Plymouth, Indiana

Plymouth, Indiana (Marshall County) sits about 30 minutes south of South Bend. Local histories and reporting note that, following Reconstruction and into the 20th century, Plymouth functioned as a sundown town — signs at city limits and social enforcement were used to keep Black people out after dark and limit residence and business opportunities. That exclusion was enforced by intimidation and local custom as well as by the regional power of groups like the Klan during peak periods. Sundown enforcement often worked through a combination of posted/implicit signs, harassment of Black travelers, pressure on landlords and employers, and denial of services — not always through one explicit ordinance but through a local culture that made it unsafe or impossible for Black families to live or stay in town. Plymouth’s sundown history fits that regional pattern. Wilson Street — Plymouth’s Black neighborhood and businesses – Despite Plymouth’s sundown reputation, there was an identifiable African American neighborhood centered on Wilson Street. Oral histories and local recollections describe a close-knit Black community there with homes, churches, small businesses, and social meeting places. That neighborhood served Black mill workers and other residents who either lived in or traveled to Plymouth. Specific local landmarks mentioned in historical recollections include Mert’s Café (a regular lunch spot for Black mill workers), the former hotel and house owned by Glady Pettiford’s family (her father Reuben Pettiford was a Blacksmith who owned property), and the Trailways bus station site — all pieces of the neighborhood’s social and economic life. These places show that, even in towns with exclusionary practices, Black people built institutions and businesses to serve their communities. I currently live here with my fiancé and dog. We are honestly sketched out and damn near afraid for our lives. Not Recommended…