History of the Neighborhood

Adapted from "The Heritage of a Neighborhood" published 1976 under a grant from the Indiana Committee for the Humanities.

South Bend was platted by Lathrop Taylor and Alexsis Coquillard in the year 1831. At that time the boundaries of the town extended to near Madison Street at the southern edge of what is now the Near Northwest Neighborhood. One of the first Additions to the town was the Northwest addition, a small parcel of land along Michigan Avenue (now Lincolnway West), which was added in l837.

South Bend experienced great industrial growth after the Civil War. From 1870 to 1880 the population nearly doubled and in the fifty years from 1880 to 1930 the population rose from 13,000 to 104,000. The Near Northwest Neighborhood also experienced great growth. Horatio Chapin's son platted Chapin Park in 1890. Several other small areas were also platted at this time.

In 1892 Albert Cushing, a South Bend druggist, along with members of the Lindsey family, platted Cushing and Lindsey's Addition. Promotional posters from that time claim that the area had "easy access to the business center and factories" but with "no railroads to cross, no factories, no smoke or dust to mar the pleasure of living; in short a model residence portion of the city."

Portage Park, on the east side of Portage, came along in 1902 and the Muessel Brewing Company founded the Muessel Additions in 1905. After World War I, Whitcomb and Keller (founded 1892) developed Vassar Park on Lawndale and Diamond Avenues.

In 1862 Madison School was built at the corner of Madison and Lafayette, currently the location of Tepmle Beth-El. It was often called Goose Pasture School. In 1893 the school was replaced on the same site and in 1929 it was constructed at its present location near Leeper Park. Muessel School was started in 1905 on land given by the Muessel Brewing Company. The original building was razed in 1999 when a new building was completed.

Public transportation came to the neighborhood in 1885 in the form of horse cars with lines on Portage to Leland and Lincolnway West to Cottage Grove. As the population grew, so did the length of the lines. The lines were electrified in 1898, but removed on Portage in 1937 when a bus route was established.

Leeper Park was one of the first city parks in South Bend. Built on land condemned for the South Bend Water Works in 1900, the park was expanded to include a tract across Michigan Street in 1904.

The early citizens of the area were mostly of German origin. Turner Hall, a social and athletic club, was established at the comer of Michigan and Marion. In 1912 the city directory listed businesses owned by folks with names like Omacht, Hass, Bruger, Frepan, Zieger, and Aeby. Taverns, meat markets, pharmacies and even a cigar manufacturer were located along Lincolnway and Portage. Today the Near Northwest Neighborhood is home to over 6,000 residents, many living in one of the three historic districts. Muessel and Madison Elementary Schools still serve the neighborhood, and Leeper Park is still the pride of the area. People of nearly every ethnic and national background have joined the German population.