The future of the Navarre Cabin discussed at forums held by The History Museum

Andrew S. Hughes, South Bend Tribune
·1 min read
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Built in 1820, the Pierre Navarre Cabin in Leeper Park is believed to be the oldest structure and residence in St. Joseph County. A tarp covers its top Aug. 22, 2023, as The History Museum, which owns and maintains the cabin, finds the money to replace a damaged roof.
Built in 1820, the Pierre Navarre Cabin in Leeper Park is believed to be the oldest structure and residence in St. Joseph County. A tarp covers its top Aug. 22, 2023, as The History Museum, which owns and maintains the cabin, finds the money to replace a damaged roof.

SOUTH BEND — The History Museum invites the public to three community forums regarding moving the Navarre Cabin from its current location in Leeper Park East to The History Museum’s campus:

• Navarre Cabin, Leeper Park East, at 2 p.m. Sept. 24

• The Near Northwest Neighborhood Community Center, 1013 Portage Avenue, at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 25

• Navarre Cabin, Leeper Park East, at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 2

The forums, hosted by The History Museum, will include a 10-minute presentation chronicling the history of the cabin and its various sites through the years.

Ongoing effort: History Museum will continue push to move Navarre Cabin out of Leeper Park

Leeper Park diagrams will be available, showing the site’s appearance without the cabin. Also shown will be a drawing of prospective monument signage in Leeper Park that will mark the history of the cabin’s locations through the years.

In addition, photographs, maps, and a diagram of the museum’s proposed Navarre Homestead Project on The History Museum’s campus can be viewed.

This photo shows the Navarre Cabin prior to its restoration in 2000.
This photo shows the Navarre Cabin prior to its restoration in 2000.

The Navarre Cabin was built by Pierre Freischutz Navarre in 1820 near the St. Joseph River. Navarre, the first person of European descent to settle in St. Joseph County, established a trading post on the banks of the river. The cabin’s current site is not its original location.

Upon approval of the proposed move, The History Museum intends to complete a Navarre Homestead on its campus and greatly expand programming related to the cabin.

For more information, call 574-235-9664 or historymuseumsb.org.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: South Bend's History Museum holds forums about historic Navarre Cabin