Oliver Mansion, South Bend Indiana: Glimpse a Family’s Lavish 1930s Lifestyle

It isn’t often that all of the furnishings in a historic home are original to the house, especially a 38-room, 12,000 square foot mansion. That’s what you’ll see when you tour the Oliver Mansion in South Bend, Indiana, immersing you in the lavish lifestyle of its owners, the J.D. and Anna Oliver family, as it was in the 1930s.

J.D. Oliver’s father James immigrated to the United States with his family from Scotland when he was 12 years old. He took a job working on a farm where he became familiar with plows. As an adult James was a partner in the South Bend Iron Company and experimented with improving the field plow. He registered 45 patents on improved plow design during his lifetime. The company flourished, and James Oliver became wealthy. J.D. eventually took over as President of the company. By that time the company name had been changed to Oliver Chilled Plow Works.

J.D. married Anna in 1885, and in 1886 they moved into their new Indiana fieldstone Romanesque Queen Anne home. The Olivers had four children, and as the family grew, so did the Oliver Chilled Plow Works, becoming the largest plow factory in the world at the turn of the century. The family lived lavishly, were socially active and also deeply involved in community service. The family’s community service continued through the generations, as J.D. and Anna’s grandchildren donated the mansion and its furnishings to South Bend’s Center for History.

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The home is set up as a working house in the 1930s. Though daughter Catherine, who never married and lived out her life in the mansion, sold or gave away furnishings, recipients of those items have returned many of them.

Each of the 14 fireplaces is different, some more ornate than others.

Carved woodwork on fireplace hearths, railings, even on the ceilings exude richness.

The office and the game room have especially masculine features.

Leaded glass windows in several rooms soften the harshness of the dark wood, and fabrics soften the decor in the dining room and music room.

The kitchen isn’t as fancy, but it’s spacious, with multiple stoves and plenty of icebox and storage space needed to prepare for large parties.

Catherine lived her adult life mostly on the second floor, which she had redone in green art deco.

After J.D. and Anna’s son Joseph’s wife was thrown from a horse and killed, Joseph came back to live in the family home. He stayed mainly on the third floor. His seven shaving brushes, one for each day of the week, are on display in the bathroom.

Beautifully manicured gardens surround the mansion.

Besides the mansion, the tour also includes a look at the Polish workers’ house, less than a five minute walk from the main house. The house, comfortable quarters for the Olivers’ domestic staff, was built in 1851. The Olivers added a bathroom and other conveniences. Like the mansion, the workers’ house is decorated as it would have been in the 1930s.

The History Museum provides tours of the Oliver Mansion seven days a week. The main entrance is shared with the Studebaker National Museum at 897 Thomas Street, South Bend, Indiana. Check the web site for tour times and admission rates.

Disclosure: My visit to the Oliver Mansion was hosted by Visit South Bend Mishawaka and the History Museum, but any opinions expressed in this article are my own. Some of the pbotos were taken by Skip Reed and some by Connie Reed.

Other posts you may enjoy:

Studebaker Museum, South Bend: From Carriages to Automobiles

Touring the University of Notre Dame Campus, South Bend, Indiana

Tour the South Bend Chocolate Company Factory

Shop the South Bend Farmers Market Year Round

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Studebaker Museum, South Bend: From Carriages to Automobiles

Connie Attractions & Events, Indiana November 24, 2014June 3, 2022Indiana museums, Museums in Indiana, National Studebaker Museum, South Bend, South Bend attractions, South Bend IN, Studebaker Museum, Studebaker Museum Indiana 0 Comment

Few transportation companies successfully transitioned from manufacturing wagons and carriages to automobiles. Studebaker was one of the exceptions. In the early 1900s, the company moved from carriages to battery-powered cars. A few years later they transitioned to gasoline engines. The Studebaker National Museum in South Bend, Indiana, traces the history of the company from wagon to the last cars Studebaker manufactured, in the mid-1960s.

Tippecanoe Place: Dine in a Stately Old Mansion

Connie Food & Drink, Indiana November 17, 2014November 17, 2014Indiana Restaurants, South Bend, South Bend IN, South Bend Indiana, South Bend restaurants, Tippecanoe Place Indiana, Tippecanoe Place restaurant 0 Comment

I love old mansions and am especially partial to old stone mansions. I also, of course, like a good meal. Put the two together, and it’s a sure winner. I had the pleasure of enjoying Sunday Brunch at the Tippecanoe Place restaurant in South Bend, Indiana, earlier this year. The opulent ambiance is a wonderful setting for a sumptuous meal.

Dating back to 1889, the 26,000 square foot stately mansion was originally the home of Clement Studebaker, co-founder of South Bend’s Studebaker automobile manufacturing company. During World War II, the mansion served as headquarters for the Red Cross. Today Tippecanoe Place welcomes guests for lunch and dinner, as well as Sunday brunch

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I could feel the richness of the building just opening the heavy wood doors inset with leaded glass.

I saw only a few of the mansion’s 40 rooms on my visit. Our seating was in the mansion’s light and airy drawing room, which includes one of the building’s 20 gorgeous fireplaces.

This alcove off to the side is perfect for a family get-together.

In contrast to the drawing room, the adjacent library exudes its richness through heavy, dark, carved molding. The library is where the brunch buffet was set up.

The brunch menu includes several hot breakfast and lunch items, including made-to-order omelets and hand-carved ham and beef.

There were several salads and sides to choose from, including lots of fresh fruits.

The dessert buffet, in a room separate from the rest of the food, had even more fruit, plus pastries, cookies, and cakes.

The dinner menu includes appetizers like Lobstercakes Tippecanoe and Baked Brie en Croute. Entrees are pasta, three cuts of prime rib, steaks, rack of lamb, seafood items like Pacific swordfish served with basil risotto, and poultry, including roasted Indiana duckling served with a choice of two sauces.

Lunch is mostly lighter fare, including salads like the fresh berry chicken salad, sandwiches like a smoked turkey Reuben or a portabella mushroom sandwich. Pasta, prime rib and a couple of grilled seafood dishes are available for lunch, as well.

Tippecanoe Place, located at 620 W Washington Street in South Bend, Indiana, is a great place to celebrate a special occasion or to treat yourself to a nice meal during your South Bend getaway. Check the web site for hours and menus. Closed Mondays.

Disclosure: My visit to Tippecanoe Places was hosted by Visit South Bend and Tippecanoe Place, but any opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Other posts you may be interested in:

Touring the University of Notre Dame Campus, South Bend, Indiana

Café Navarre, South Bend IN: Top-Notch Farm-to-Table Dining

Tour the South Bend Chocolate Company Factory

Shop the South Bend Farmers Market Year Round

Tour and Taste at 18 Vodka, Mishawaka, Indiana

Tour the South Bend Chocolate Company Factory

Connie Attractions & Events, Indiana November 7, 2014November 7, 2014Indiana attractions, Indiana factory tours, South Bend, South Bend attractions, South Bend Candy Factory tour, South Bend Chocolate Company, South Bend Chocolate Company tour, South Bend IN, South Bend Indiana 0 Comment

Dark chocolate is my downfall. One whiff of the decadent confection, and I sniff and follow the aroma waves like in a cartoon until I find the source. Dark chocolate covered nuts, dark chocolate covered dried cherries, bittersweet chocolate mousse, chocolate fudge cake with fudge frosting—you name it, when I smell it or see it, I cave. Forget the diet right now; I’ll eat salads for the rest of the week. So when I had an opportunity to tour Indiana’s South Bend Chocolate Company factory, of course I didn’t turn it down.

Before taking us into the production area, our tour guide, Chris, nicknamed Captain Crunch, gave us a lesson on where chocolate comes from. It starts with cocoa pods, which are harvested twice a year.

You have to crack the pod to get to the bean inside. There is only one bean per pod. Inside the bean are 20 to 60 cacao nibs, and that’s what’s used to make chocolate.

Chicago’s Blommer Chocolate Company, North America’s largest cocoa processor and ingredient supplier, turns the cacao nibs into giant, thick chocolate bars, which is what South Bend Chocolate Company starts with in making their candy.

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In the factory I was expecting to see the candy speeding past on conveyor belts like on the old I Love Lucy episode where Lucy and Ethel get jobs in a candy factory.

It turns out that production slows down on Saturdays, but the tradeoff to not seeing production in action is more samples. So although we saw the conveyor belts, they were at a standstill with no candy on them. Captain Crunch assured us that the belts don’t move quite as quickly as it did for Lucy and Ethel anyway.

We did see the chocolate enrober that looks like a waterfall, where the candies are coated, as well as the chocolate melter that holds 500 pounds of chocolate.

We also saw two varieties of candy waiting for the next process step: fudge and pecan patties (like Turtles).

After touring the production area, we were allowed to choose two chocolate samples.

That was the end of the free basic tour. However, we were on the Inside Scoop Tour (fee is $4), so we got an added bonus. We dipped a spoon into chocolate that could be used then to stir a hot beverage.

While we were waiting for our spoons to cool and harden, we watched an educational but humorous film about chocolate making.

Following the tour, we wandered through the small chocolate museum that includes information about the history of candy, as well nostalgic displays of candy packaging, including Mounds, one of my favorites.

I was surprised to see a display of Frango Mints boxes, the candy that at one time was made in Chicago’s flagship Marshall Field’s store. (The store is now Macy’s, and Macy’s carries Frango Mints under the Marshall Field name.)

One last stop before leaving: the outlet store, where I stocked up my own stash of chocolate, all dark.

Tour are offered at the South Bend Chocolate Company factory, located at 3300 West Sample Street in South Bend, Indiana, Monday through Saturday. The free basic tour runs 20 minutes; the Inside Scoop Tour is 45 minutes. Check the web site for tour and outlet store hours.

Disclosure: My tour of the South Bend Chocolate Company factory was hosted by Visit South Bend and the South Bend Chocolate Company, but any opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Shop the South Bend Farmers Market Year Round

Connie Food & Drink, Indiana October 17, 2014August 3, 2015South Bend attractions, South Bend Farmers Market, South Bend IN 0 Comment

By October most farmers markets are fizzling out for the season. Once the pumpkins and squash are gone, the fall breeze turns to winter wind, and the vendors leave for the winter. Not so in South Bend, where the market is open year-round.

Café Navarre, South Bend IN: Top-Notch Farm-to-Table Dining

Connie Food & Drink, Indiana July 29, 2014Cafe Navarre, South Bend IN, South Bend Indiana, South Bend restaurants 0 Comment

The menu changes regularly at Café Navarre. In fact, the salad that I had on my recent visit is no longer on the menu, at least not with the same ingredients. The restaurant’s expanding farm-to-table options means that dishes change often to incorporate the freshest, local in-season produce. It’s no wonder that Midwest Living magazine placed Café Navarre on their list of “Best New Midwest Attractions, Restaurants and Hotels.” From ambiance to food to service, everything was top-notch on our recent visit.

Opened just a couple of years ago, the restaurant is located in a completely renovated, centuries old downtown South Bend building that once housed a bank whose claim to historical fame is that John Dillinger robbed it. Restored to its original grandeur, the setting complements the elegance of the restaurant.

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My husband, Skip, and I met Lindsey Talboom, Communications & Public Relations Coordinator for Visit South Bend Mishawaka, at Café Navarre for lunch. Skip took Lindsey’s recommendation of the French Onion Gratinee. He agreed it was one of the best onion soups he has ever had. As I watched both Lindsey and Skip break through the layer of gooey gruyere, I was a bit disappointed that I hadn’t ordered the soup, too.

However, my salad was delicious, with fresh greens, fruit, nuts and a light vinaigrette dressing. I opted for an added small steak, which was done to medium-rare perfection. Lunch was served with an assortment of warm breads and butter.

Service in the restaurant couldn’t have been better. Besides providing great table service, when our waiter found out this was my first visit to the restaurant and that I’m not from the area, he took the time to explain the history of the building and talk about other attractions in South Bend.

With its delicious food, great service and elegant ambiance, I recommend Café Navarre if you visit South Bend. The restaurant is located at 101 N Michigan Street and specializes in French, Italian and Spanish cuisines. Check the web site for hours or to make reservations.

Disclosure: Our visit to South Bend was hosted by Visit South Bend Mishawaka, but any opinions expressed in this post are my own. Our accommodations were at the Double Tree by Hilton South Bend.

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