By Steve Grant AKA – The Madd Doodler

photo credit: infodump

One of the great parts of collecting is finding the unusual one of a kind piece. That’s not really easy to do when you collect Studebaker items. However in 2002 I was set up as a vendor at the International Studebaker Drivers Club Meet in South Bend Indiana and found just such an item.

It was Friday afternoon, the end of a full week of selling Studebaker toys, literature and memorabilia and I was in the process of packing my items away for the trip home. An elderly couple came into the room where the vendors were and fortunately came up to the area I was in first. As I vend alone, I set up beside a good friend from Canada so we can take turns watching the tables if one of us needs a break. The couple explained to my friend Richard and me that they had a few Studebaker items they wanted to sell. We are always on the lookout for new items to put on our tables so we took a look. They had a 10-year service pin and a copy of the Centennial album put out by Studebaker in 1952 which Richard bought. The other item they had was a hand-drawn picture of the five Studebaker brothers. This is the story of that item.

There had been several photographic images of the Studebaker Brothers made during the time they were all alive and their company was growing. They all went from being simple farmers and blacksmiths to being very wealthy men of influence. The brothers were born to John C. and Rebecca Studebaker. Along with Henry, Clement, John M, Peter and Jacob there were also five sisters in the family.

The couple selling the items had been antique dealers in South Bend with a store they had operated for more than 20 years. They told me a woman came in the store in 1964 with this picture and said her grandmother had drawn it. Her grandmother was Elizabeth Studebaker, the younger sister of the brothers that formed the Studebaker company. They had a slip of paper that had the name of the woman they bought the picture form and a newspaper clipping showing the five brothers in a familiar pose. The drawing shows the brothers in this same pose but quite a few years younger than we are used to seeing them.

If the info was correct, it was a great find, a one of a kind piece that would be a great addition to any collection. With no more info than their word and original note we struck a deal and I bought the picture. Once I returned home, I did some research and found out that the name they gave me was indeed that of Elizabeth Studebaker’s grand daughter. The time line checked out as well.

Drawing of the Studebaker Brothers

After that I took the framed picture to an appraiser to check it over. He confirmed it was from the proper era with period framing and glass. The backer is a single sheet of thin wood held in the frame with small square nails. There is a piece of heavy cord used to hang it.

The image itself was done in a soft silver which was popular medium of the age and tarnished like silver will do which then gives it the appearance of pencil. The appraiser couldn’t give me an accurate appraisal though since it is a one of a kind and there is no reference point to put a price on it. I guess the value doesn’t matter much since it’s become part of my own collection instead of going up for sale.

Why they chose our table to walk up to that day I don’t know, they did walk past a couple of other tables to get to us. They weren’t even sure why they had held onto the picture as long as they did since they had closed their antique store in the 1970s. I guess this time fate took a hand in deciding the new home for this unique piece of Studebaker history.

Above story was originally published at Madd Dooder. com

NOTE: The Studebakers had a rich history at Chautauqua in the 1900′s. Clement Studebaker served as interim president after the death of Chautauqua founder Lewis Miller, Clement Studebaker Jr. also later served on the board of trustees.

In recent years the Kinzua Region Studebaker Club has attended a fall weekender on the  Chautauqua Institution Grounds. For this years weekend dates and events check the Kinzua Region SDC schedule.

Was this piece af art drawn as one of the Special Studies classes held on the Chautauqua Grounds?

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Finding postcards at antique stores and auctions can be a learning experience. And many of the postcards are beautiful. The older style of hand painted photographs are among my favorite to find.

The last postcards I found were of images drawn by Jane E. Nelson. Nelson is known for her beautiful renditions of building and scenes on the grounds of the Chautauqua Institution.

This postcard by Nelson is of the main gate of the Chautauqua Institution. For those of you not familiar with the Chautauqua Institution, it is a gated community for cultural learning located in Chautauqua County NY. The Institution provides a nine week summer schedule of learning and cultural activities for all ages.

Kellogg Hall has a long and interesting history at the Chautauqua Institution. The building originally sat a few blocks from the location it occupies today.

It was used for many years for Special Studies offices and classes. Currently it houses the Chautauquan Daily Newspaper and offices while it waits for renovation for its next use.

Jane E. Nelson has produced  a large selection of postcards of homes and scenery of the Chautauqua  grounds. She  had has  many drawing in books and currently has a 2010 Chautauqua Institution calendar at the Chautauqua Bookstore for sale.

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Newspapers have a way of documenting history better than most medias. It could be newspapers capture the day-to-day events.

I recently picked up a 1932 newspaper from Sheffield Pa., a small town north of Chautauqua County. I also picked up several issues of the Chautauquan Daily, the summer newspaper for the Chautauqua Institution, located in Chautauqua NY.

According to the smaller heading on the Chautauquan Daily this was the 82nd year of the paper. The newspaper consisted of eight pages and the office staff had seven employees. The price was ten cents. Virgil Freed was the editor and Alfreda Locke Irwin was a member of the newspaper at this time. As a matter of fact, it was her first year at the Chautauquan Daily.

Irwin became assistant editor in 1959, and editor in 1966. She retired after 15years from the position in 1981. As editor of the Daily, she introduced daily new photos, coverage of the total program, articles by guest columnists, the question-and-answer format used for the morning lecture and the intern/apprentice system.

Reading the daily news from the Chautauquan Daily reflected change in the amount of activities offered but the daily schedule had the morning lecture and an afternoon lecture. The evening entertainment was at 8:30 pm at the Amphitheater.

One August 21 there were three art shows on the grounds and opera and theater were a strong part of the summer schedule.

The CLSC, Woman’s’ Club and Garden Club had meetings that day and the topics were much like the topics that are currently discussed.

It was interesting to see the changes in shops and restaurants on the grounds. Olga’s Tea shop was located behind the post office. The Eau-Clair Dining Room was located on Terrace. Howell’s gift shop at the corner of Simpson and Miller was proclaimed to be the oldest gift shop location at Chautauqua. These three businesses are no longer operating.

The Athenaeum served dinner at 6:30 and the cost was $3. B.C. Gifford was manager at this time. The Athenaeum is still operating and has a full schedule of activities from meeting to art shows. The hotel still offers the American plan.

The Gadfly111 offered 3 daily trips that left from the bell tower. The Gadfly111 is no longer traveling the Chautauqua Lake but the Simmer wind and Chautauqua Belle offer trips on the lake.

The variety of classes offered in continuing education was smaller but music and the arts appeared to be popular courses.

There’s a saying at the Chautauqua Institution that Chautauqua does not like change but from reading the paper, there are distinct differences in the summer schedule, most due to growth. But the underlying feel and purpose of the Institution appears to be the same.

Newspapers offer a glimpse into the past. And reading the August 21 edition of the Daily was insightful.

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In one of my wanderings through an estate sale I found a postcard of The Whiteside, a hotel in Maple Springs on the shores of Chautauqua Lake.

Maple Springs is a hamlet in Chautauqua County NY. Today it is best known for Midway Park, an amusement park with a rich history in the Chautauqua and Jamestown, NY area. Midway was given its name for being “midway” in between Jamestown, NY and Westfield, NY. It was also located across the Lake From Chautauqua, a bustling center for the “Chautauqua Movement.

Maple Springs was a busy hamlet with a Railroad stop in the past. Being midway between the two towns it served as a popular rest stop. Many tourists also crossed the lake to visit Chautauqua and attend the lectures and classes given in the summer season. Their trip across the lake was provided by one of the many steam ships that sailed Chautauqua Lake.

The Whiteside Hotel was one of the popular bed and breakfast stops for the travelers. The porches were a popular resting place on a hot day while waiting for transportation or to continue on to their next vacation stop.

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Chautauqua County NY offers travel, sport and entertainment year round for the entire family.

photo credit: r_bowley

Sitting along Lake Erie and Pennsylvania’s Northern border, Chautauqua County is an area that many people do not know about. But if you look into New York history, Chautauqua County has a diverse history that dates back to several Indian nations, founding exploration and the beginning of the Chautauqua movement.

Chautauqua County has been the home of many famous people including Roger Tory Peterson, former Governor Ruben Fenton, Lucille ball, Natalie Merchant and Buffalo Bills player, Shane Conlan

The following you tube will show the variety of Chautauqua County and its quaint towns and villages. I have always found the architecture in these towns to be inspiring. Each town seems to have it own area of interest. If you look closely at the buildings in Jamestown NY you will see many stained glass windows, Lily Dale has a vintage flair while the town of Chautauqua has a touch of almost every architectural style imaginable.

And while I tend to favor the summer and spending time at one of the five lakes or walking one of the many trails, winter offers a wide variety of winter sports.

Mayville, NY will host it’s winter festival “President’s Day Weekend Ice Castle Extravaganza ” in February. The building of the Ice Castle has been a tradition for many years. There are Sleigh rides offered on weekends through the quaint winding streets of the Chautauqua Institution and the ski resort, Peek-n-Peak near Findley Lake, has both winter events and summer activities.

Growing up near and area that offers so much makes me tend to overlook what all the area has to offer. I am reminded when I watch a video or entertain friends from out of town.

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