The History Museum

The History Museum is the site of the Oliver Mansion, a 38-room historic house that was once home to the J.D. Oliver family. All furnishings are original to the home, providing an excellent glimpse of how the family lived. Two acres of lush gardens surround the Oliver Mansion and nearby is the Worker’s Home, a charming cottage reflecting life in the 1930s. Six exhibit galleries showcase the area’s local history. History related to the University of Notre Dame is showcased in the Raclin Gallery. The story of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, immortalized in the film “A League of Their Own,” is told at The History Museum, the national repository for the League. Kids can explore history in Kidsfirst Children’s Museum, also on site.

Exhibits

Unveiled: Wedding Traditions
March 26, 2022 – January 8, 2023
Wedding traditions extending across cultures and throughout time are shared in this vibrant exhibit at The History Museum. Through engaging vignettes that feature photographs, gowns, jewelry, and more, Unveiled: Wedding Traditions showcases the museum’s Historic Clothing Collection as well as items on loan from the community’s diverse populations. The history and heritage of these unions provide an interesting glimpse of these traditions.

University of Notre Dame: The Fabric of a Global University
February 12, 2022 – May 28, 2023
Through every woven fiber and twisted thread, fabric is uniquely suited to create a narrative, with every stitch connecting us to new stories and perspectives. The History Museum is proud to collaborate with Notre Dame International on an exhibit that showcases the University’s rich and vibrant fabric, and highlights stories on international education, research, and engagement worldwide.

Forging Innovation
July 30, 2022 - July 9, 2023
In 100 years, the city of South Bend grew to be a hub of science, finance, industry, and transportation. The days of forging iron by industrial visionaries like the Olivers and Studebakers sparked ideas that led the city to quickly become known worldwide. Learn about South Bend’s first century of progress in the exhibit Forging Innovation, in conjunction with the South Bend Museum of Art’s Visualizing Innovation, which celebrates the city’s creative future and legacy of innovative thinking.

Participation in Museum Day is open to any tax-exempt or governmental museum or cultural venue on a voluntary basis. Smithsonian magazine encourages museum visitation, but is not responsible for and does not endorse the content of the participating museums and cultural venues, and does not subsidize museums that participate.