The Studebaker Corporation
- Program
- Subject
- Location
- Lat/Long
- Grant Recipient
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Indiana Historical Bureau
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Industry & Commerce
- 1945 S Lafayette Blvd, South Bend, IN 46601, USA
- 41.667551814952, -86.253534145372
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Indiana Historical Bureau
The Studebaker Corporation
Inscription
The Studebaker CorporationSide One: The Studebaker Corporation
The Studebaker brothers founded a blacksmith and wagon-making shop in South Bend in the 1850s. The business grew during the Civil War and became the Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company in 1868. A leading supplier of horse-drawn vehicles and equipment by the 1890s, Studebaker employed thousands of workers, including women and immigrants, at the factory here.
Side Two: The Studebaker Corporation
The company began building electric and gas-fueled automobiles in the early 1900s. A new, modern factory was constructed here in the 1920s. Studebaker also met the demand for military vehicles for many major U.S. conflicts. Recognized for innovative designs like the Starliner Hardtop and the Avanti, it remained an independent automaker until the plant closed in 1963.
Installed 2025 Indiana Historical Bureau, William G. Pomeroy Foundation, Studebaker National Museum, and Kevin and Sue Smith. In memory of Nancy Lea Jones Pfahler.
