Collection #
P0235
Waverley Company
Photographs, 1908–1916
Collection Information
Historical
Sketch
Scope
and Content Note
Contents
Cataloging Information
Processed by
Brent Abercrombie,
David Pfeiffer
September 2006, Revised April 2008
Manuscript and Visual Collections Department
William Henry Smith Memorial Library
Indiana
Historical Society
450 West Ohio Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202-3269
www.indianahistory.org
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VOLUME OF
COLLECTION:
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1 box of photographs
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COLLECTION
DATES:
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1908–1916
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PROVENANCE:
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Dwight Shipley, Grove
City, Ohio
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RESTRICTIONS:
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None
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COPYRIGHT:
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REPRODUCTION
RIGHTS:
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Permission to reproduce or publish material in this
collection must be obtained from the Indiana Historical Society.
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ALTERNATE
FORMATS:
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RELATED
HOLDINGS:
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Waverley Company Catalogs in Printed Collections
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ACCESSION
NUMBER:
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1969.0812
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NOTES:
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The Waverley Company produced electric cars in Indianapolis from 1898 to
1916. Originally a bicycle company, it was consolidated with the American Electric
Vehicle Company in 1898. The bicycle company had been part of the “bicycle
trust” created by Albert Pope and the electric cars would be produced through his
company as he became interested in automobiles as well.
In 1904, as part of a company wide name change, the Waverley automobiles were
renamed Pope-Waverley automobiles. The move coincided with other name
changes within the Pope Company like the Pope-Hartford, Pope-Toledo, and
Pope-Tribune. The Pope-Waverley Company continued to manufacture electric
automobiles until 1908, when the company was struck with a financial
crisis. The Pope Company sold off the Waverley
department in Indianapolis
to several local businessmen in September 1908. The company continued to
run as the Waverley Company from 1909 until the company’s closing around
1916.
Waverley
automobiles were known for their luxury and beauty. The company promoted their
luxury and even used British names for its vehicles. Another aspect that was
promoted was how quiet the vehicles were, even using the “silent Waverley electrics” as
their ad campaign. Some of the more popular models sold by Waverley were: the Silent Waverley Runabout, Stanhope, Surrey,
Surrey, Coupe, and the Brougham. Perhaps
the Waverley Company’s most famous customers in Indiana
were General Lew Wallace, who bought a Model 20a Surrey in 1902, and Madam C.J. Walker.
Sources:
Bodenhamer, David J., and Robert G.
Barrows. The Encyclopedia of Indianapolis. Bloomington:
Indiana University Press, 1994.
Indiana Historic Preservation Commission. Indianapolis-Marion
County Automobile Industry, 1890-1940: Historic Context Study &
Property-Type Analysis. The Commission. Indianapolis, IN. 1990.
International Motor Car Company:
Waverley Department. Waverley
Electric Vehicles. The Company: Levy. Indianapolis, IN. 1905.
Kimes,
Beverly Rae. Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942. Krause Publications. Iola,
WI. 1985
Waverley Company. The Silent Waverley
Electrics. Waverley Company. Indianapolis,
IN. 1912.
The Waverley collection
contains 56 black and white photographs of electric automobiles made by the
Waverley Automobile Company of Indianapolis,
Indiana. A large bulk of
the images appears to come from a salesman sample album. The images
contained in the collection feature photographs of Waverley trucks, wagons, cars, and
interior/exterior designs ranging from 1908 to around 1916.
The collection itself contains images of trucks, delivery
wagons, automobiles, details of the chassis, and interior and exterior of Waverley vehicles. There
are two copy photographs from the Silent Waverley Electric Year Book 1913 and
one schematic drawing of a rear axel assembly. Three photographs show Waverley vehicles parked
outside of the Waverley Company building. The collection was accessioned
with four catalog pamphlets from 1910, 1912, 1914, and 1916. Those
pamphlets can be found in the Printed Collections.
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CONTENTS
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CONTAINER
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Trucks and delivery vehicles
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Photographs:
Box 1,
Folder 1
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Trucks and delivery vehicles
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Photographs:
Box 1,
Folder 2
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Automobiles
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Photographs:
Box 1,
Folder 3
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Vehicle interior views
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Photographs:
Box 1,
Folder 4
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Vehicles in front of Waverley
General Offices
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Photographs:
Box 1,
Folder 5
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Chassis views and copy
photographs
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Photographs:
Box 1,
Folder 6
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For additional information on this collection, including a list
of subject headings that may lead you to related materials:
1. Go to the Indiana
Historical Society's online catalog: http://opac.indianahistory.org/
2. Click on the
"Basic Search" icon.
3. Select "Call Number" from the "Search
In:" box.
4. Search for the
collection by its basic call number (in this case, P0235).
5. When you find the
collection, go to the "Full Record" screen for a list of headings
that can be searched for related materials.