SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The History Museum announced there will be an Indiana State Historical Marker dedication ceremony for J.D. Oliver, a prominent local businessman during the 1890s, at 1 p.m. on Thursday, August 8, at Copshaholm.

The event will take place at the northeast corner of the grounds of Copshaholm, where Oliver lived with his wife, Anna, and their four children.

Community members are invited to attend.

Oliver is described as a leading industrialist of his time. Museum officials state he was president of the Oliver Chilled Plow Works and, through his marketing and financial decisions, grew the business started by his father, James Oliver, into one of the largest in the world in the late 1800s.

The marker will bear the following statement:

“South Bend industrialist Joseph D. Oliver worked alongside his father, James, inventor of the Oliver Chilled Plow, to grow their plow business into one of the largest in the world in the late 1800s. The plow’s design and durability allowed farmers to cut through soil more easily. J.D. expanded the company internationally as president of the Oliver Chilled Plow Works. J.D. Oliver built this home for his family in the 1890s, naming it Copshaholm for his father’s Scottish birthplace. The Olivers were integral to South Bend’s early infrastructure and economic growth, funding an opera house, hotel, playground, and public improvements, such as housing for their expanding workforce. J.D. was active in the family business until his death.”

State historical markers commemorate significant individuals, organizations, places, and events in Indiana history.

According to the Indiana Historical Bureau, which administers the State Marker Program, this will be the sixth to be installed in St. Joseph County in the last eight years.

Copshaholm is located at 808 W. Washington St. in South Bend.