A visit to Clem Studebaker's house...

What an excellent day this was!  Every now and then we all get to visit some amazing places. Having dinner at the Clement Studebaker Mansion in South Bend Indiana was one of those really memorable experiences for my wife and I. 

It was a cold rainy afternoon with rain turning to snow.  Such was the welcome we had when we drove into South Bend.  We were there to see the Studebaker Museum, and finding the mansion open on such a horrible night was pure luck.  As the afternoon turned into the evening,  the snow and the wind picked up, and nobody was outside. 

The view of Tippecanoe as you arrive, it is nearly 24000 sq ft, has 40 rooms and cost Mr Studebaker $350,000.00 in 1889. The house got its mane from Pres Harrison's grandfather William.  William fought in the 1811 Battle of Tippecanoe, and seeing as how Clem and Benjamin Harrison aka President Harrison were pals, this seemed a fitting tribute.

Work started on Clem's house in 1885 when Clem picked Henry Cobb to be the architect.  The home resembles many of the mansions built in this time frame.  At this point in Clem's life the company he and his brothers founded had built 1 million horse drawn wagons!  These days the entire home is a restaurant.

The rooms are beautiful

You can tour the entire house while you are waiting for your dinner to be prepared.

One can imagine the Studebaker family entertaining guests in these rooms...

The craftsmanship is superb.

Whoa, the office where Clem did all that thinking!  Oak paneling throughout with a stained glass window of a blacksmith's shop.

Hmmm, 38 - 42- 12... nope

I can imagine the company treasures that must have been stashed away in his safe...

Oh what's this?  One of my favorite TV shows as a kid was Mr Ed...  Gee I never knew Mr Ed (the talking horse) was a Studebaker fan!

Ahhh, dinner finally arrived and it was delicious!

What a great evening.  We were the only two for dinner this evening!

One of the oddest roadside oddities I have ever seen...  A naval gun battery on a cement platform...

Not a roadside oddity, but a building side message...

It's been wintery up here so not much hiking or wandering going on just yet.  We've started our garden seeds and are hopeful things will warm up soon!

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