On January 5, 1889, the Scientific American had reprinted an earlier report of the Leipziger illustrierte Zeitschrift about the successful use of the high-speed Daimler engine, together with a woodcut illustration of the Benz car. When the first news about the success of the Daimler and Benz vehicles reached America, inventive minds soon responded. There is a report of a car built by a German immigrant, Henry Nadig, in Allentown, PA in the early 1890s. At the same time another automobile designer of German origin, Gottfied Schloener, built a car which ran 12 miles per hour in Milwaukee in 1889.

Other vehicles became known, for example those built by Charles H. Black in Indianapolis in 1891-93. On July 4, 1894, Elwood Haynes drove his Haynes automobile on the Pumpkinvine Pike near Kokomo, Indiana. While this was not the first automobile built and operated in Indiana, this well-documented event served as a focal point for an Indiana celebration of the history of the automobiles.

In the last 100 years, more than eighty Indiana cities have produced more than five hundred makes of motor vehicles.* German-American involvement in these companies was substantial, with many successful companies being started by German-Americans or Americans of German descent. Some examples of lesser known companies with a German name are Zimmerman Manufacturing Co., Roman Eichstaedt, Herrmann Automobile Co, Huffmann Brothers Manu- facturing Co, W. H. Kiblinger Co, and Merz Cyclecar Co. More famous names include Duesenberg, Studebaker and Stutz,. While some companies can be easily recognized through their German names, others cannot. For instance, the famous Auburn Auto Company was founded by the Eckhart Brothers, but named after their hometown. H.C.S., the Ideal Motor Company and American Underslung were all Harry C. Stutz ventures.

German names can also be found in the engineering departments of famous companies, such as Gordon Buehrig who designed for Auburn Cord and Duesenberg. Charles Greuter was the head engineer at Stutz after 1925. Studebaker employed Otto Klassmeyer and Ray Dietrich was head designer in South Bend.

The Duesenberg name is synonymous with excellence. Duesenberg cars were built in Indianapolis and their creators were the brothers Frederick and August Duesenberg, who immigrated as boys from Lippe, Germany in 1885.

The Studebaker ancestors, Clement and Peter, landed in Philadelphia in 1736. By 1851 the family had moved to South Bend. The next year, Henry and Clem of the fourth generation in the U.S., founded "Studebaker Brothers." In 1858 they were joined by two other brothers and became makers of Conastoga style wagons, known for sturdiness and durability. During the Civil War, Studebaker wagons were in high demand. In the 1890's, Studebaker was generally regarded as the world's largest wagon builder. The first Studebaker automobile was built in 1902, an electric powered, open carriage with tiller steering. 1904 saw the first gas-powered Studebaker in production.

Harry C. Stutz first came to Indianapolis in 1903 at the age of twenty-seven. He was married to one Clara Dietz. In 1910 he started his own company and in 1912 the most famous Stutz automobile, the Bearcat, won 25 of 30 racing events. It also became popular as a sports car.

*For a thorough coverage of the story of the automobile in Indiana see the Spring 1994 issue of Traces, which commemorated 100 years of automotive history in Indiana. A National symposium on the Automobile was held in July 1994 in Auburn, IN.

Eberhard and Ruth Reichmann

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