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CHistory
History · Notre Dame

Notre Dame’s post office opened in 1851, and 1 of its places is on the National Register

More historic than 32% of U.S. towns · #469 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it

Most of Notre Dame was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1995. Below: 12 old photos and papers, maps from 1958 on, and old-book passages.

1851first post office
1on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
12old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Notre Dame’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Notre Dame began

When was Notre Dame founded?

1851

The Notre Dame post office opened in 1851, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 7,234175 years

How historic is Notre Dame?

C

More historic than 32% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Notre Dame post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade

What drives Notre Dame’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Notre Dame is more historic than 32% of U.S. towns, #469 of 593 in Indiana. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Notre Dame’s overall grade.
Founding era1851, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 19400.0% of homes (±7.3) · typical IN town 14.4% · U.S. 8.4%D−National Register1 listing, 21 historic buildings, 30.5 per 10,000 residents · typical IN town 7.9 · U.S. 2.4B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 32%
NewerOlder
Indiana towns of 2,500+ (593)Ahead of 21%

Indiana towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Indiana town has 7.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Notre Dame’s 30.5 sits above most of its state (70% of Indiana towns have fewer) while its 21 historic buildings outnumber those of 80% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to B. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.3 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.

Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Notre Dame’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A town in postcards12 old photos, postcards and papers, 1917–1975.
★ What stands out · By decade

Notre Dame, decade by decade

5 decades in the archive, from the 1910s to the 1970s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1910s–1930s10 items
Paintings at the University of Notre Dame - The University of Notre Dame1917Paintings at the University of Notre Dame - The Unive…The four horsemen of the football eclipse [sic] (Notre Dame backfield)1924The four horsemen of the football eclipse [sic] (Notr…Across the Lake, Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana (72400)c. 1930Across the Lake, Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana (724…PostcardGrotto at Notre Dame University, Notre Dame, Indiana (72398)c. 1930Grotto at Notre Dame University, Notre Dame, Indiana …PostcardMain Building, Notre Dame University, Notre Dame, Indiana (72399)c. 1930Main Building, Notre Dame University, Notre Dame, Ind…PostcardNotre Dame and St. Mary's Lake, Notre Dame, Indiana (63335)c. 1930Notre Dame and St. Mary's Lake, Notre Dame, Indiana (…PostcardThe Stadium, Notre Dame, Indiana (63329)c. 1930The Stadium, Notre Dame, Indiana (63329)PostcardThe Three Arches, Notre Dame Campus, Notre Dame, Indiana (72397)c. 1930The Three Arches, Notre Dame Campus, Notre Dame, Indi…PostcardAir view of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana (63338)c. 1930Air view of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana (63338)Log chapel, Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana (63336)c. 1930Log chapel, Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana (63336)
1940s–1970s2 items
Untitled - Educational Buildings (NBY 1689)1941Untitled - Educational Buildings (NBY 1689)PostcardAmerican Freedom Train at Notre Dame, July 19751975American Freedom Train at Notre Dame, July 1975
1980s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today6 recent
The University of Notre Dame, a Catholic research university located2012The University of Notre Dame, a Catholic research uni…Architectural details at the University of Notre Dame, a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincor…2012Architectural details at the University of Notre Dame…University of Notre Dame, Indiana, and Souvenir Folder of South Bend - Large Letter Postcard Folder2011University of Notre Dame, Indiana, and Souvenir Folde…DocumentGolden Dome2010Golden DomeHolyCrossCollege construction 20082008HolyCrossCollege construction 2008Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA2007Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
The story so far

Notre Dame, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Notre Dame yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Notre Dame is a census-designated place and unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend in St. Joseph County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. It includes the campuses of three Catholic colleges: the University of Notre Dame, Saint Mary's College, and Holy Cross College. Notre Dame is split between Clay and Portage townships. As of the 2020 census, its population was 7,234.

Its first post office opened in 1851. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 5,973 to 7,234 (+21%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Notre Dame in 1895

Passages that mention Notre Dame, cut from the printed page as they were published.

about the university. The result is that nowhere perhaps in all the county is there a more lovely approach to noble buildings than through the finely shaded avenues and parks of Notre Dame. Indeed, as has been well said, the sense of the beautiful, inspired by the fair surroundings, has had no litt…
A brief history of the University of Notre Dame du Lac, Indiana from 1842 to 18921895 · page 75Read the page →
Read the text

about the university. The result is that nowhere perhaps in all the county is there a more lovely approach to noble buildings than through the finely shaded avenues and parks of Notre Dame. Indeed, as has been well said, the sense of the beautiful, inspired by the fair surroundings, has had no little to do with the success of Notre Dame as an educational institution. Milton complains that Cambridge

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
about the university. The result is that nowhere perhaps in all the county is there a more lovely approach to noble buildings than through the finely shaded avenues and parks of Notre Dame. Indeed, as has been well said, the sense of the beautiful, inspired by the fair surroundings, has had no litt…
A brief history of the University of Notre Dame du Lac, Indiana from 1842 to 1892. Prepared for the golden jubilee, to be celebrated June 11, 12 and 13, 18951895 · page 75Read the page →
Read the text

about the university. The result is that nowhere perhaps in all the county is there a more lovely approach to noble buildings than through the finely shaded avenues and parks of Notre Dame. Indeed, as has been well said, the sense of the beautiful, inspired by the fair surroundings, has had no little to do with the success of Notre Dame as an educational institution. Milton complains that Cambridge

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
he was ordained a priest in 1856, after which he entered the community of Notre Dame where he was appointed the fourth vice president, succeeding Father Shortis, who had received an honorary degree with him in 1849. Father Gillespie became an ornamant to the faculty of Notre Dame; ‘his fine literar…
A Brief History of the University of Notre Dame Du Lac Indiana1895 · page 74Read the page →
Read the text

he was ordained a priest in 1856, after which he entered the community of Notre Dame where he was appointed the fourth vice president, succeeding Father Shortis, who had received an honorary degree with him in 1849. Father Gillespie became an ornamant to the faculty of Notre Dame; ‘his fine literary tastes made him the worthy successor of Father Shawe in fostering the studies of belles lettres, rhetoric and the

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
ations that long continued to gather into their folds the musical, literary and dramatic genius of the students of Notre Dame. Fifty-six students are shown in this catalogue, besides thirteen students in theology. Notre Dame was advancing.
A Brief History of the University of Notre Dame Du Lac Indiana1895 · page 75Read the page →
Read the text

ations that long continued to gather into their folds the musical, literary and dramatic genius of the students of Notre Dame. Fifty-six students are shown in this catalogue, besides thirteen students in theology. Notre Dame was advancing.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Timeline

Notre Dame, 1917 to 1975

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 20th century
  2. 1917In the archivePaintings at the University of Notre Dame - The University of Notre Dame
  3. 1924In the archiveThe four horsemen of the football eclipse [sic] (Notre Dame backfield)
  4. 1930In the archiveAcross the Lake, Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana (72400)
  5. 1941In the archiveUntitled - Educational Buildings (NBY 1689)
  6. 1958On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1975In the archiveAmerican Freedom Train at Notre Dame, July 1975
On the map

Notre Dame on the map, 1958 to 1992

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Notre Dame. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Notre Dame on the 1958 USGS mapNotre Dame on the 1969 USGS mapNotre Dame on the 1980 USGS mapNotre Dame on the 1992 USGS map1958South Bend East sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Notre Dame.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Paintings at the University of Notre Dame - The University of Notre Dame
Retake this viewPaintings at the University of Notre Dame - The University of Notre Dame, 1917

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Notre Dame’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

1 listing protects 21 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
21
each building in a district counts

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Notre Dame

Nobody well known was born in Notre Dame itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Pete ButtigiegAmerican politician · b. 1982
Eric F. WieschausAmerican geneticist · b. 1947
V
Vivica A. FoxAmerican actress · b. 1964
Dean NorrisAmerican actor · b. 1963
Janice E. VossAmerican engineer and NASA astronaut · b. 1956
George SeatonAmerican screenwriter, playwright, film directo… · b. 1911
Help out

Finish Notre Dame’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
5 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewPaintings at the University of Notre Da…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

South Bend78 historic placesAClay Township2 historic placesC+Portage Township78 historic placesA+

Questions about Notre Dame’s history

What year was Notre Dame founded?

The Notre Dame post office opened in 1851, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Notre Dame rank for history?

Notre Dame is more historic than 32% of U.S. towns, #469 of 593 in Indiana. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

How old are the homes in Notre Dame?

0.0% of Notre Dame’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.3 points), against a typical 14% for an Indiana town; the median home was built in 1995.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (16), the Library of Congress (2), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.