Today, Miller Beach is a bustling beach town that offers an abundance of diverse activities to residents and visitors. The community retains eco-friendly practices to preserve the Indiana Dunes while hosting a multitude of restaurants, breweries, and small businesses. The arts are alive at the Miller Beach Arts and Creative District, where music events, artist talks, and gallery showings offer a unique experience [11]. In 2016, the Arts and Creative District hosted an exhibit at the Marshall J. Gardner Center for the Arts. Vanguards: Moving “Out Here” to Miller was an exhibit showcasing “black perspectives on joining the Miller community in the ‘60s and ‘70s" [12]. The exhibit gave voices to the African Americans whose efforts changed Miller Beach from an exclusive, segregated beach spot to the integrated community known for its progressive ideals. Due to the perseverance of African Americans against prejudice and blatant racist attitudes, Miller’s fine sunsets and beaches can now be enjoyed by anyone who wishes to dip their toes into the tranquil waters of Lake Michigan. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived [1] Matthew A. Werner, “Miller Station to Miller Beach & Everything in Between,” DigTheDunes, February 2, 2018, https://digthedunes.com/miller-station-miller-beach-everything/. [2] Ibid. [3] Grant Pick, “Now Comes Miller’s Time: An Island of Integration and Natural Beauty in Gary, Indiana,” Chicago Reader, June 29, 1989, https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/now-comes-millers-time-an-island-of-integration-and-natural-beauty-in-gary-indiana/Content?oid=874093. [4] Matthew A. Werner, “Miller Station to Miller Beach & Everything in Between.” [5] Grant Pick, “Now Comes Miller’s Time: An Island of Integration and Natural Beauty in Gary, Indiana.” [6] Ibid. [7] Matthew A. Werner, “Miller Station to Miller Beach & Everything in Between.” [8] James B. Lane, “Moving to Miller,” Northwest Indiana Historian James B Lane, Blogspot, April 28, 2016, http://northwestindianahistorianjamesblane.blogspot.com/2016/04/moving-to-miller.html. [9] Ibid. [10] Grant Pick, “Now Comes Miller’s Time: An Island of Integration and Natural Beauty in Gary, Indiana.” [11] “Visit Miller Beach.” South Shore Indiana, South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority, January 25, 2021, https://www.southshorecva.com/listing/visit-miller-beach/2997/. [12] Bob Kostanczuk, “Nina Simone Doc Highlights Miller Beach Exhibit on Gary’s Past,” Chicago Tribune, February 16, 2016, https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/ct-ptb-nina-simone-gary-st-0219-20160216-story.html. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Student Author: Gwyneth Harris Faculty/Staff Editors: Dr. Ronald V. Morris, Dr. Kevin C. Nolan, and Christine Thompson Graduate Assistant Researchers: Carrie Vachon and JB Bilbrey Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource PHOTO & VIDEO: Miller Beach Sign, attributed to Visviva, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/Miller_Beach_Sign.jpg 1800s 1900-40s 1950s-present Civil Rights Movement Entertainment Gary Integration Lake County Segregation