2 weeks Ago
Thousands of visitors a year used to come to the Old Lake County Courthouse, where the Dillinger Museum in the basement told the story of the Great Depression-era bank robber, who was accused of robbing 24 banks and who the media sensationalized as a Robin Hood-type figure at a time when bankers could not be any less popular. He was imprisoned at the jail after being charged with gunning down Patrolman William Patrick O'Malley during a robbery of the First National Bank in downtown East Chicago. The museum displayed memorabilia like Dillinger's bloodied pants, a submachine gun and a photo of his lifeless face after he was gunned down outside the Biograph Theater in Chicago.
But, like Dillinger himself, the museum came to a sudden, shocking end in 2017, closing overnight. Now one of the largest antique stores in Crown Point, a city so known for its antique stores that buses full of visitors come to shop at them, plans to launch a new Dillinger Museum. Crown Antique Mall, 545 E 110th Ave.
, in Crown Point, is now displaying a collection of Dillinger memorabilia it plans to grow over time into a small Dillinger Museum as a marketing tool to bring in visitors. The collection includes Dillinger's shirt and shoes and replicas of his Tommy gun, death mask and wooden gun. It also has photos, bobbleheads, shot glasses and other paraphernalia.
More than 30 items are now on display. "It's artifacts from John Dillinger, family members and Crown Point," owner Mark Kratkoczki said. "We definitely want to share the history.
It's important. He's a pretty important figure in local history. I'm in the business of selling and preserving history.
" Kratkoczki runs the Crown Antique Mall, which consists of two side-by-side buildings spanning 26,000 square feet just a half mile from Exit 249 on Interstate 65. More than 160 vendors sell their wares there. He is a collector himself, who acquired the items that had been passed down to Shirly Vanatta, the granddaughter of Everett Dillinger, John Dillinger's uncle.
The memorabilia had been documented during a 2017 auction and has been verified by a living relative, Kratkoczki said. It's being displayed in the lounge along with a jail cell for people to pose for pictures in while "locked up." The display includes Dillinger's baby shoes and clothes, a brick from the Old Lake County Jail and a crew member badge from when the movie "Public Enemies" was filmed in Crown Point.
Listen now and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS Feed | SoundStack | All Of Our Podcasts "I've always had a passion for collection and surrounding myself with history," Kratkoczki said. "It never ends. You're always on the hunt.
You're always looking to find big treasures." It includes a bullet Dillinger fired from a Thompson submachine gun he stole during his escape from the Old Lake County Jail. "He picked it up to replace the wooden gun he used in the escape," Kratkoczki said.
"I've been working with a family member to help me authenticate the stuff. It was hidden in storage for years." It's now on display in glass cases and is not for sale.
Kratkoczki is looking to grow his collection, scouring auction sites. "I'm looking to continuously grow it as items are found," he said. "Dillinger is a historical figure with local ties.
It was a different time. He was revered almost like a folk hero. There's a whole fascination with outlaws, I guess.
It's something that happened here in Crown Point." Kratkoczki has run the Crown Antique Mall for the last six years. It was originally known as the Old Town Square Antique Mall when it was still located in downtown Crown Point, before moving closer to Interstate 65 to make way for a redevelopment project on the Old Lake County Courthouse Square.
He helped bring back Sheriff Lillian Holley's car that Dillinger stole for a homecoming event outside the Old Lake County Sheriff's House and Jail that hundreds of people turned out for. "It's been 100 years and he's still as popular as ever," Kratkoczki said. "Anything related to him seems to be popular.
" He's looking to bring back Holley's car for an upcoming car cruise on July 5. He often uses events to promote the Crown Antique Mall such as by having the wrestler Colt Cabana on April 26 and the wrestler Hacksaw Jim Duggan later this year. "We try to bring in people to see the place for the first time," Kratkoczki said.
"The Dillinger display couldn't be a better fit. It's absolutely the perfect marriage. People who are interested in the history are also going to (be) interested in the historical items we sell here.
We've got a lot of different memorabilia whether from banks or high schools, varsity letter jacket and artwork, you name it. We have a lot of Crown Point history." He plans to never sell the collection, which he will keep for public display.
"It's a very important history," Kratkoczki said. "When people leave, they take their own stories with them. We want to pass them on to generations to come.
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