Found a cool old pic!

[stevo5671]

I was searching pictures on our county museum's web site trying to find a picture of my grandpa's old gas station for a project I'm working on. No luck on that yet, but I did stumble onto this.


(Caption below picture reads)
Sommerfield & Austin

This wagon works was located at 801 Monroe St., at the southeast corner of Monroe St. and Jefferson Avenue. Apparently it also served as a dealer of Studebaker wagons made in South Bend. The photo

dates from about 1911-12. The owners were Abram Sommerfield and Henry A. Austin. Earlier the

structure had served as the William C. Pitner Carriage Shop. The building is gone, and today is the site

of a bank building.

[Bullet]

That is pretty cool. Thanks for sharing. I love the roof, at first I thought that it was metal then realized that hit had to be wooden.

Mark

[BobPalma]

Steve: Do you recognize this picture from LaPorte? It was taken circa 1956!

That was a new house on the outskirts at the time, but you can be sure it would be all grown up by now.

'Wish I knew the address, but don't have it. If you have access to old phone books, look up the address for Lucian Currier as this is his and my Aunt's house:

[stevo5671]

Bob,

Hard to tell since I can't see anything else in the background as far as landmarks, and I was negative 11 years old at the time. Do you have any other info...what side of town, something that was nearby??? I am planning to go to our museum one of these days to try and find some pics. I'm sure they have old phone books I can look through. Would be cool to snap a photo of the house in 2011.

[BobPalma]

OK, Steve. I'll e-mail my aunt (she now lives on the south side of South Bend) and ask her for the address of that house, or even a general area, street name, etc. BP

[Welcome]

FWIW; Could be most anywhere around LaPorte, but looks like a lot of them do along US 35 south of town.

[64V-K7]

Thanks, I added your find to the dealer list..

[White Hawk]

Love the television tower: it was the only way to get WGN (ch-9 for the Cubs and Sox games) and the networks out of Chicago!

[BobPalma]

Love the television tower: it was the only way to get WGN (ch-9 for the Cubs and Sox games) and the networks out of Chicago!

And who would think that you'd chance to have two so highly collectible postwar cars in a random family photo like that, eh, Mike?

The 1947/48 Continental Convertible belonged to my Uncle Jerry Palma, who would have been no more than 21 at the time. He was the youngest of the six Palma children.

The oldest of the six was my Uncle Joseph Palma Jr. That is his 1954 Packard Caribbean.

Now that I think of it, that photo had to be circa 1956. Jerry sold the Continental when he bought his new, 1957 Silver Hawk V8 with overdrive from the Studebaker dealer there in LaPorte.

They were visiting the new home of their sister Libby, who was the next-to-youngest Palma child, just older than Jerry. She was married by then, so her name wwas Libby Currier. BP

[stevo5671]

[8E45E]

And who would think that you'd chance to have two so highly collectible postwar cars in a random family photo like that, eh, Mike?

And to think that '54 Caribbean might still survive! http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.c...ight=caribbean

Craig

[Welcome]

Love the television tower: it was the only way to get WGN (ch-9 for the Cubs and Sox games) and the networks out of Chicago!

Hi Mike,

We still have our TV antenna and 30 ft. tower. Had our home built in 1972 and got the three 10 ft. tower sections from Brite-Way Discount Store, 202 E. Ireland Rd., South Bend, IN 46614 ...the right way to shop!!! Remember???

[DieselJim]

I remember.

[White Hawk]

I purchased more stuff at Brite-Way than I care to admit.

[tutone63]

I Love those old pics! Thanks for sharing!