History:

In 1836 our first commissioners were appointed and asked to locate a site for the county seat. The town of Portersville was quickly divided and platted and the town grew. It was considered the appropriate name for the county seat, because the county was named in honor of Commodore David Porter of the U.S. Navy. During the Battle of Valparaiso (Chile), Captain David Porter, aboard the U.S. Frigate Essex, suffered defeat at the hands of two British warships within the neutral waters of Valparaiso Harbor. Although a defeat for the Americans, the battle contributed to a victorious end for the United States in the War of 1812. 

H.M. Skinner, an early historian, tells of a group of old sailors who stopped at Hall's Saloon and passed the evening by telling nautical tales. One tale was of a South American seaport where Porter fought his famous battle aboard the Essex. The story must have captured the imagination and admiration of local residents, for in 1837, the town was renamed "Valparaiso," which means "Vale of Paradise," and a township was called Essex. 

It is believed that there is no other Porter County in the United States. There are several known Valparaisos in the world in places such as Columbia, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Florida, Nebraska, and Indiana.