South Bend, IN—The Studebaker National Museum and The History Museum are offering free admission to their museums on Monday, February 16, in honor of Presidents Day.  Museum hours are 10am to 5pm. First floor tours of the Oliver Mansion will take place at 10:30am, 11:30am, 12:30pm, 1:30pm, and 2:30pm.  Tours of the mansion are limited.  The Worker’s Home will be open for self-guided tours from 10:30am to 3pm.

At The History Museum, visitors can tour the exhibit Rockne: Life & Legacy, chronicling the life of Knute Rockne, one of the most iconic of all the great legends who coached or played on Notre Dame’s football field. This ultimate retrospective is the most significant presentation of Rockne artifacts ever assembled and made available to the public. Also on view is the exhibit Freshwater Fury: Great Lakes Shipwrecks exploring the shipwrecks on the Great Lakes, including the Edmund Fitzgerald,  a freighter which vanished on Lake Superior on November 10, 1975, taking all 29 crew members with it. Visitors can also learn about South Bend’s own Schuyler Colfax, who was the 17th Vice President of the United States, and Speaker of the House of Representatives under Abraham Lincoln. The exhibit Colfax: Speaker for Freedom, is on permanent display in the museum’s lower level. 

Curious about some of the lesser-known stories behind the 1st Source Presidential Carriage Collection? The Studebaker National Museum will offer carriage-side talks at 11am and 1pm. Staff staff will share information on the history and preservation of these iconic pieces with these 30-minute talks. Gather at the 1st floor gallery entrance of the Studebaker National Museum. These talks are free on Presidents’ Day.

The Studebaker National Museum invites visitors to enjoy Reel Rides: Cars of TV and Film, presenting Hollywood history with some of the most iconic vehicles ever seen on movie and television screens. The exhibit features the 1966 Ford Thunderbird from “Thelma & Louise,” the 1982 Ferrari 308 GTSi from “Magnum PI,” and many more. A Bear’s Natural Habitat: The Return of Fozzie’s Studebaker celebrates the completed restoration of one of Hollywood’s most recognizable cars:  the 1951 Studebaker Commander driven by Fozzie Bear and Kermit the Frog in Jim Henson’s The Muppet Movie (1979).

 

For information, call (574) 235-9714 or (574) 235-9664 or visit studebakermuseum.org or historymuseumSB.org.

CONTACTS:

 Jo McCoy, Assistant Director, Studebaker National Museum (574) 235-9714, jmccoy@studebakermuseum.org

Brian Harding, Executive Director, The History Museum (574) 235-9664, ext. 6227 or bharding@historymuseumSB.org