A portion of the La Porte County Historical Society’s porcelain collection is housed in a two-part display that used to be a single piece of furniture!
The walnut bookcase, marked “1871” in gold numerals at the top, was made for the La Porte Library Reading Room in that year, by the employees of the La Porte Bedstead Manufacturing Co., F. W. Meissner & Company, Proprietors. This business was located at the west end of Front Street, which ran next to the main railroad tracks through town, now operated by Conrail. The ceilings in the library must have been quite lofty, as the two pieces, now displayed side by side, were originally one unit over 11 feet tall.
