A Bend in Time

Episode 4: Alexander Thomas

Alexander Napier Thomas was mayor of South Bend from 1876-1878, during the years it was most affected by the nation’s Long Depression. He was a proud member of the Temperance Society, an in-demand Sunday School teacher, and a pioneer at heart, leaving South Bend to build a new life in Nebraska even before his term in the mayor’s office was up.

Part of Series 1: Dawn of the City of South Bend

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03:27    A brief biography of Alexander Thomas

09:51    South Bend is hit by the Long Depression

12:37    Mayor Thomas organizes religious relief societies

14:37    South Benders begin a fascination with the west

18:42    Mayor Thomas visits Nebraska

20:33    South Bend’s railroads survive the economic downturn

22:58    Mayor Thomas throws a party marking the end of an era

25:07    Controversy surrounding the renaming of Thomas Street

27:34    Mayor Thomas’s legacy and death

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 5: Lucius Tong

Tong was mayor of South Bend from 1878-1880, the first of its leaders to come with a degree from the University of Notre Dame. During his term, Tong oversaw maintenance on a city whose original infrastructure was turning 15 years old, acquired the land that would be come Howard Park, and watched over one of the worst fires in the city’s history. He also wrote some pretty awful poetry.

Part of Series 1: Dawn of the City of South Bend

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05:03    A brief biography of Lucius Tong

07:30    Lucius Tong writes awful poetry

11:07    The ethnic landscape of South Bend begins to change

12:47    The contentious election of 1878

19:40    Christmas Eve fire rocks South Bend

23:10    City acquires the land that would become Howard Park

25:11    President Rutherford B. Hayes visits South Bend

26:38    The shocking, earth-shattering election of 1880

30:36    Mayor Tong’s legacy and death

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 6: Dr. Levi Ham

Dr. Levi Ham was mayor of South Bend from 1880-1884, 74 years old by the time he took office, and 78 by the time he left. Ham inherited a city that was financially kneecapped and one that was changing in the face of European immigration. He helped deliver Democrats to power, even as the party and its members were touched by controversy.

Part of Series 1: Dawn of the City of South Bend

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01:24    The roots of Polish immigration to South Bend

05:23    Biography of Dr. Levi Ham

10:56    Understanding the shocking election of 1880

18:44    Death of Dr. Louis Humphreys, South Bend’s second mayor

20:15    Controversial charges of electioneering against Ham and the Democrats

22:56    Controversy with local police officer working sneakily for Democratic party

25:08    A burglar steals the mayor’s teeth!

27:36    Massive impropriety found with City Treasurer Clint Rush

33:50    Mayor Ham attends westside ethnic celebrations

35:36    Mayor Ham’s legacy and death

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: George Loughman

George Loughman was mayor of South Bend from 1884-1888, and while he was mayor, he was also freight agent with the railroad, foreman of a fire station, President of the South Bend Building and Loan, and an insurance dealer. His tenure watched over the professionalization of city’s police and firefighters, a historic visit from presidential candidate James Blaine, a violent strike that almost drove Oliver from the city, and the death of Schuyler Colfax.

Part of Series 1: Dawn of the City of South Bend

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00:35    Racist affronts and attacks toward South Bend’s only Chinese citizen

04:06    Brief biography of George Loughman

08:37    City cuts funding to firefighters in 1883

11:14    Political upset in the 1884 election

14:15    Presidential candidate James Blaine visits South Bend!

18:27    Strike at the Oliver Factory turns violent

20:43    Death of Schuyler Colfax

23:04    Mayor Loughman scrambles to keep the Oliver business in South Bend

26:13    City’s first streetcar system opens!

29:18    Construction begins on Tippecanoe Place

31:28    Oil derricks go up amidst South Bend’s gas craze

32:20    Mayor Loughman’s legacy and death

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 8: William Longley

William Longley was mayor of South Bend from 1888-1892, and if he would have had his own way, he would have never been mayor at all. The reluctant city leader won a reluctant campaign that left him overseeing a growing city with growing industry. He also was left to administrate a soap opera involving the establishment of city parks, high profile fires, and the largest and most prestigious international delegation that had ever come to South Bend.

Part of Series 1: Dawn of the City of South Bend

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05:27    Brief biography of William Longley

12:57    Longley elected as Mayor against his will

20:00    City Council drama with the South Bend Railway

22:12    President Benjamin Harrison wears underwear made in South Bend!

23:50    The city decides on brick roads

25:54    The city receives to controversial land donations for city parks

30:42    The Pan-American Congress visits South Bend

34:42    Accusations of political dishonesty derail the Oliver Hotel

35:34    Singer threatens to leave South Bend

36:33    The annexation of Myler

37:27    Mayor Longley’s legacy and death

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: William Greenawalt George

William Greenawalt George was mayor of South Bend from 1865 – 1868. He saw the city through its incorporation and presided over its first City Council meetings. He oversaw the city’s first efforts to pave roads and sidewalks, wooed railroad investment, and led the controversial effort to annex the nearby village of Lowell.

Part of Series 1: Dawn of the City of South Bend

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05:20    What does it mean to incorporate a community?

08:53    A brief biography of Mayor George

12:53    Sidewalk building becomes a political disaster

19:20    A malaria panic in South Bend!

21:53    The first South Bend Farmer’s Market

23:23    South Bend annexes Lowell… controversially

25:34    George declares war on unmuzzled dogs

27:38    Dirty politics drives the work of the City Council to a halt

29:58    Mayor George decides not to run for a third term

33:02    Mayor George’s legacy and death

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.