Lake Maxinkuckee Its Intrigue History & Genealogy Culver, Marshall, Indiana

844 East Shore Drive - Hilarity Hill



Section 22 History 1835-1922

1880 - J. S. Hale/ J. M. Muhlfield etal ?

1898 - no name listed

1905 - it is stated the club house was gone


1907 - J George Mueller built his cottage here

    1907 - Oct 17 - Jay Bartlett has the frame up for a large cottage for J. George Mueller on Hilarity Hill.

    1907 - Aug. 22 Jay Bartlett has commenced work on a $3000 eleven room cottage for J. G. Miller (Mueller) of Indianapolis to occupy a sightly location on Hilarity Hill. The plabs were drawn by Bernard Vonnegut

    1907 - Sep 19 - Contractor Barttett has the frame of J. George Mueller's cottage well under was.

    1908 - Jul 2 - Mr. and Mrs. Geo. J. Mueller family of Indianapolis arrived Friday and tool possession of their cottage on Hilarity Hill.


1922 - Lot 4 - Vonnegut & Mueller -



1927 Lot 4 - Clemens & Geo. Vonnegut & Geo. Mueller
Lot 5 1922 - 1927 - Mueller R. E. &Inv. Co./Mueller Inv. & Realty Co.---> Part of the actual site of Hilarity Club.
    Henry Schnull, had established his three daughters - Emma (m. Clemens Vonnegut ), Nannie (m. Bernard Vonnegut ), and Julia (m. George Mueller), in cottages on the East Shore which became famous for their tennis court about 1904. One of these [cottages ], called "Hilarity Hill", is where eleven little Vonnegut - Mueller - Schnull cousins grew-up.” sates Catherine Matilda (Glossbrenner) Rasmussen.

    Also prevalent are large, deciduous trees, some of which predate the resort era. Among examples are the two large oak trees on the Mueller property visible. These trees appear in an 1888 photo of the Vonnegut fishing shack which was located here prior to the Mueller Cottage.

    By 1905 the club house was gone, and J. George Mueller built his cottage there in 1907. Probably known as the Vonnegut -Mueller Cottage.






Not sure if this is the right location for this above photo of the cottage or not.

1927 - Crop from map of 1927 when they re-routed E. Shore Drive.

L. V. Bergman


1958 Lake Directory - 844 Clemens 0 Mueller - 5250 N. Meridian St., Indianapolis. Ind

1959 - Aug 26 - Letter-to-the-Editor of The Culver Citizen by Clemens 0. Mueller (J. George Mueller’s son):
    Maxinkuckee Sage of the 1890's

    Hilarity Hill
    844 East Shre Drive
    Culver, Ind>

    This is the story of our family's annual pilgrimage to Lake Macinkuckee when I was a lad

    I have been coming up here for lo these many years. It is my second home: I love the lake, the surrounding country, its people, so many of whom are my friends. In fact I like Northern Indiana. This tale I must write, and I don't believe anything of the sort has been written before.

    We checked off the days before school was out and shortly thereafter we were packed and ready to go. The bedding and household goods were sent a week before by steam frieght - the trunks were called for the day before we left and hauled down to Union Station by transfer company

    All was excitement. We slept fitfully and were up early. The train left at 7 a.m., a baggage car, smoker and family coach via The Big Four Railroad. At Colfax we debarked and waited for the Vandalia (Pennsylvania to you). If by any chance there had not been a wreck below Colfax we made fairly good connections.

    Again a three coach train speeding north through Frankfort, Bringhurst, Sedalia, Camden, Flora, Woodville, and Logansport. The magazine and candy butcher of the Union News Co. was George Nearpass, of local fame. At Logansport the train paused for ten minutes for dinner. Of course we carried our own box lunches. One important feature of the whole journey was to see who could first get a glimpse of the lake north of Delong.

    At last after four and one half hour's journey we arrived at Marmont (Culver to you). The din of passengers alighting, others entraining for Plymouth and South Bend, the friends who always met you at the station, it was noisy and colorful.

    At the station pier stoof two steamboats which met all trains. We took the Peerless, captained by Capt. Ed. Morries. Others for the west and south shore boarded Capt Oliver Crook's Aubbeenaubee. Both boats were filled with passengers. Often the first stop was at the Lakeview Hotel, next, the Palmer House, the Culver residence and then the high bluff of our row of cottages

    We were home at last; we had arrived, and a three month's vacation was at hand.

    Fond recollections indeed; the fondest of my early life.




Above: Seated: Mrs. Clemens (Emma) Vonnegut Mrs. Bernard (Nannie) Vonnegut; Standing: Mrs. George (Julia) Mueller, mn f, Aug 29, 1921 at the Bernard Vonnegut cottage on “Hilarity Hill.”

? - 1930-1937 Apr. 7 - Mueller Realty & Investment Co

1932 - Dec. 22 (citizen) - J. George Mueller, 72 years old, will known summer resident of Lake Maxinkuckee died at his home in Indianapolis of heart disease after an illness of only one week

1937- Apr. 7 - Mueller Realty & Investmet Co. to Clemons O and Zulene K. Mueller - Tr on Lake Maxinkuckee in Sec 22-31-1 W.D. $12,000

1937-61 - Clemens O. Mueller

?-1976 - Mrs Clemens O. Muller

1979- 2012, Feb - Thomas Howard & Susan Rogers Sams
    Thomas Howard "Tom" Sams started coming to Lake Maxinkuckee with his family in 1950 son of Howard Waldemar Sams .

    Thomas H. Sams is serving his third three-year term on the I-MCPL Foundation Board of Directors. He currently serves on the Finance Committee. Mr. Sams is Chairman of the Board of Benicorp Financial, Inc.; Chairman of the Board of Benicorp Insurance Company; President & Director of Waldemar Industries, Inc.; Director at Indianapolis Power & Light Company, Director at MidAmerica Capital Resources, Inc.; and Director at Meridian Insurance Group, Inc. A graduate of Park Tudor School in Indianapolis; DePauw University with a B.A. Political Science; and Indiana University Graduate School of Business. He is an active member in his community serving on the boards of the Economic Club of Indianapolis, became the Economic club's third program chairman in 1979 and served in that responsibility until 1986; Goodwill Industries of Central Indiana; Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce; Indianapolis Tennis Championships, Inc.; United Way of Central Indiana; and Wittenberg College (Ohio). married Susan Ruth Rogers They have:
      Thomas Howard Sams, Jr.,
      Timothy Rogers Sams


      2012, Feb Susan Rogers Sams

      2012, Feb-2019, Jun - Susan R. Sams & Successors


      2019,Jun-2024 - Thomas H. Sams Jr. & Timothy R. Sams

      LOT 2 HILARITY HILL Rear Lot - Dwelling with attached garage
      LOT 1 HILARITY HILL front Lot - Dewelling

      A minor subdivision of Hilarity Hill 30 Sep. 2005
        Beginning at the water's edge of Lake Maxinkuckee at the Northwest corner of the Kittle's Plat as recorded in Plat Book 2, Page 98 in the Marshall County Recorder's Office; thence South 88 degrees 47' East,on the North line of said Kittle Plat and on the North line of the Irene Bogardus subdivision extended, approximately Three hundred and ninety (390') feet to the West right-of-way line of Indiana Highway No. 117; thence Northwesterly on said right-of-way line to a point One hundred Forty-eight and seventy-five hundredths (148.74') feet due North of the of said subdivision; thence North 88 degrees 17' feet west two hundred fourteen and seven hundredths (214.07') feet; thence South 1 degree 43' West Thirty-five and seven tenths (35.7') feet; thence North 88 degree 17' West One hundred Thirty-four (134') feet, more or less, to the waters edge of Lake Maxinkuckee (said point being One hundred sixteen and two tenths (116') feet North of the North line of Kittle's Plat); thence southerly on said water's edge to place of beginning, all in Lot No. 1 of Section 22; Township 32 North, Range 1 East, Union Township, Marshall County, Indiana.