September 6, 2023 at 8:25 a.m.

Visiting Exhibition Offers Glimpse of Indiana's Automotive Past



By JENN GUTHRIE | Comments: 0 | Leave a comment

There’s still time to catch the Auto Indiana exhibit on display now at the Yellow Trail Museum, located at 644 Main Street in downtown Hope.

The exhibit, which opened August 4, continues through this weekend until it closes September 12, says John Ziegler, president of the Yellow Trail Museum.

On loan from the Indiana Historical Society, the Yellow Trail thought the exhibit was a good fit and tie-in for the town’s monthly First Friday's Cruise-ins and the automobile enthusiasts who attend those shows, says Jessica Deckard, of the Yellow Trail Museum.

“The Studebaker has been an important automaker in Indiana,” Deckard says. “And Hope is now home to the remaining Studebaker stock parts – Studebaker International, which holds the remaining parts that collectors and those with Studebakers seek out.”

This exhibit is just one of many on loan from the state museum that have passed through the Yellow Trail’s doors over the years, organizers say.

Among the elements of Indiana’s historical ties to the evolution of the automobile is information about the Haynes Automobile Company, formerly known as the Haynes-Apperson Company from 1896 to 1905, that was located in Kokomo, Ind., from 1905 to 1924. The company offered the “Light Six” model beginning in 1914 for $1485. The sleek ride could travel nearly 25 miles on one gallon of gas and led to the development of several subsequent models that culminated in the "57" model shortly before the company closed in 1924.

Visitors can also learn about the [automotive] race to the American Dream as experienced by the “Drivers of Innovation” and “Automakers” of that era, as well as a bit about the process of automobile parts production at the time, which looked starkly different from that of today.

Ziegler says he is hopeful residents will catch the exhibit before it’s gone.

“It is something for people to see,” he says. “It brings information together so we can see what happened in Indiana [during that time], as well as some cars that weren’t quite so well-known, and not just about Henry Ford.”

Visitors can check out the exhibit during regular museum hours: 1 to 5 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays and 12 to 4 p.m. Saturday.

For more information, visit the Yellow Trail Museum on Facebook HERE

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