(10/13/04) Sign of the times

Excerpted from the Richmond, IN Palladium-Item

by Rachel E. Sheeley, Staff writer

The latest addition to the Wayne County Historical Museum's transportation collection is a large terra-cotta Studebaker dealership sign that once was imbedded in the wall above the doorway at 201 E. Main St.

The square sign features a spoked automobile wheel with the Studebaker name in cursive writing in a banner that reaches across the wheel from the lower left to the upper right. A similar emblem is used by the Studebaker Drivers Club, Inc.

The sign was uncovered during the recent demolition of that building and the former Wayne County Public Safety building.

The sign was first spotted by Francis Stanley, who was observing the demolition, said Wayne County Historical museum board member Glen Reeves.

As the wrecking ball smacked the front of the former Bowen car dealership building, the stucco fell off revealing a piece of metal. Another hit knocked the metal away, unveiling the terra cotta emblem of a wheel. The salvage crew from Cincinnati realized it was of value and removed it. Stanley photographed the emblem and gave the photos to car enthusiast Duane Boswell.

Boswell shared the photos with other car enthusiasts who gather at The Powerhouse restaurant.

"All of us got sick and wanted the sign back," Reeves said.

To regain the emblem, Wayne County Commissioner Mary Heyob, also a member of the historical museum board, was contacted. She worked with the salvage company to negotiate a price for the emblem. Several donors agreed to buy back the emblem for the museum.

When the salvage company owner and his wife delivered the emblem, which weighs some 1,600 pounds, to the museum, the couple took a tour. The couple was so impressed by the museum that they later returned the purchase check, donating the emblem to the museum, Reeves said.

However, even then, the recipients weren't sure what it was until Reeves realized there was the "ghost" of the cursive Studebaker name on it. The original raised letters had been cut down so that the sign could be covered flatly with metal.

Museum executive director Jan Livingston did some research in old city directories, discovering that in the 1929-30 directory, the Richmond Auto Sales Company occupied 201 E. Main St. The company, owned by Wilbur Godwin, distributed Studebaker and Erskine automobiles. Within just a few years, the city directory no longer lists the Studebaker dealership at that address.

The Studebaker brothers began building and selling wagons, the most famous the Conestoga, in 1852 in South Bend, Ind. The company entered the automobile business in 1902. By 1915, the company was selling 45,000 cars each year, and in 1927, Studebaker introduced its smaller Erskine model.

With the financial troubles of the Depression, the company went into receivership in 1933. It recovered in 1934 and continued to manufacture Studebaker cars and trucks in South Bend until 1964, with Studebaker production ceasing in Canada in 1966.

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