The St. Joseph County Parks Foundation received a $2,500 endangered places grant from Indiana Landmarks for the Studebaker Aboreal Sign in Bendix Woods County Park in New Carlislie, Indiana. The living tree landmark sign, especially visible from the air, spells out “Studebaker” in red and white pine trees standing over 60 feet tall.
The landmark, created with over 8,000 6-inch red and white pine seedlings in 1938, spells out the word “Studebaker” from the air. The sign is about a half-mile long. In those days, the land was the Studebaker automobile company’s vehicle proving grounds. The sign was created as a salute to the growing aviation industry.
The grant will help pay for a long-range management and preservation plan for the trees first planted in the late 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The plan will assess the condition of the trees, outline maintenance and treatment, and address re-planting. “The sign is not in immediate peril, but because trees require time to grow, a plan is essential to ensure that we can keep it in healthy, readable condition,” says Evelyn Kirkwood, Director of St. Joseph County Parks.
“The grant from Indiana Landmarks must be matched, and we welcome contributions from people who value the Studebaker arboreal sign as a unique living landmark,” Kirkwood notes.
After the Studebaker Corporation ceased operation in South Bend in the 1960s, the proving grounds were sold to the Bendix Corp. In 1966, Bendix donated 175 acres and the former Studebaker Clubhouse on the property to create Bendix Woods County Park.
The former clubhouse still stands and is used as a nature center. The aboreal sign and clubhouse are on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Studebaker tree sign earned a place in the 1987 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s largest living advertising sign. In addition to the Great Wall of China, the Studebaker living tree sign can be seen from space.
“Indiana Landmarks mostly works to preserve significant buildings, but historic landscapes also are part of the group’s mission,” said Todd Zeiger, director of the organization’s northern office.
The grant must be matched with donations to cover the $4,650 total cost of the study. Contributions may be mailed to: St. Joseph County Parks Foundation, St. Patrick’s County Park, 50651 Laurel Road, South Bend, IN 46637. Or contact Evelyn Kirkwood, St. Joseph County Parks, 574-277-4828 x214, ekirkwood@sjcparks.org
I encourage those interested in preserving the Studebaker arboreal sign endangered living landmark to contribute to the matching donations fund at the St. Joseph County Parks Foundation noted above. So, the next time you are flying over northern Indiana, check out the Studebaker arboreal sign just west of South Bend.
Tags: Indiana Landmarks, Studebaker, Studebaker Aboreal Sign, Studebaker Corporation
[...] learned of the effort from Dennis Horvath on his blog, where you can find more information about the sign and the Proving Grounds. This [...]