Collection #

M0122

 

 

John Guedelhoefer Wagon Company
papers, 1913–1942, n.d.

Collection Information

Biographical/Historical Sketch

Scope and Content Note

Series Contents

Cataloging Information

 

 

 

Processed by

Charles Latham
March 1990

Revised by
Dorothy A. Nicholson,
Cathy Born and Betty Alberty
October 2006

Manuscript and Visual Collections Department
William Henry Smith Memorial Library
Indiana Historical Society
450 West Ohio Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202-3269

www.indianahistory.org

 

COLLECTION INFORMATION

VOLUME OF
COLLECTION:

1 manuscript box, 3 boxes of photographs, 1 box of OVA photographs, 1 Cirkut photograph

COLLECTION
DATES:

1913–1942, n.d.

PROVENANCE:

John Guedelhoefer Wagon Co. September 1968, Loretta Guedelhoefer June 1985

RESTRICTIONS:

None

COPYRIGHT:

 

REPRODUCTION
RIGHTS:

Permission to reproduce or publish material in this collection must be obtained from the Indiana Historical Society.

ALTERNATE
FORMATS:

 

RELATED
HOLDINGS:

 

ACCESSION
NUMBER:

1968.0917, 1985.0618

NOTES:

The Loretta Guedelhoefer materials from the 1985 accession were partially processed as collection P0203. During reprocessing it was decided to merge all Guedelhoefer materials into the M0122 collection.
Due to the volatile nature of nitrate negatives, the 11 nitrate negative images found with this collection were digitized and copy prints were placed in the collection.

BIOGRAPHiCAL/historical SKETCH

The John Guedelhoefer Wagon Company was founded in 1873 by John Guedelhoefer. According to the company advertisements the company was established in 1880. John was born in Germany December 26 1832 to John and Anna Guedelhoefer. His mother died when he was 6 months old. He was trained in carriage-making from about the age of seventeen. In 1869 he came to Indianapolis with reportedly only 5 cents to his name. After three years John had saved enough money for his own business. His first shop was opened in 1873 on South Street. In 1886 he bought a triangular lot at the corner of West Georgia Street and Kentucky Avenue, and there built a factory of considerable size. His business developed rapidly and by 1893 he had added an additional building to his blacksmith shop, wagon factory and paint & finish shop. All operations were conducted under John’s personal supervision.

John married Magdalina Schmidt and together they had 7 children: William, Julius, August, Mary, Paulina, Otto and Bernard.  He died in 1905 in Indianapolis. John’s son August became owner and president of the wagon company. Bernard was treasurer. August and his wife Ella had four children: Bertha, John O., Marie and Loretta. John O. Guedelhoefer became owner of the company after his father died, retiring in 1962.

The company specialized in delivery wagons, particularly for ice, dairy, and bakery products.  These were spring wagons of two main types: "Chicago style," with a flat high body sprung above both axles; and a "low-down" style, with the center part of the body slung low for easy access by the delivery man. As times changed, for example with the common use of gasoline-powered vehicles, the company tried to keep up with improvements in design. For example, they advertised "silent" wagons with rubber tires, then with pneumatic tires and ball bearings.  By the 1930s, they were building special truck bodies to suit various customers and then mounting them on chassis supplied by manufacturers like General Motors. A special fleet of delivery trucks was produced in 1935 for Indiana Railroad as that company tried to salvage the remnants of interurban rail transport. The company also ran quite an active advertising campaign in specialized journals aimed at the dairy industry.

Control of the company remained in family hands through the third generation. Finally in 1970, when surviving family members were in their seventies, the company went out of business.

Sources:

Catholic Cemeteries Association, 435 W. Troy Ave., Indianapolis, Ind.

Pictorial and biographical memoirs of Indianapolis and Marion County, Indiana, together with biographies of many prominent men of other portions of the state, both living and dead. Chicago : Goodspeed Brothers, 1893.

Indiana State Library, Indiana Biography Service v.10.p.17, v.78.p25.c.3, v.79p.64.c.2

 

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

The collection includes both manuscript and visual materials divided into four series. Series 1 contains the manuscript materials and Series 3–4 is made up of the visual materials. Most of the manuscript material is dated but the visuals are not. There are many photographs, particularly of the horse-drawn vehicles, that appear to be from the 1890 time period.

Series 1 contains the manuscript component and is arranged by category. It contains correspondence, advertising material, working drawings, and clippings. Folders 1 through 9 illustrate the advertising and sales of the company in the 1920s and 1930s as well as the company’s products. In Folder 1 is a proposal for joint merchandising of wagons and harness; in Folder 3 are sales letters from the period when wagons were being converted to ball bearings and pneumatic tires. Samples of advertisements are in Folders 4–8, and a list of sales prospects are in Folder 9. Specifications and drawings are in Folders 10–12 and material about suppliers and competitors are in Folders 13–15. Folders 12 and 16 show the company moving from wagons to truck bodies. Folder 17 concerns a building near the Guedelhoefer factory.

Series 2 contains photographs of horse-drawn wagons and trucks built by the Guedelhoefer Company for Indiana companies and other companies having branches in Indiana. These are arranged alphabetically.

Series 3 (Wagon and Truck Models) has photographs and one illustration of different models including: horse-drawn carriages and wagons, electric powered vehicles, dump trucks, a horse trailer, a peanut cart, chassis and vehicle parts, and perhaps a competitor, the Hercules Body Co. of Evansville, Indiana. These are arranged by category.

Series 4 is made up of photographs of what appear to be the Guedelhoefer buildings and employees through the years and some family photographs.

series CONTENTS

Series 1: Manuscript and Printed Materials, 1928–1942, n.d.

CONTENTS

CONTAINER

Correspondence with Indianapolis Saddlery Co., 1928

Box 1, Folder 1

Correspondence with U.S. War Department about wagon for Jeffersonville Depot, 1928–1929

Box 1, Folder 2

Sales letters and advertisements, 1932–1934

Box 1, Folder 3

Milk wagon advertisements, 1926–1934, n.d.

Box 1, Folder 4

“Electric Graveyard” nitrate negatives removed from letter from Dairy Produce, Chicago, Il of 17 May 1929 from folder 4

Photographs:
Box 3, Folder 14

Correspondence with Hollenbeck Press about letterheads and brochures, 1928–1929

Box 1, Folder 5

Advertisements with Olsen Publishing Co. and the Milk Dealer magazine 1926, 1929-1931, 1933, n.d.

Box 1, Folder 6

Advertisement in Dairy Produce 1929, 1931, 1934

Box 1, Folder7

Advertisements, Bakery and other wagons 1927, 1930, 1931, n.d.

Box 1, Folder 8

List of Dairies and Bakeries in U.S. 1928

Box 1, Folder 9

Wagon Specifications and drawings 1927, 1928, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1942

Box 1, Folder 10

Lettering Chart for three types of wagons, n.d.

Box 1 Folder 11

Trucks-specifications and pictures 1934, 1935

Box ,1 Folder 12

Other suppliers 1925, 1929, 1932, 1934, n.d.

Box 1, Folder 13

Suppliers-Cleveland Hardware Company 1928, 1929, 1930

Box 1, Folder 14

Other suppliers: Union Forging Co. 1922 and Hoover Wagon Co., n.d.

Box 1, Folder 15

Newspaper clipping on Guedelhoefer wagon fleet built for Indiana Railroad System, 1935

Box 1, Folder 16

John B. Bright Building 111 S. Meridian St., 1929

Box 1, Folder 17

Series 2: Photographs of Company Vehicles Built By Guedelhoefer

CONTENTS

CONTAINER

Adolph’s Transfer Co.
American Linen Supply Co.
Ray Atk[ins?]
L.S. Ayres & Co.

Photographs:
Box 1, Folder 1

Baker Forms Co.
Balfour Cheese Co.
Ballard
Banner-Whitehall
B-F Beverage Co.
Bias Express
The Wm. H. Block Co.
Borden’s Milk
Boyle Motor Products
Burnet-Binford Lumber Co.
By-Products Industries Inc.

Photographs:
Box 1, Folder 2

Carter-Lee Lumber Co.
City Baking Co.
City of Indianapolis
Cloverleaf Transportation Co.
Coburn Coal Co.
Colonial Baking Co.
Sam Comado
Consumers Ice & Fuel Co.
J. Cook
Co-Operative Trading Co.
Crescent Paper Co.

Photographs:
Box 1, Folder 3

Daily Market Fruits & Vegetables
Darling & Co.
E.H. Day (Poplar Ridge Farm)
Dynes-Pohlmam Lumber Co.
Emrich’s “Factory Furniture Store”
East End Scavenger Service
East Side Scavenger
E-Z-Bake Flour

Photographs:
Box 1, Folder 4

Fairview Dairy
Federal Electric Co.
Chas. Freihofer Baking Co.
C. Cree Gable Furniture
Goldberg Cooperage Co.
Grandmothers Bread,
The Great Atlantic-Pacific Tea Co.
Guernsey Milk & Ice Cream Co.
The John C. Groub Co.

Photographs:
Box 1, Folder 5

Haller’s Bread
F. Hilgemeier & Bro.
Home Brewing Co.
Reece Howe
Hultig Bros Mfg Co.
Hurr’s Dairy Products

Photographs:
Box 1, Folder 6

Indian Refining Company
Indiana Oxygen Co.
Indiana Railroad
Indiana State Board of Health
Indianapolis Power & Light Co.
Irvin & Sons
Jersey Creamery

Photographs:
Box 1, Folder 7

C.J. Kissell
Geo. F. Kreitlein Groceries
Kruse Radio Inc.
Eli Lilly & Co.
Lilly Varnish Co.

Photographs:
Box 1, Folder 8

John J. Madden Mfg. Co.
Maple Wood Farm Dairy
Marshall Bros. General Painters
Mar-Co. Distributing Co.
Mascari & Comella
Guy Mascari & Co.
Merkle Dairy Co.
Metropolitan Coal & Oil Co. Inc.
Meyer Baking Co.
Minardo Bros.
Modern Scavenger Service
L.E. Morrison & Co.
Murello & Bisesi
Mutual Milk Co.

Photographs:
Box 1, Folder 9

Nashville Pure Milk Co.
Niman Transfer Co.
Noblesville Milling Co.
North Side Dairy Co.
Nu-Grape Bottling Co

Photographs:
Box 2 Folder 1

Omar Baking Co.

Photographs:
Box 2, Folder 2

Palm Beach Creamery Co.
J.J. Paquette
Peaper Bros.
Pearson Company
J. C. Perry & Co.
Newton D. Prather (Polk’s)
Pure Oil Co.
The Purity Dairy

Photographs:
Box 2, Folder 3

“The Polk Sanitary Milk Co. Indianapolis The Sunlight Plant & Delivery Equipment. Taken on the 20th Anniversary of the Organization, Aug. 1, 1913”

Cirkut Photograph:
Folder 1

Queen Dairy
Quincy Creamy Products
H.J. Riebe
Wm H. Roberts & Sons
Wm Rouse & Son

Photographs:
Box 2, Folder 4

Sally Ann Bread
The Salvation Army
Schlosser Bros.
Ed Schoenberger
Scott Trucking Co.
Sears, Roebuck & Co.
Sexson Bros. Coal Co.

Photographs:
Box 2, Folder 5

Specialty Accessory Co. Inc.
Stadler’s Packing Co.
Standard Grocery Co.
Standard Oil Co.
H.C. Steinkamp & Son
Strecker Bros.
Sugar Creek Butter

Photographs:
Box 2, Folder 6

J. H. Taylor Transfer
The Udell Works
Union Feed Co.
Universal Beverage Co.
Gray Von Allmen Sanitary Milk Co.
Vossler & Dennis Trucking Co.
Sidney Wanzer & Sons

Photographs:
Box 2, Folder 7

Waterloo Township Schools
White Baking Co.
Wilson & Co.
Geo. W. Wright Pasturized [sic]Milk Products
Wright’s Furniture

Photographs:
Box 2, Folder 8

Series 3: Photographs of Wagon and Truck Models

CONTENTS

CONTAINER

Horse-drawn carriages and wagons

Photographs:
Box 3, Folder 1

Horse-drawn wagons

OVA Photographs:
Box 1, Folder 1

Horse-drawn carriage, color illustration by Fredk. R. Wood & Son, royal coat of arms on carriage

OVA Photographs:
Box 1, Folder 2

Electric powered vehicles

Photographs:
Box 3, Folder 2

Dump Truck models

Photographs:
Box 3, Folder 3

Milk trucks and pick-up trucks

Photographs:
Box 3, Folder 4

Moving van style trucks

Photographs:
Box 3, Folder 5

Horse trailer

Photographs:
Box 3, Folder 6

Various chassis and vehicle parts

Photographs:
Box 3, Folder 7

Man with peanut/popcorn cart

Photographs:
Box 3, Folder 8

Hercules Body Company truck bodies for Adler Mayonnaise Co. and Ideal Dairy Products of Evansville, Indiana, ca. 1950

Photographs:
Box 3, Folder 9

Series 4: Guedelhoefer Company and Family Photographs

CONTENTS

CONTAINER

John Guedelhoefer Wagon Co. buildings and employees

Photographs:
Box 3, Folder 10

Workmen with horse-drawn wagons, men with trucks

Photographs:
Box 3, Folder 11

Group pictures at the Guedelhoefer Wagon Co.

OVA Photographs:
Box 1, Folder 2

Guedelhoefer family photographs

Photographs:
Box 3 Folder 12

Loretta Guedelhoefer’s First Communion at St. Mary’s

OVA Photographs:
Box 1, Folder 3

Buildings owned or rented by Guedelhoefer Co.

Photographs:
Box 3, Folder 13

CATALOGING INFORMATION

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, M0122).

5.      When you find the collection, go to the "Full Record" screen for a list of headings that can be searched for related materials.