Blog Archives
The West Race - Birdsell These factories once lined the St. Joseph River, on the West Race of the river. Oliver plows got their start in 1855 in a brick building. Birdsell clover hullers, invented by John C. Birdsell, were manufactured in a building starting in 1864. Singer Sewing [...]
posted on Wednesday, September 16th, 2020
by tdchilds
Posted in Uncategorized
Adele Studebaker This picture of Adelle Studebaker was taken in 1924 in the waters of a Florida beach. Second from the right, Adelle born in 1874 in South Bend, the oldest child of Henry Studebaker, one of the five brothers who founded the Studebaker Corporation. Donated by Henry Chillas [...]
posted on Monday, September 14th, 2020
by tdchilds
Posted in Uncategorized
Bendix Sit-down Strike On the morning of November 17, 1936, several employees at the Bendix Product Corporation plant in South Bend sat down at their machines, attempting to gain bargaining power for a union. Despite being ordered to evacuate the plant, more than a thousand people refused to leave. [...]
posted on Monday, August 31st, 2020
by tdchilds
Posted in Uncategorized
Amelia Earhart In 1936, Amelia Earhart, one of the most famous of all aviators, landed her Lockheed Electra at Bendix Field in South Bend. Only a few months later, Earhart disappeared while flying over the Pacific Ocean during her ill-fated attempt to fly around the world. Standing next to [...]
posted on Monday, August 31st, 2020
by tdchilds
Posted in Uncategorized
Thanksgiving Day Parade Perhaps following in the tradition of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, first held in New York City in 1924, South Bend had its own gathering of bands and floats—this one is 1969--to celebrate the November holiday. The marching band from Donaldson’s Ancilla Domini High School was one [...]
posted on Tuesday, August 25th, 2020
by tdchilds
Posted in Uncategorized
Potawatomi Park Pool You can almost hear the splashes of kids jumping into the water in this circa 1960 picture postcard of the pool at Potawatomi Park. Families could (and still can!) enjoy a few hours in the water, then visit the animals at the nearby Potawatomi Zoo, which [...]
posted on Tuesday, August 25th, 2020
by tdchilds
Posted in Uncategorized
Hering House Halloween Party Shown in this picture are children who gathered at Hering House on October 31, 1957, dressed in their favorite trick-or-treat costumes. Hering House, located at 726 W. Western Avenue in South Bend, was a civic center donated to the African American community by Clarabel and [...]
posted on Tuesday, August 25th, 2020
by tdchilds
Posted in Uncategorized
Mary Ann Club With their pearls, smart frocks, and carefully coiffed hair, the six women in this 1951 photograph exemplify fashion trends of their day. Members of the Mary Ann Club, a social group for Studebaker’s female employees, the women (l. to r.) are Clara Sicley, Shirley Armour, Virginia [...]
posted on Tuesday, August 25th, 2020
by tdchilds
Posted in Uncategorized
Ringling Bros Circus Parade In this circa 1910 photograph, elephants from the Ringling Brothers Circus are walking down Michigan Street in downtown South Bend. Ringling Brothers Circus was founded in 1884 by Albert, August, Otto, Alfred, Charles, John and Henry Ringling, sons of German immigrants. Their circus became successful [...]
posted on Tuesday, August 25th, 2020
by tdchilds
Posted in Uncategorized
William Jennings Bryan This 1896 photograph of William Jennings Bryan (shown seated on the far left side of the seat facing forward) was snapped when he came through the South Bend area during his first of three—all unsuccessful—runs for president. The Democratic candidate was defeated by William McKinley in [...]
posted on Tuesday, August 25th, 2020
by tdchilds
Posted in Uncategorized
