A Bend in Time

Episode 1: The Portage Twelve thousand years before Pierre Navarre built his cabin on the St. Joseph River, retreating glaciers carved a three-to-five-mile gap between two of the continent's great watersheds — and set South Bend's entire history in motion. In this episode, we trace the story of the St. Joseph-Kankakee portage from the last Ice Age through the arrival of French explorer Robert de L...

Episode 8: Revolutionaries In 1776, the United States' Founding Fathers launched a revolution. 250 years later, they're still here. They've been carved into marble and mountains. They are in your wallet. They have their own national holidays. And some of them have a street named after them in South Bend, Indiana. Learn about some famous revolutionaries' local ties, from Lafayette to Kosciuszcko, o...

Episode 7: Original People Depending on who's telling it, South Bend's story usually begins with the early fur traders coming to set up shop. But they came here because people were here, with lives, trade networks, and entire civilizations around the place that would become South Bend. Miami Street is named for the Miami people of the region, Parkovash for the bison who used to thunder across the...

Episode 6: Civil War Figures After the outbreak of war in 1861, President Lincoln issued a call for 75,000 volunteers from the loyal northern states. Proud South Benders marched off to distant battlefields and unknown futures in defense of a nation not yet a hundred years old. Soon enough they would become martyrs, heroes, leaders, and legends - and some had streets named after them. Whether it wa...

Episode 5: African American Heroes   As you walk, drive, or bike through St. Joseph County, you'll find roads named for trees, flowers, national heroes, and local figures. However, you'll be hard-pressed to find many named for African American individuals. Learn about three trailblazers who made a difference and the roads that were (re)named for them in this episode of A Bend in Time.    Part of S...

Episode 4: Original Pioneers   When you travel down Ireland Road, do you think of the green fields of Ireland? Or perhaps of the Fighting Irish? Think again! Samuel Irvin Houston Ireland was a very early Mishawaka resident and the first county assessor - our very own "Uncle Sam." Learn more about his family, along with the origins of Day Road and Navarre Street, in this episode of A Bend in Time. ...

Episode 3: University Legends   You might know the story behind Rockne Boulevard or Sorin Street, but did you know the stones in Notre Dame's Grotto paid for a family’s mortgage? Or why there are so many streets named for saints near campus? Learn about these and more in this episode of A Bend in Time!   Interested in learning more about notable Notre Dame figures? Search the University Archives c...

Episode 2: Forgotten Political Figures   Driving down Brick Road or Sample Street, one assumes their common names are references former brick pavers, or perhaps a free sample of something - and one would be wrong. Learn about the legendary political figures Samuel Sample and Abraham Lincoln Brick in this episode of A Bend in Time.    While in Congress, Samuel Sample corresponded regularly regardin...

Episode 1: Lathrop, Miner, Taylor Join us as on A Bend In Time as we travel across South Bend to find the stories behind the names of Lathrop Street, Miner Street, and Taylor Street. See photos of Lathrop Taylor and Miner Listenberger, Taylor's original post office, and even the key to his general store at The History Museum's online artifact collection!    Part of Series 6: Street Names, Volume 1...

Episode 8: Ghosts of the Gilded Age A restored Birdsell Mansion, whispers of West Washington tunnels, Tippecanoe Place’s stairway specters, Studebaker’s after-hours echoes, and a doll named Lucy who might not like strangers.   Part of Series 5: Spooky South Bend A Bend in Time is presented by The History Museum in South Bend, Indiana and hosted by Aaron Helman.  Visit The History Museum's website...

Episode 7: Shadows from the East From Bristol’s Opera House ghosts (Beth, Helen, and Percy) to Elkhart’s Old Bag Factory and Mishawaka’s original Hacienda mansion, we tour stages, shop floors, and dining rooms that refuse to sleep.   Part of Series 5: Spooky South Bend A Bend in Time is presented by The History Museum in South Bend, Indiana and hosted by Aaron Helman.  Visit The History Museum's w...

Episode 6: Grave Warnings After-hours legends from Michiana’s cemeteries: Little Egypt’s angry spirits, Primrose’s Troll Bridge, Portage Prairie’s quiet Dunkards, and South Bend City Cemetery’s bridge to nowhere, where some swear they hear water that never flowed.   Part of Series 5: Spooky South Bend A Bend in Time is presented by The History Museum in South Bend, Indiana and hosted by Aaron Helm...

Episode 5: Michigan Melonheads A beach party near Saugatuck goes dark: every light, every phone, every battery, just as a small, pale figure steps from the dunes. We chase Michigan legends: the buried town of Singapore, haunted shipwrecks off St. Joseph, and Allegan County’s infamous Melon Heads.   Part of Series 5: Spooky South Bend A Bend in Time is presented by The History Museum in South Bend,...

Episode 4: Primrose Road After dark, Primrose Road turns from a sleepy backroad into South Bend’s most storied haunt—tires that mysteriously deflate, engines that die, ritual rumors in the woods, and the ever-watchful lady in white.   Part of Series 5: Spooky South Bend A Bend in Time is presented by The History Museum in South Bend, Indiana and hosted by Aaron Helman.  Visit The History Museum's...

Episode 3: Hauntings on Campus A midnight walk across Notre Dame and St. Mary’s uncovers campus legends: Father Sorin’s lingering presence, the Gipper at Washington Hall, Potawatomi warriors at Columba Hall, and the faceless nun of Le Mans. Eerie history meets enduring hauntings.   Part of Series 5: Spooky South Bend A Bend in Time is presented by The History Museum in South Bend, Indiana and host...

Episode 2: Giants of Walkerton In 1925, a Walkerton farmer uncovered giant skeletons clad in copper armor. The bones vanished, but the legend never did. This is the mystery of Walkerton’s lost giants.   Part of Series 5: Spooky South Bend A Bend in Time is presented by The History Museum in South Bend, Indiana and hosted by Aaron Helman.  Visit The History Museum's website at historymuseumsb.org

Episode 1: Potawatomi Legacy A chilling night beneath South Bend’s Darden Bridge sets the stage for legends of the Wendigo, the mysterious Sheggwe, and the tragic tale of Pau-Koo-Shuk. Ghosts, myths, and history converge on the banks of the St. Joseph River.   Part of Series 5: Spooky South Bend A Bend in Time is presented by The History Museum in South Bend, Indiana and hosted by Aaron Helman.  V...

Episode 8: Legacy On a -30° morning in Mankato, Minnesota, Schuyler Colfax took his final steps. This episode begins with his sudden death at a snowy train station and ends with the legacy he left behind. Was Colfax ruined by scandal or simply ready to go home? Did he miss his shot at the presidency, or choose the life he truly wanted in South Bend? We trace his post-political life, his final days...

Episode 7: Private Life Schuyler Colfax was ready to retire — until the country called him back. This episode explores his reluctant reentry into politics, the bruising 1872 campaign, and the Credit Mobilier scandal that clouded his exit. But Colfax wasn’t done. From business ventures in South Bend to becoming one of America’s most beloved public speakers, he found a second act on the lecture stag...

Episode 6: Vice President In 1868, Schuyler Colfax wins the girl and the nation — marrying Ellen Wade and being elected Vice President alongside Ulysses S. Grant. This episode traces Colfax’s dramatic rise to national office, his unconventional partnership with Grant, and the surprising decision that stunned Washington: his early retirement from politics. But was it really goodbye? Or just the cal...

Episode 1: Origin Story   Before he became the 17th Vice President of the United States, Schuyler Colfax was a child of tragedy, born to a widowed teenager in a modest brick house in New York City. In this debut episode, we trace Colfax’s early life — from Revolutionary War ancestry and formative years in New York to his coming-of-age in frontier Indiana. Discover how a self-educated teenager in N...

Episode 2: Newspaper Man As a young newspaper editor, Schuyler Colfax made South Bend his home—and his launching pad. In this episode, we explore Colfax’s rise from local publisher to national political voice, his unwavering moral compass, and the moment the Kansas-Nebraska Act ignited his first run for Congress. A party was collapsing. A new one was forming. And Colfax was ready to lead.   Part o...

Episode 3: A Brewing Conflict As the Whig Party collapses and the nation fractures over slavery, Schuyler Colfax steps into the chaos of Congress. From a House locked in gridlock to a fiery speech that propels him into the national spotlight, Colfax becomes a rising star in a country teetering on the brink. This episode traces his early years in Washington, his role in the Kansas crisis, and his f...

Episode 4: Speaker of the House As the Civil War erupts, Schuyler Colfax rises to national power — missing a cabinet seat but gaining the gavel. From his leadership in wartime Congress to the proposals of the 13th and 14th Amendments, Colfax helps reshape the nation in its most turbulent hour. This episode chronicles his years as Speaker of the House: the battles with Andrew Johnson, the impeachme...

Episode 5: Across the Continent In 1865, freshly widowed and free of congressional duties, Speaker Schuyler Colfax hits the trail on America’s first great political road trip. From dusty stagecoach roads and Rocky-Mountain mining camps to a cautious handshake with Brigham Young in Salt Lake City, Colfax sells a war-weary nation on a new idea: the West can mend the Union and power its future. Follo...