*The stagecoach was welcomed on delivery by Hebron Park Board members Don Ensign, Linda Brebner, and Cindy Ollom.*

The stagecoach was a familiar mode of transportation in the 1800s. On April 8, 2026, after a long absence, a stagecoach once again pulled up in front of Hebron’s historic Stagecoach Inn. Porter County Museum (PoCo Muse) donated the vintage vehicle to the Hebron Parks and Recreation for eventual display at the Stagecoach Inn/Panhandle Depot historical complex in the town’s center. The Inn was a regular stop on Midwest regional coach lines during the last half of the nineteenth century.

“We are delighted to share this artifact with our partners in Hebron,” said PoCo Muse Executive Director Kevin Matthew Pazour. “We’ve been in possession of this wonderful piece since the 1950s, but we lacked sufficient exhibit space to put it on display. The stagecoach was gifted to the Porter County Historical Society by Wild West showman Broncho John Sullivan, who spent his retirement years in Valparaiso. It makes so much sense to pair the stagecoach with a place where vehicles of this type once made calls more than a century ago.”

“We’re really excited to receive this great donation,” said Linda Brebner, President of the Hebron Park Board. “When the coach was delivered, It felt like Christmas morning. We’re very grateful to Porter County Museum and Executive Director Kevin Pazour for making it happen. We can hardly wait to show the stagecoach off to the residents of Hebron, many of whom are unaware of the historic importance of the stagecoach line for our town. The stagecoach will be introduced to the public at the Hebron Chamber of Commerce block party on June 6, and at the town’s Fourth of July parade.”

“We’re thrilled to receive this gift. It’s only fitting that a stagecoach has finally come back to Hebron,” added Don Ensign, Chair of the Board of Directors of Indiana Dunes Tourism and a Hebron Park Board Member. “It will be a wonderful attraction for students, residents, and visitors. The coach will be in storage until we prepare a permanent site for its display, but we will be making it available to various civic events in the meantime. It will add to our focus on history this year as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding.”

In collaboration with the PoCo Muse, the Stagecoach Inn and Panhandle Depot, 127 N. Main Street, Hebron, IN, are open to the public every Saturday from 10 am to 2 pm. Entry is free of charge. For more information, visit www.pocomuse.org.