Ten years ago, the Kinzua Region Studebaker’s Drivers club along with the Hamilton Studebaker Driver’s Club organized a weekend event to meet and tour the grounds of the Chautauqua Institution. There had been rumors that Clement Studebaker had built a few houses on the grounds and these studebaker car enthusiasts wanted answers to which houses were designed by Clement Studebaker and what history the family had at Chautauqua. 
photo credit: tö
The event was planned to meet in Westfield NY, about 10 miles away from Chautauqua. The plans for the hotel fell through and at the last moment there was a wild scramble for rooms for a large gathering of Studebaker enthusiasts. As luck would have it, and being off-season, rooms were available for the group the stay on the Chautauqua grounds. Rooms were booked at the Englewood, Mardell Manor, The Miller, Rose Cottage and Cambridge Inn.
Chautauqua had no idea the quiet winding streets would soon be filled with vintage Studebakers. Plans were also made to visit the more well know Studebaker house, now known as the United Missionary House. The event was a success and the club has returned each year. The group has met and stayed at the Carey Cottage Inn for the last three years. This year’s event will take place this Labor Day weekend, Sept. 4 – 6.
And one of the bigger Chautauqua Studebaker weekends took place the year, founder of the Kinzua Region Studebaker Club, was married on the grounds. The wedding took place at Kennedy Park, near the Spencer Hotel. More than 50 Studebakers surrounded the Park and the bride arrived in a horse drawn carriage.
The bride was quite late and rumors were circulating she may have taken off but the carriage finally arrived. A safe route had to be taken, as the brakes to the carriage were not working. And the bride and groom still had a long downhill trip to the reception, which was taking place at the lakeside pavilion.
United Missionary House
Clement Studebaker, founder of the Studebaker Corporation, built the United Missionary house, located on the lakefront of Chautauqua Lake and on the grounds of the Chautauqua Institution. Studebaker was known first for their wagons and later for the automobiles, which were produced until 1965.
Clement Studebaker as a wedding gift for his daughter also built the house located directly behind the United Missionary house.
John Hyle Vincent, Lewis Miller and Clement Studebaker were also responsible for the Atheneum Hotel, working with the design and raising funds for a hotel that would be one of the first hotels in the United States to have electricity.
Lewis Miller’s Daughter married Thomas Edison so many of the experiments in electricity were performed at the hotel and down in Miller Park
Atheneum Hotel
photo credit: Sue Manus
Studebaker brought in his architect that designed the Tally Ho, his home in South bend Indiana, to design the home on the Chautauqua Grounds. This would be their summer home. For those of you who have visited the Tally Ho, the similar design and architecture of both buildings is apparent.
The first mention of the Studebakers at Chautauqua was a small clip in the newspaper announcing the arrival of Anne Studebaker, her children and their small pony. Clement later went on to be interim president after the death of the founder, Lewis Miller. Clement soon took ill and passed away in 1901.
During the time when the Studebakers visited Chautauqua they lived in five to six different homes, with the United Missionary house being the most well known. It is still a mystery as to why the Studebakers stopped visiting Chautauqua and sold the houses that they built. It may have something to do with the closing of the Studebaker Company but the reason is still unknown.
If you are in the area of the Chautauqua Institution on Labor Day weekend, stop by and enjoy the vintage cars.
