If you're looking for a magnificent historic site that showcases an elegant, 38-room Victorian mansion, a charming cottage reflecting the 1930s, a gallery that chronicles local history, a gallery of Notre Dame history, a children's museum plus compelling exhibitions, that place is the Center for History.
To purchase a membership online through the Museum Store (this link connects you with the Studebaker National Museum website) click here
See WHAT’S NEW at the Center for History:
It’s Night at the Museums!
Enjoy evening hours at the Center for History and Studebaker National Museum on the third Thursday of each summer month. All exhibits are open and tours of Copshaholm will be available. more...
New Hours for Kidsfirst Kidsfirst Children’s Museum is open to the public 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Tuesdays and Thursdays are reserved for pre-K through grade 3 school groups, whose visits must be scheduled by calling 574-235-9664, ext. 239.
Art & Earth Trail
The Oliver Mansion, Copshaholm, has been selected an official participant in the "Art & Earth Trail," recently launched by Northern Indiana Tourism Development Commission (NITDC). The "Art & Earth Trail" promotes areas of interest throughout northern Indiana that relate to art (like art galleries or artist studios) and earth (like Copshaholm, which was home to J.D. Oliver who manufactured the Oliver plow). Tours of Copshaholm take place at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., Monday-Saturday, and 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. on Sundays. For more information, click here: www.artandearthtrail.com
Blue Star Museums Starting Monday, May 28, 2010, (Memorial Day) and continuing through Monday, September 6, 2010, (Labor Day), the Center for History is joining with over 600 other museums across the country through the Blue Star Museums program to offer free admission to all U.S. military personnel and their families. A military ID is required. The complete list of participating museums is available at www.arts.govmore...
Sam’s Club in Mishawaka Grant
Sam’s Club in Mishawaka has awarded the Center for History a grant for interpretive materials associated with the Center for History’s newly-renovated Kidsfirst Children’s Museum. more...
Rickey Online Exhibit Launched The Center for History has launched an online exhibit, The South Bend that George Rickey Knew, in conjuntion with INNOVATION: George Rickey Kinetic Sculpture, a partnership of the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County, Notre Dame's Snite Museum of Art, South Bend Museum of Art, 1st Source Bank, and the George Rickey Foundation and the estate of George Rickey. more...
Follow us on Facebook
You can now follow the Center for History on Facebook. We hope you become a fan of our Facebook page!
Would you like teaching young minds about our community’s pioneer history?The Center for History is accepting applications for those who wish to serve in a volunteer capacity as interpreters in its Kidsfirst Children’s Museum. Training classes will take place weekly for three weeks from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. starting Wednesday, March 17 more...
Leighton Award Presented to Center for History
The Community Foundation of St. Joseph County presented the Center for History with one of two Leighton Special Recognition Awards for "its creative, engaging programming and its resourceful celebration of our community’s cultural diversity."more...
Klockow Foundation Awards Grant
The Harvey R. and Doris Klockow Foundation has awarded the Center for History a grant for $3,900 for purchase of equipment to digitize the museum’s collections. more...
IMLS Connecting to Collections Bookshelf
Treasured objects and artifacts in the Center for History’s collections will be preserved for future generations with help from the IMLS Connecting to Collections Bookshelf, a core set of conservation books and online resources donated by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). more...
Center for History Receives Grant
ArtsEverywhere-The Community Foundation of St. Joseph County has awarded the Center for History an ArtsEverywhere grant for the Lincoln Lecture Series, Lincoln Theatre, and Lincoln Film Series, which feature programs related to Lincoln: The Man You Didn’t Know, an exhibit presented by The Museums at Washington and Chapin. more...
Carroll Trust Awards Grant
The Florence V. Carroll Charitable Trust has awarded the Center for History a $25,000 grant for repairs to Copshaholm’s billiard room. more...
Read the Complete Membership Newsletter Articles
Click the icon at the left for extended versions of recent articles in the Center for History’s membership newsletter.
West Washington Street Walking Tour
A downloadable brochure and mp3 podcast of a walking tour of the beautiful and historic West Washington Street is now available here. This National Register District showcases an exemplary and eclectic blend of architectural styles and structure. The brochure and pod cast has been produced by the Historic Preservation Commission of South Bend and St. Joseph County in cooperation with Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana.
Hispanic Heritage Initiative Launched
The Center for History has launched a new initiative to tell the story of
the local Hispanic community. The exhibit is sponsored byCommunityWide Federal Credit Union. more...
www.shopformuseums.com
Did you know you can turn your online shopping into a donation to the Center for History? By going to www.shopformuseums.com, your purchases are converted into a donation to the Center for History. You first need to register (using your email address) and then select the Center for History as your museum partner. Once you have done that and are logged in, you can shop by using the category and store links (you must shop through these links for your purchases to be converted to donations). As you shop, the museum will receive a percentage of your total purchase amount. This amount comes from the retailers themselves and doesn't cost you anything. Many retailers, including Ebay, participate.
Spanish Tours of Copshaholm
The Center for History has launched a new program, Mansion de Oliver, in which tours of Copshaholm will be available in Spanish, by appointment. Individuals or groups who wish to schedule a Spanish tour may contact the Center for History at 235-9664. Standard admission rates apply, $8/adults, $6.50/seniors 60+, $5/youth 6-17, and $$6.50/groups of 20+.
The Museums at Washington and Chapin
The Museums at Washington and Chapin - It’s easy to do the math at the Center for History and Studebaker National Museum: one fabulous museum (Center for History) + one fabulous museum (Studebaker National Museum) = one outstanding museum campus (The Museums at Washington and Chapin). With the October 28 move of Studebaker National Museum to a new facility adjoining the Center for History, visitors can enter one front door, buy one ticket and can visit two museums. Click here to learn more about the Studebaker National Museum, now adjacent to the Center for History.
It’s Night at the Museums!
New Hours for Kidsfirst
interest throughout northern Indiana that relate to art (like art galleries or artist studios) and earth (like Copshaholm, which was home to J.D. Oliver who manufactured the Oliver plow). Tours of Copshaholm take place at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., Monday-Saturday, and 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. on Sundays. For more information, click here: www.artandearthtrail.com
Blue Star Museums
Rickey Online Exhibit Launched 
Would you like teaching young minds about our community’s pioneer history?The Center for History is accepting applications for those who wish to serve in a volunteer capacity as interpreters in its Kidsfirst Children’s Museum. Training classes will take place weekly for three weeks from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. starting Wednesday, March 17 more...
The Museums at Washington and Chapin - It’s easy to do the math at the Center for History and Studebaker National Museum: one fabulous museum (Center for History) + one fabulous museum (Studebaker National Museum) = one outstanding museum campus (The Museums at Washington and Chapin). With the October 28 move of Studebaker National Museum to a new facility adjoining the Center for History, visitors can enter one front door, buy one ticket and can visit two museums. Click here to learn more about the Studebaker National Museum, now adjacent to the Center for History. 