Pictures of the remaining LaPorte Works buildings
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Category: Allis Chalmers
Forum Name: Farm Equipment
Forum Description: everything about Allis-Chalmers farm equipment
URL: https://www.allischalmers.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=39702
Printed Date: 17 May 2025 at 1:36pm
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Topic: Pictures of the remaining LaPorte Works buildings
Posted By: Rfdeere
Subject: Pictures of the remaining LaPorte Works buildings
Date Posted: 29 Oct 2011 at 12:11am
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I took these this past winter in LaPorte on one of my runs up there helping with the Rumely Allis Chalmers LaPorte Heritage Center and planning for the Gathering of the Orange 2014. These two buildings are referred to as the "Government Buildings" by people I have talked to in LaPorte, so I assume the M6, (M4?) and Ontos were developed within. I am trying to determine what they were used for after the Military production ceased. If Anybody has further info or corrections, It would be much appreciated.
Here are the Pics:
   I think this might have been part of the Powerhouse ? The smokestak was just beyond this building, I believe.
      ------------- Randy Freshour,Member Indiana AC Partners, http://www.rumelyallis.com" rel="nofollow - http://www.rumelyallis.com |
Replies:
Posted By: Rfdeere
Date Posted: 29 Oct 2011 at 12:22am
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When I get a chance on a future trip to LaPorte, I will get some more pictures of these and some of the surrounding area. ------------- Randy Freshour,Member Indiana AC Partners, http://www.rumelyallis.com" rel="nofollow - http://www.rumelyallis.com |
Posted By: B26240
Date Posted: 29 Oct 2011 at 7:16am
| Rf thanks for the pic's nice to get an idea of what it looks like down there. |
Posted By: Ryan Renko
Date Posted: 29 Oct 2011 at 7:36pm
| Thanks for posting. Alot of history there. Ryan |
Posted By: AllisChalmers37
Date Posted: 29 Oct 2011 at 8:06pm
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Those are great pictures. Did you paint the AC on the wall?? hahaha ------------- 1937 WC, 1950 CA, 1959 D14, 1967 190XT, 2006 Ram 3500 |
Posted By: Wes (VA)
Date Posted: 29 Oct 2011 at 11:23pm
| Is that a for-sale sign out front?? lets get to work building those orange tractors again! LOL |
Posted By: Rfdeere
Date Posted: 30 Oct 2011 at 12:12am
Nope, not me. I thought when I saw that maybe the last AC employee painted that when leaving, but I would guess just graffiti. ------------- Randy Freshour,Member Indiana AC Partners, http://www.rumelyallis.com" rel="nofollow - http://www.rumelyallis.com |
AllisChalmers37 wrote:Posted By: Rfdeere
Date Posted: 30 Oct 2011 at 12:17am
I don't remember off the top of my head but I think they lease warehouse space out, but I have heard the buildings have been for sale. Would be neat to see orange AC equipment coming out the end again ! ------------- Randy Freshour,Member Indiana AC Partners, http://www.rumelyallis.com" rel="nofollow - http://www.rumelyallis.com |
Posted By: Rfdeere
Date Posted: 30 Oct 2011 at 12:31am
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Going to add some related LaPorte pics I have to this thread.
The plaques commemorating Rumely in LaPorte (Located at the LaPorte hospital, that is built on ground that was donated by Allis Chalmers):
     The display at the LaPorte county museum:
   ------------- Randy Freshour,Member Indiana AC Partners, http://www.rumelyallis.com" rel="nofollow - http://www.rumelyallis.com |
Posted By: Rfdeere
Date Posted: 20 Nov 2011 at 9:02pm
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Got some more pictures. First pictures are taken from the noth end of the US 35 / IN 39 overpass. This is just north of the railroad tracks (which is what the overpass goes over). This would have been the south west corner of the Allis Chalmers LaPorte works:        The strip mall stores in these next pictures would be approximately were the main assembly building would have been (viewed from southeast to northeast):
       There is farm equipment still here, sadly it is not built here:
  These pictures are looking north, northwest, west, and southwest:
    The next few are from the North end of the alley between the Stripmall and west AC Goverment building:
      Then the west side, from the north to the south, of the west Goverment building:
                 South end of the west AC building:
  Looking southeast of the AC buildings:
   More of the south end of the west AC building:
   Going up the east side of the west building:
                     Looking to the north again:
    Looking down:
  North to south of the west side of the east building:
      The south end of the east building:
  That's all I could take right now. The rest is all fenced off. I will post one more picture of an overhead view of the area from Google Earth for an idea of the area :
 Thanks. ------------- Randy Freshour,Member Indiana AC Partners, http://www.rumelyallis.com" rel="nofollow - http://www.rumelyallis.com |
Posted By: Dannyhtn
Date Posted: 20 Nov 2011 at 10:17pm
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These posts bring back old memories from when I lived near LaPorte in 1969, when my Dad's company had a job there. I was in high school and worked for Charles Tonisoni that summer at the Metro Coop Egg Farm. He likely passed away many years ago but did anyone know him or the farm operation he ran? He paid me $1.25/hr to work inside the egg operation and occasionally clean the hog barns. The work was the dirtiest and smelliest I could imagine but I never knew a kid could make that big money and I worked with great guys. One teenage worker I liked was named Pete and he played football for the high school in Laporte. Its a real long shot but would anyone in that area have even a thought about Pete's full name and what became of him? |
Posted By: Rfdeere
Date Posted: 21 Nov 2011 at 4:26pm
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What year did he play football ? ------------- Randy Freshour,Member Indiana AC Partners, http://www.rumelyallis.com" rel="nofollow - http://www.rumelyallis.com |
Posted By: Dannyhtn
Date Posted: 21 Nov 2011 at 10:09pm
| He had already played at least one year by the summer of 69, and likely had two more seasons. He was a friend of the Tonisoni's and had worked at the egg farm prior to 69 as well. |
Posted By: DonDittmar
Date Posted: 28 Aug 2017 at 9:33am
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BUMP I know this is an old post but I was wondering if the person that originally posted these picture could repost them I would appreciate it ------------- Experience is a fancy name for past mistakes. "Great moments are born from great opportunity" 1968 D15D,1962 D19D Also 1965 Cub Loboy and 1958 JD 720 Diesel Pony Start |
Posted By: JC-WI
Date Posted: 28 Aug 2017 at 9:54am
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Don, you can probably contact him through members profile... ------------- He who says there is no evil has already deceived himself The truth is the truth, sugar coated or not. Trawler II says, "Remember that." |
Posted By: DonDittmar
Date Posted: 29 Aug 2017 at 8:18am
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I found them saved on an old jump drive I had lol, so never mind. Forget I even mentioned it lol FYI, I found a lot of cool stuff I had forgot about on that jump drive lol ------------- Experience is a fancy name for past mistakes. "Great moments are born from great opportunity" 1968 D15D,1962 D19D Also 1965 Cub Loboy and 1958 JD 720 Diesel Pony Start |
Posted By: im4racin
Date Posted: 29 Aug 2017 at 9:34am
| can you post the pictures for those of us that were not around 6 years ago to see them please |
Posted By: TheGleaner
Date Posted: 03 Aug 2018 at 12:23pm
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Reviving this again but: it says it closed in 83, yet my understanding is that conventional combines were made here(when I asked the dealer on why my L3 cab has a "Allis Chalmers LaPorte Works" serial tag on it.) 83 model by the way. Or was it just the cabs or something? |
Posted By: AC720Man
Date Posted: 03 Aug 2018 at 9:40pm
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Wonder how many people lost their jobs there? How many were employed in its heyday? Such a darn shame, so many great products came out of those doors ------------- 1968 B-208, 1976 720 (2 of them)Danco brush hog, single bottom plow,52" snow thrower, belly mower,rear tine tiller, rear blade, front blade, 57"sickle bar,1983 917 hydro, 1968 7hp sno-bee, 1968 190XTD |
Posted By: Shannon190XT
Date Posted: 18 Oct 2018 at 8:59am
| I went to the Tractor Show in September & talked to the Director, Paul. He said that the most employed there was 3,000 employees. |
Posted By: JimIA
Date Posted: 18 Oct 2018 at 9:48am
The tractor and combine cabs as well as combine headers were built in LaPorte. The Gleaners were built in Independence until production was moved to Hesston a few years ago. LaPorte was the home of Advance Rumely, when AC bought it the plant became home of the hay and harvesting products such as the All-Crop combines, roto balers, corn pickers, cotton pickers, manure spreaders, forage harvesters, blowers, etc. It was once known as the Harvester Capital Of The World as there were so many combines built there. Last time I was there I see they built a Buffalo Wild Wings near where the office building was. Such a shame that such innovation has been replaced with a chain restaurant that serves stale beer and microwaved food while it plays music too loud. ------------- An open eye is much more observant than an open mouth |
Posted By: DougG
Date Posted: 18 Oct 2018 at 3:15pm
| Didn't they build those buildings for plane supercharger and probably the Ontans too, but then lost the big contract for supercharger? |