Roselawn, Indiana - Back in Time ==== A Glance at History

JON L. HENDRICKS | THE TIMES | The Agro Key grain silos in Newton County. Roselawn is the second largest municipality in the county.

Did you know? An Austrian lawyer introduced nudist resorts to Roselawn. He modeled them after "Sunshine Clubs," which were popular in Europe. Residents Median resident age: 34.3 years Median household income: $48,625 Median house value: $108,500 Population 2000 Census: 3,933 Males: 1,979 (50.3%) Females: 1,954 (49.7%) race White: 95.3% Hispanic: 3.3% Two or more races: 1% Other race: 1%

In October 1994, American Eagle Flight 4184 crashed due to icing in a soybean field near Roselawn killing all 68 people aboard.

Roselawn is also home to two nudist resorts: Sun Aura and Ponderosa Sun Club. Thousands of people attend the annual Nudes-A-Poppin, an outdoor nude beauty pageant.

"They are very good business people," said Jennifer Whaley, director of Newton County Economic and Community Development. "They bring a positive economic impact to the county."

All giggles aside, according to Gerald Born, a local resident and historian who's writing a book about the area, the nudist resort was founded as a health club by Austrian lawyer Alois Knapp. Born said Knapp published one of the first nudist magazines in the country, Sunshine and Health.

"'Sunshine clubs' were popular in Europe," Born said. "Knapp felt being out in the sun was a way to get good health."

As if this history weren't colorful enough, many people would be surprised that at one time, Roselawn had five saloons.

"That's what the hunting crowd liked to do," Born said.

According to Born, Roselawn, because it's so close to the Kankakee River, was a "river town" and a hunter's paradise. When Congress passed the Swamplands Act of 1850, tracts of land opened for sale and were purchased by absentee owners. The act spurred the proliferation of area hunting clubs, where groups of Chicago businessmen built clubhouses and brought their families for weekend getaways.

"The Diana Hunt Club is still standing," said Born, "although now it is a private residence."

When the railroads were built across the country in the mid-1800s, Born's grandfather came to the area and took a job as a station agent. He sent telegraphs and wrote bills of laden for cattle, onions and other produce.

According to Born, Roselawn was named for two of the town's platter - Lawn Kellar and a second man with the last name of Rose - around 1882. Born said a fire destroyed downtown Roselawn in 1915.

Today, Whaley said that Roselawn is a great place to live if you want to get away from it all.

"We're growing," she said. "There's a movement out of Lake County for people who want a more rural, country living with lower taxes."

Whaley said that although Roselawn is home to several smaller employers, such as Morgin's True Value Hardware, IGA, and DeMotte State Bank, the nearest major employer is Fair Oaks Farm, a "mega-dairy" in nearby Fair Oaks.

"Their state-of-the-art visitors center teaches residents about the dairy process," said Whaley.

Visitors to Fair Oaks can watch cheese and ice cream being made and are entertained with videos, interactive displays and life-size models of cows.