Frankford Delaware Dealership

[IndStudenut]

According to the line sheet for my 53 Commander it was shipped by rail to a dealership in Frankford Delaware. Does anyone out there from that area have any information about a Studebaker dealership that would have existed in 1953? I would love to be able to identify the dealership that it was delivered to.

rick

[rockne10]

In Bob Johnstone's Studebaker Resource Web Site there are no dealerships listed in Frankford, which simply means no one has yet supplied any reference to said dealership.

W.E. Bunting was located in Selbyville, four miles south of Frankford.
Frankford has a population just under 1000, while Selbyville has three times that.
Chances that these two small towns four miles apart would have competing dealerships is negligible.
Perhaps Bunting also had a sales office in Frankford.


If anyone finds information on a Studebaker dealer in Frankford, please share it with Bob, so he can add it to the list.

https://studebaker-info.org/Dealers/DEdealers.html

[IndStudenut]

Yeah I saw the list of dealerships for Delaware on Bob Johnston's site. That was the first place I looked. I just didn't know how conclusive it was. I also wasn't sure if Frankford was listed because it was the closest rail stop. I guess I just figured Selbyville would have their own rail stop. I did not know though that Selbyville was on 4 miles away. Thanks for that information.

[studegary]

I find it interesting that it went from Frankford to Franklin.

[IndStudenut]

Actually it is a little more twisted than that....... I am originally from Danville ILL......... So somehow it got from Frankford De to the Danville area as I bought it in 1977 in a little town south of Danville. I then brought the car to Franklin. So somewhere between 1953 and 1977 it made the trek. That is part of what I would like to do is trace the history and find out how it got there....... The problem is Illinois tells me there was a fire in the records dept and they cannot trace any history on title and tag info. Was hoping to approach it the other way around and see how far this direction I can get starting in Delaware..... If I can even do that. Something that I am still a little grey on is..... The line sheet says it shipped to "Frankfort Delaware" but there is no Frankfort and I find no history online of a town that used to be called Frankfort. Andy Beckman at the museum double checked for me and the microficherecord does say "Frankfort" so it is not a typo on the line sheet. So I am assuming.... strictly assuming that it was a typo when the line sheet was recorded and the city was Frankford. But it definitely said Delaware.

Rick

[Silverplate]

[IndStudenut]

I had some time tonight so I did some deduction...... Well at least as much deducing as I do........ In looking at Bob Johnston's website the list of dealerships just do not make sense to me as my cars destination. When I looked at the rail map for Delaware every one of the dealerships listed has the rail line running through it. So it does not make sense that my car would be delivered to Frankfort, I ruled out W.E. Bunting because they were established and opened ion 1959 0r 1960. My car is a 53 so it did not exist yet. So all of them just did not make sense...... except 1. One dealership actually seems very logical and possible.

Lester Kaufman's Studebaker Millville De

Millville is a coastal town with no rail system running through it. And ironically from what I can tell Frankford is the closest rail stop to it. So absent a dealership being found to exist in Frankford itself Lester Kaufman's seems like the most logical destination for my car. The only thing is not much info exists on Bob Johnston's website as far as what years it was in operation. The information was provided by JRoberts so not sure if he is still around or not. Does anyone have any information on when Lester Kaufman's dealership was in operation.

Just wondering

Rick

[kurtruk]

Actually it is a little more twisted than that....... I am originally from Danville ILL......... So somehow it got from Frankford De to the Danville area as I bought it in 1977 in a little town south of Danville. I then brought the car to Franklin. So somewhere between 1953 and 1977 it made the trek. That is part of what I would like to do is trace the history and find out how it got there....... The problem is Illinois tells me there was a fire in the records dept and they cannot trace any history on title and tag info. Was hoping to approach it the other way around and see how far this direction I can get starting in Delaware..... If I can even do that. Something that I am still a little grey on is..... The line sheet says it shipped to "Frankfort Delaware" but there is no Frankfort and I find no history online of a town that used to be called Frankfort. Andy Beckman at the museum double checked for me and the microficherecord does say "Frankfort" so it is not a typo on the line sheet. So I am assuming.... strictly assuming that it was a typo when the line sheet was recorded and the city was Frankford. But it definitely said Delaware.

Rick

I have a piece of memorabilia from the Danville, Ill Studebaker dealer (Mettam, Inc.). PM me if you'd be interested in having it. My Mother's family is from Potomac, Ill.

[Guido]

Something else to consider, many rail lines have been abandoned over the past 68 years. Looking at a current map will not give you a snapshot of what existed in 1953.

[jackb]

JFWIW....... there were 3 small Stude dealerships in my area: Plymouth Mass / Duxbury Mass / Pembroke Mass. These small towns are connected to each other.