Museum to show documentary on Elkhart’s Benham West Neighborhood

ELKHART COUNTY, Ind. - The Elkhart County Historical Museum will be hosting a showing of the documentary What Happened at Benham West on Thursday, October 26.

The screening is at 7:00 p.m. and there's no cost to attend. It's open to the public.

After the showing, there will be a discussion session with Jamie Pitts and Nekeisha Alayna Alexis of the Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, who serve as creative directors of the Benham West project.

Organizers describe the documentary as follows: What Happened at Benham West: African American Stories of Community, Displacement and Hope is a film that examines the history of African American neighborhood that formed in Elkhart during the 1920s.

From the establishment of the community, the area was forcibly segregated as African Americans came to Elkhart to work on the railroads.

The area grew into a thriving community for black families and businesses over the decades.

Under the guise of urban renewal, the community was cleared in the 1970s and today, very little has been rebuilt or renewed.

The film gives a fascinating look at the community through the voices of 17 African American elders who lived in the community.

The research that produced the documentary, and a forthcoming book, will be housed at the Elkhart County Historical Museum in the future, and will be made accessible to the public.

The Elkhart County Historical Museum is located at 304 W Vistula St. in Bristol.