South Bend History Museum and Indiana Landmarks reveal historical 'hidden' gems

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The History Museum hosted a virtual event with Indiana Landmarks revealing hidden gems all along South Bend and beyond. And the gems just might surprise you!

First, the Walker Field Shelterhouse, is a nationally recognized, historic park shelter located near Rum Village. It was originally built in 1938 by the Works Progress Administration. Now, Indiana Landmarks is hoping to restore it.

Next, one many people know, the historic Studebaker trees. The trees were planted in 1938 by the civilian conservation core, the gem can only be seen from a bird’s eye view.

What about beyond South Bend? In Middlebury, you can find Krider Gardens. The park first donated to the town in 1993 by the Krider family, but it was originally designed for display in the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair.

Another beautiful garden? Well, have you ever thought to visit Huntington just Southwest of Fort Wayne?

“Further South from us, the Huntington Sunken Gardens in Huntington, Indiana is a remarkable place. I encourage you to visit it when the weather is nice to see this remarkable garden. You see this stonework similar to Walkerfield in its application and era, but here is it in wonderful blooming state in nice weather,” says Todd Zieger, Director of Northern Regional Office of Indiana Landmarks.   

As the weather starts to change, you might take a trip to Indiana Dunes National Park! A common destination for beach and sunshine, but did you know also historical sites?

Indiana Dunes National park has 150 years’ worth of architecture. One of the eldest and most nationally recognized landmarks is Bailly Homestead. This property, once owned by a trader, was the only stop for travelers and missionaries between Chicago and Detroit. It dates back to the 1850’s and is a popular site at the park.

Another site to see, the Century of Progress District. Back in 1933, there was a century of progress fair in Chicago where houses were first constructed along the lakefront. After the fair, one developer then decided to move these properties over to create a resort community. Now, many of these old properties have been renovated and are a common attraction.

You can even check out one current renovation project, “the House of Tomorrow.”

“Based off of an architect octagon house in Wisconsin, but the architect thought he could build a modern version of that house using steel and essentially an open wall system to let him build his exterior walls in glass. This is a house that you can go and take a look from the outside. It does not look like this today but one that we are working on to restoring back to its original glory,” says Zieger.  

For further information about how to see these hidden gems, visit here.