local history Archives
Civic Plaza met the moment. Is its time fading?
When Civic Plaza was built, downtown finally had its meeting spot. But the story may be ending for the looming clock tower and often-dry fountain.
Our people: Herbert and Ruth Tolson “inspired a neighborhood”
The Booker T. Washington Community Center closed its doors in February 1956. It took just over 34 years for ground to break on something to replace it. But the couple […]
Traffic headache lasted three years at the Johnson Street bridge
Johnson Street bridge improvements took 20 years to plan. Construction delays and political squabbles turned it into a project to forget.
1969 homecoming put focus on Elkhart’s simmering race issues
The homecoming queen didn’t receive her honors, and the football crowd was subdued. Racial tensions were at a boiling point in 1969 Elkhart.
Filmmakers find their setting at the library
Cameras, lights, wires and microphones fill the lounge area at the Dunlap Branch one early summer morning. A film crew for Siemens Healthineers prepares to record their latest interview on […]
Library bookmobile: Elkhart invented. And now reinvented.
The library bookmobile was invented right here in Elkhart. A century later, it's now the vehicle for Free Books to Feed Minds.
The best newspaperman Ernie Pyle ever knew called Elkhart home
Ernie Pyle was a legendary writer, but he often told friends the best newsman he knew worked in Elkhart, Ind.
Jazz fest delivered fantastic high notes at ill-fated Midway Motor Lodge
The hotel never quite delivered on its promise, but it gave life to the city's biggest event.
