Stay ConnectedThe History Museum proudly presents “A Bend in Time,” a new podcast of curated histories of the greater South Bend, Indiana area.
Hosted by Aaron Helman, the premiere series, “Dawn of the City of South Bend,” includes eight episodes exploring South Bend’s first 25 years after its incorporation, through the lens of its first eight mayors.
Visit https://www.historymuseumsb.org/see-do/a-bend-in-time/ for more information!
Copyright: © Copyright 2024 All rights reserved.
William Greenawalt George was Mayor of South Bend from 1865 – 1868. He saw the city through its incorporation and presided over its first City Council meetings. He oversaw the city’s first efforts to pave roads and sidewalks, wooed railroad investment, and led the controversial effort to annex the nearby village of Lowell.
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05:20 What does it mean to incorporate a community?
08:53 A brief biography of Mayor George
12:53 Sidewalk building becomes a political disaster
19:20 A malaria panic in South Bend!
21:53 The first South Bend Farmer’s Market
23:23 South Bend annexes Lowell… controversially
25:34 George declares war on unmuzzled dogs
27:38 Dirty politics drives the work of the City Council to a halt
29:58 Mayor George decides not to run for a third term
33:02 Mayor George’s legacy and death
A Bend in Time is presented by The History Museum in South Bend, Indiana and hosted by Aaron Helman.
Louis Humphreys was Mayor of South Bend from 1868 – 1872, a time that lined up almost perfectly with Schuyler Colfax’s vice presidency. It was an unprecedented time of Good Feelings, business development, and governmental cooperation. For most of his term, Humphreys’ actions rarely made big news… and that’s exactly the way he would have wanted it.
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02:52 A brief biography of Dr. Louis Humphreys
05:55 Major long-term business investment comes to South Bend
08:36 Mayor Humphreys leads the charge for Grant & Colfax
09:24 Clement Studebaker begins to step into local politics
09:54 Grant & Colfax win the White House
12:26 African Americans establish a presence in South Bend
18:04 South Bend responds to the Great Chicago Fire
21:07 Mayor Humphreys’ legacy and death
A Bend in Time is presented by The History Museum in South Bend, Indiana and hosted by Aaron Helman.
William Miller was Mayor of South Bend from 1872-1876, inheriting a city on a high note that was about to come to an unexpected end. Miller had endured plenty of tragedy during his early life and would see plenty more during his four years in the mayor’s office. He’d oversee the city’s effort to build a modern water works and help deliver the wildest political circus the young city had ever seen.
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02:32 A brief biography of William Miller
06:39 Death of South Bend’s founder, Alexis Coquillard
08:30 There are TWO William Millers?
11:16 A pair of major fires visit South Bend
13:24 Water Works debate turns contentious
16:40 Political parties dissolve ahead of the 1873 Council election
17:46 John Studebaker and Schuyler Colfax lose a bet on Christmas!
21:18 Mayor Miller departs from the Republican party amid controversy
24:59 Mayor Miller’s legacy and death
A Bend in Time is presented by The History Museum in South Bend, Indiana and hosted by Aaron Helman.
Alexander Napier Thomas was Mayor of South Bend from 1876-1878, during the years it was most affected by the nation’s Long Depression. He was a proud member of the Temperance Society, an in-demand Sunday School teacher, and a pioneer at heart, leaving South Bend to build a new life in Nebraska even before his term in the mayor’s office was up.
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03:27 A brief biography of Alexander Thomas
09:51 South Bend is hit by the Long Depression
12:37 Mayor Thomas organizes religious relief societies
14:37 South Benders begin a fascination with the west
18:42 Mayor Thomas visits Nebraska
20:33 South Bend’s railroads survive the economic downturn
22:58 Mayor Thomas throws a party marking the end of an era
25:07 Controversy surrounding the renaming of Thomas Street
27:34 Mayor Thomas’s legacy and death
A Bend in Time is presented by The History Museum in South Bend, Indiana and hosted by Aaron Helman.
Tong was Mayor of South Bend from 1878-1880, the first of its leaders to come with a degree from the University of Notre Dame. During his term, Tong oversaw maintenance on a city whose original infrastructure was turning 15 years old, acquired the land that would be come Howard Park, and watched over one of the worst fires in the city’s history. He also wrote some pretty awful poetry.
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05:03 A brief biography of Lucius Tong
07:30 Lucius Tong writes awful poetry
11:07 The ethnic landscape of South Bend begins to change
12:47 The contentious election of 1878
19:40 Christmas Eve fire rocks South Bend
23:10 City acquires the land that would become Howard Park
25:11 President Rutherford B. Hayes visits South Bend
26:38 The shocking, earth-shattering election of 1880
30:36 Mayor Tong’s legacy and death
A Bend in Time is presented by The History Museum in South Bend, Indiana and hosted by Aaron Helman.
Dr. Levi Ham was Mayor of South Bend from 1880-1884, 74 years old by the time he took office, and 78 by the time he left. Ham inherited a city that was financially kneecapped and one that was changing in the face of European immigration. He helped deliver Democrats to power, even as the party and its members were touched by controversy.
Looking for something in particular?
01:24 The roots of Polish immigration to South Bend
05:23 Biography of Dr. Levi Ham
10:56 Understanding the shocking election of 1880
18:44 Death of Dr. Louis Humphreys, South Bend’s second mayor
20:15 Controversial charges of electioneering against Ham and the Democrats
22:56 Controversy with local police officer working sneakily for Democratic party
25:08 A burglar steals the mayor’s teeth!
27:36 Massive impropriety found with City Treasurer Clint Rush
33:50 Mayor Ham attends westside ethnic celebrations
35:36 Mayor Ham’s legacy and death
A Bend in Time is presented by The History Museum in South Bend, Indiana and hosted by Aaron Helman.
George Loughman was Mayor of South Bend from 1884-1888, and while he was mayor, he was also freight agent with the railroad, foreman of a fire station, President of the South Bend Building and Loan, and an insurance dealer. His tenure watched over the professionalization of city’s police and firefighters, a historic visit from Presidential candidate James Blaine, a violent strike that almost drove Oliver from the city, and the death of Schuyler Colfax.
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00:35 Racist affronts and attacks toward South Bend’s only Chinese citizen
04:06 Brief biography of George Loughman
08:37 City cuts funding to firefighters in 1883
11:14 Political upset in the 1884 election
14:15 Presidential candidate James Blaine visits South Bend!
18:27 Strike at the Oliver Factory turns violent
20:43 Death of Schuyler Colfax
23:04 Mayor Loughman scrambles to keep the Oliver business in South Bend
26:13 City’s first streetcar system opens!
29:18 Construction begins on Tippecanoe Place
31:28 Oil derricks go up amidst South Bend’s gas craze
32:20 Mayor Loughman’s legacy and death
A Bend in Time is presented by The History Museum in South Bend, Indiana and hosted by Aaron Helman.
William Longley was Mayor of South Bend from 1888-1892, and if he would have had his own way, he would have never been mayor at all. The reluctant city leader won a reluctant campaign that left him overseeing a growing city with growing industry. He also was left to administrate a soap opera involving the establishment of city parks, high profile fires, and the largest and most prestigious international delegation that had ever come to South Bend.
Looking for something in particular?
05:27 Brief biography of William Longley
12:57 Longley elected as Mayor against his will
20:00 City Council drama with the South Bend Railway
22:12 President Benjamin Harrison wears underwear made in South Bend!
23:50 The city decides on brick roads
25:54 The city receives to controversial land donations for city parks
30:42 The Pan-American Congress visits South Bend
34:42 Accusations of political dishonesty derail the Oliver Hotel
35:34 Singer threatens to leave South Bend
36:33 The annexation of Myler
37:27 Mayor Longley’s legacy and death
A Bend in Time is presented by The History Museum in South Bend, Indiana and hosted by Aaron Helman.
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