Bendix Woods County Park is the name of a park located in

Olive Township, St. Joseph County, Indiana Olive Township is one of thirteen townships in St. Joseph County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2000 census, its population was 3,914. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, Olive Township covers an area of ; of this, ...

, south of New Carlisle. The park is under the control of the St. Joseph County Parks and Recreation Department. The name Bendix Woods originates from the

Bendix Corporation Bendix Corporation is an American manufacturing and engineering company which, during various times in its existence, made automotive brake shoes and systems, vacuum tubes, aircraft brakes, aeronautical hydraulics and electric power systems, av ...

which donated the land to the county for the creation of a park. The park's historical significance, however, dates to its establishment by the

Studebaker Corporation Studebaker was an American wagon and automobile manufacturer based in South Bend, Indiana, with a building at 1600 Broadway, Times Square, Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Founded in 1852 and incorporated in 1868 as the Studebaker Brothers Ma ...

, formerly of nearby

South Bend, Indiana South Bend is a city in and the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, St. Joseph County, Indiana, on the St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan), St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2020 United S ...

as the first model test facility for an American automobile company. Studebaker developed the of land in 1926 as the first-ever controlled automotive-testing grounds for its product lines, beating

Packard Packard or Packard Motor Car Company was an American luxury automobile company located in Detroit, Michigan. The first Packard automobiles were produced in 1899, and the last Packards were built in South Bend, Indiana in 1958. One of the "Thr ...

, Studebaker's future business partner, by one year. Studebaker heavily promoted the grounds as a "million-dollar outdoor testing laboratory" in advertisements. The

test track Test Track is a high-speed slot car thrill ride located in World Discovery at Epcot, a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. The ride is a simulated excursion through the rigorous testing procedures that General Mot ...

that ran through the grounds simulated a variety of terrains and road conditions. Studebaker landscaped the park by keeping natural features—and planted a huge grove of trees which spell out "STUDEBAKER" when viewed from above. Following the collapse of Studebaker's U.S. production facilities in 1963, the land was acquired by Bendix Corporation which used the grounds for corporate purposes. In 1996 Bosch purchased the property; in 2015

Navistar Navistar, Inc is an American holding company created in 1986 as the successor to International Harvester. Navistar operates as the owner of International-branded trucks and diesel engines. The company also produces buses under the IC Bus br ...

acquired it from Bosch and renamed it "Navistar Proving Grounds". The park was also home to a toboggan roller-coaster that was never opened after its owners were thrown off when making a trial run.

Studebaker Clubhouse

The Studebaker Clubhouse is a historic

clubhouse Clubhouse may refer to: Locations * The meetinghouse of: ** A club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal ** In the United States, a country club ** In the United Kingdom, a gentlemen's club * A ...

. It was built in 1926, and is a two-story, "U"-shaped,

Colonial Revival The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture. The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the archi ...

style brick building. The front facade features a one-story frame porch supported by

Tuscan order The Tuscan order (Latin ''Ordo Tuscanicus'' or ''Ordo Tuscanus'', with the meaning of Etruscan order) is one of the two classical orders developed by the Romans, the other being the composite order. It is influenced by the Doric order, but with u ...

columns. The building was remodeled in 1947, 1961, and 1966–1967. It was built as a place for the approximately 100 proving ground employees to eat, relax in off hours, stay in bad weather, and board if they so desired. It currently houses the park's Nature Center and offices. ''Note:'' This includes It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1985 along with the Tree Sign.

Tree Sign

In 1938 the company planted 8,000 pine trees in a pattern that, viewed from above, spelled "STUDEBAKER".

In late December 2004, the "STUDEBAKER"

tree planting Tree-planting is the process of transplanting tree seedlings, generally for forestry, land reclamation, or landscaping purpose. It differs from the transplantation of larger trees in arboriculture, and from the lower cost but slower and less re ...

, recognized as one of the world's largest living advertisements and on the

, was severely damaged in a

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...

week

ice storm An ice storm, also known as a glaze event or a silver storm is a type of winter storm characterized by freezing rain. The U.S. National Weather Service defines an ice storm as a storm which results in the accumulation of at least of ice on ex ...

. However, it continues to stand; in 2011 a grant was awarded for its long-term management and preservation, and a management plan was completed in 2012. Dead and diseased trees were removed in 2013 and 2014, and volunteers planted replacement saplings between April 15 and April 19, 2015.

References

External links

Bendix Woods County Park
(St. Joseph County Parks Department) {{National Register of Historic Places in Indiana Parks in Indiana County parks in the United States Protected areas of St. Joseph County, Indiana Nature centers in Indiana Studebaker Clubhouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Indiana Colonial Revival architecture in Indiana Buildings and structures completed in 1926 Buildings and structures in St. Joseph County, Indiana National Register of Historic Places in St. Joseph County, Indiana Bendix Corporation