The Niles Star

Morris Farms to be auctioned Aug. 17

A stretch of land that for generations has been the exclusive domain of one of the leading families of the South Bend/Niles area will be sold at auction in just two weeks, marking a major transition for both the area and the family. The auction will take place at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 17 at the Century Center in South Bend.

The land being sold — 868 acres belonging to the descendants of E.M. Morris — includes the main house, the Red Horse Inn, stables, a covered bridge and two miles along the St. Joseph River.

The family has played a vital and widely recognized role in the educational and cultural life of South Bend, with an instrumental role in the founding of the South Bend Symphony and Morris Performing Arts Center.

Generations of  Notre Dame followers and Niles residents have been raised on the story of how philanthropist E.M. Morris convinced Notre Dame to let him attend free in exchange for a promise to pay the school back tenfold.

Over the years, Morris fulfilled his promise many times over, and the family’s estate along the St. Joseph River in Niles came to symbolize his role as one of Notre Dame’s key benefactors.

The property will be sold in 40 tracts, including some as small as two acres, according to Gene Klingaman, vice president of Schrader Real Estate and Auction Company, which is partnering on the project with Mishawaka, Ind.-based real estate firm Grubb & Ellis/Cressy & Everett.

“The property has some incredible long views of the river from high bluffs, as well as large populations of deer and turkey, mature timber and some prime irrigated tillable farmland,” Klingaman said.

Morris’s success as founder of The Associates, which became the largest financing company in the world, made it possible for the family to create the estate. The landmarks to be sold include:

• The 15,000-square-foot main house on the St. Joseph River. The home, which has a working wine cellar, has been undergoing a gradual restoration in recent years.

• The Stables, which were later converted to a home where the family’s children spent their summers.

• The Red Horse Inn, a former fur trading post that has been used as a guest house.

• The covered bridge on the St. Joe Basin.

Schrader Real Estate & Auction Co., headquartered in Columbia City, Ind., is one of the nation’s leading auctioneers of farmland.