My Mother's Studebaker Car Named Tillie
Studebaker Car Photo
Memories of Past Times
When my younger brothers and I were youngsters living in the beautiful countryside of Wisconsin, my mother had an old Studebaker car and her name was "Tillie." We were fortunate in that my mother was a stay at home mom.
My dad drove his car into the City of Milwaukee each day to go to work which was about 30 miles east from where we lived. Thirty miles seemed quite the distance back then.
Of course roads have been greatly improved since those days and today we think nothing of traveling a similar distance all within this city where we now reside just to go to a symphony performance or even to go out to a special restaurant or to go to a friend's house for an evening of camaraderie.
Tillie
At the time we thought nothing of the fact that my mother referred to her car as Tillie. My dad's car did not have a special name and why my mother's car was so named, I have no idea. We all just took it as a matter of course that Tillie was a part of our family's landscape of possessions at the time.
What made this car so special? Plenty!
Post World War II
In those days of growing up in the 1950s and following "the war to end all wars" (sadly that was not the case) not every family was fortunate enough to have a second car as well as a stay at home mom.
My parents worked hard and were thrifty in their spending habits and also believed in saving for a rainy day. They had built the house in which I first remember living. My memories did not capture the earlier days of living in a cottage on the lake next door to my paternal grandmother. Ah but I do remember the Studebaker car named Tillie!
Why was Tillie so Memorable?
First of all the cloth lining on the roof interior of the car had started disintegrating. When there was more of it hanging down than attached to the roof my parents decided to just remove all the remaining fragments. I have no idea if a new headliner was not in their budget or if they just decided that Tillie deserved a new more distinctive look. Whatever the case may have been the interior roof was painted instead. My mother seemed pleased and after all it was her second hand car to do with as she wished.
In addition to no headliner the primary reason that Tillie was unlike most other cars was the condition of her heater. Few cars back in those days offered air conditioning. Windows were simply rolled down and whatever breezes passed through the car offered a bit of respite from the summer heat.
However in Wisconsin the cold weather lasts for many months of the year. All cars of which I was familiar did provide heaters. Tillie's heater was obviously just plain old and worn out. That is not to say that Tillie's heater did not work. It worked but sadly just about at the end of any trip a faint bit of heat would start coming out of her.
Since we lived in the country and attended a private school my mother would drive us there and pick us up each day. In the dead of winter we would all be bundled up and shiver all the way to school. My mother tried her best to convince us that it was merely invigorating. Ha ha!
Kids of a certain age like to blend in with their peers. Even though some other friend's parents did not even own a second car the fact that Tillie was so different embarrassed my brothers and me back then. We would ask my mother not to drop us off right by the school doors but to stay back a bit in the small parking lot so that other kids would not see us exiting from Tillie.
How silly! In later years my mother and I have often laughed about the old Studebaker named Tillie and those times of bygone days.
Do you have funny car stories?
Studebaker Car History
The new craze nowadays is the thought of using more hybrid cars which can travel further without spending so much money on fueling them with gasoline.
The history of Studebaker is interesting. Did you know that Studebaker actually made electric cars a couple of years before they introduced those powered by gasoline?
The gasoline powered ones came along in the year 1904. They were heavily marketed and sold beginning in 1912 and until they closed their last manufacturing operation in 1966 they were well received by the public and were known for their quality.
For many years when we lived in the Bear Creek subdivision in Houston, Texas, our next door neighbor could be seen working on his vintage Studebaker cars and or trucks. He spent many of his free hours in his garage or driveway lovingly restoring these vehicles. It was a thrill for him to take an old possibly rusted out non working vehicle and get it shined up and operational.
There are Studebaker meets (conventions) where like minded individuals take their vintage cars and meet up in various states. In 2013 it was in Colorado Springs, Colorado and the hosts were the Pikes Peak chapter. Our neighbors attended that convention as they do many others in various places around the country.
While my early memories of the Studebaker car named Tillie might not have been the greatest I have come to appreciate their beauty and uniqueness over the years especially because of being exposed to them with our next door neighbor's love of the brand.
Do you have special memories or stories related to the Studebaker? If so, please mention them in the comment section below. Thanks!
© 2010 Peggy Woods
Comments are welcomed!
Peggy, This hub is awesome and it certainly brings back memories. I also remember a neighbor or relative having a Studebaker in the 1950s. When my dad first started farming in 1954, he worked at Allis Chalmers in West Allis and drove 30 miles back and forth from near Mukwonago. Did Studebaker have any manufacturing plants in Wisconsin? I remember that one of my neighbors worked at an auto plant in Kenosha. I like your old pictures very much. Voted up as awesome and interesting and sharing with HP followers.
Hi there great hub... and yes we all name our cars in my family... the earkiest one I remember was VOVO which of course was really a Volvo haha kids right? We also had a travelall named the tortuga cuz it was huge and green. My first car was the copper penny.
What a lovely tribute to your mother and a great walk down memory lane too! We had a Studebaker for a second car for a while. I'm not sure what year it was, but I think early 50s. We had a Packard for a while too.
You mentioned the hybrid cars that many people are choosing nowadays. My daughter recently tried to buy a used Prius, 7-years old. As you know they work on both gasoline and battery. Well, the battery gave out after only a few days and has to be replaced. She said it would cost something like $4,000!! I checked online and the least expensive battery for a prius I could find was over $1350. I wonder if a person really saves given the initial cost of the vehicle (new) and then what happens if the battery or battery pack wears out. The battery pack I saw online was over $3600.
Daughter gave the car back to the owner. I'm told he's going to get it repaired. So for now she's depending on others for her transportation.
Really enjoyed this article. Wonderful photos and you're so lucky to have them. Pinning this to my board, "Fun & Interesting Subjects."
Our First car was maruti 800. It was small car but very good though it did not have air conditioning in it. Still have lots of memories of that car. loved the picture of you in boots. Voting up, awesome and shairing
I love your stories and get quite a kick out of the old family photographs that you share with us. We grew up in the same era, and I have vivid memories of my mother and I wearing little white gloves when we got dressed up. Thanks for sharing your fun memories of Tillie and your Mom! Voted up and sharing!
Hi Peggy - I loved the story about your mom and her car. Back then, I think a lot of second cars were a bit funky but driving around in Wisconsin winters without heat must have been a bit more than invigorating! I love old cars, they all seem to bring back memories!
I think we all have some memories of the 'older' cars we grew up with. You certainly brought Tillie back to life in this enjoyable hub!
Voted up, awesome, and interesting.
No, unfortunately, I don't have a photo of Daddy's '29 Dodge. You are so blessed to have all these wonderful photos from your family.
Just came back to let you know I Pinned this Hub!
What a precious memory of Tillie! My Daddy had a 1929 Dodge that had wooden wheel spokes. We always had to give him a push down the hill in front of our house in order for him to start the car.
Loved your photos, especially of you in the boots.
Voted up, and shared.
I remember our old Studebaker. We were going through Texas dead of winter and a snow storm in Dallas the back window blew out and we had to hold a blanket over the window till we could get somewhere to get it fixed. Enjoyed your hub voted up.
Hi Peg,
I really enjoyed reading this hub about your mom and old Studebaker car. I am like you I love the old vintage cars and when we are young, we just cant appreciate the classy cars. My dad used to restore old cars and talk about sharp once he was done. To this day I am always pointing them out. Thank you for sharing. I loved the pictures as well.
Take care,
Sunnie
What a great hub and a walk down Memory Lane! You and your mom are so pretty in those photos. I've seen pictures of an old Studebaker my parents used to own. I remember one of my brothers used to have an old Lincoln that he called Jezebel. ;) I really enjoy reading hubs about days gone by and getting to peek into the past and see how things were from the vantage of people who lived then rather than reading it in a history book with tiny print and no pictures. ;)
Voting you up, interesting, beautiful, and awesome! Will share.
Peggy, I love these old vintage cars and it was refreshing reading about your memories with one of these vintage beauties.
We had a Standard 10 in the late 50's. Even today I enjoy looking at these vintage cars that have been maintained exceedingly well by those who own them and when they are taken for a drive around town they become the focus of attraction due to their unique looks.
Thanks! Hope to see you around =)
Nice!
I've only purchased one semi-new car, but ended up not keeping it. We're now just a one car family, but I'm good with that. If I'm lucky the biz should be mostly home based anyway when it takes off. =)
Cute storry Peggy!
I remember some of my parents old cars, they were great! Kept in good shape.
My first car was an '89 chevy celebrity, with tinted windows. It was the pimp mobile.
What a delightful family memory. My family doesn't have any car stories but sitting down and remembering the good times helps keep family histories alive.
My Aunt had a Studebaker. I loved it. Boy she could drive that thing too. Alas- she lived too early too compete in NASCAR!
I liked that a lot, Peggy! What a beautiful memory to associate with your mother. We had some relatives who owned a Studebaker. I was always fascinated by it. I think it was the pointed nose on the front. Great memories...thanks for sharing them.
We didn't have a studebaker, but we did have an old squarish station wagon (not the long, low, sleek kind) with a finicky column shifter. It also had a wide, fold down armrest in the middle of the back seat that used to be my seat whenever we traveled. Being that I was the youngest, and smallest, it afforded me an excellent view through the windshield - as both my sisters had the window seats!
Nice hub
Enjoyed reading it.
Thanks
I named my first car "Loki", named after the Norse mythology god who caused trouble. And trouble that car was, always leaving me stranded or breaking down. It finally got totalled in a car accident, and I decided to not name my next car and it was the best car I ever had!
My father called our 66 LeMans "Betsy"! I'd forgotten that till I read your wonderful hub! Thanks Peggy!!
I love the story and the pictures and the '50's memories they churned up for me. I used to love the look of the Studebaker as a little kid-- to me it looked very modern, like a space ship and so different from the sedate sedans my parents drove. I love your memories of that time, your family, and of course, Tillie--t hanks for sharing.
It's so comforting to have those pleasant memories of your mom and her Studebaker car. I had my 57 chevy and it had molding that kept peeling off, but she ran beautifully. Oh I remember those days of very little heat when I drove in the Canadian winters, brrrrrr. I also remember being cold in our house and sleeping with my winter coat on and thick socks.lol those were the days, and thanks for sharing some of yours.
What a great memory from your childhood, and the photos were terrific, as well. My sister's first car was a 57 Nash Rambler with a Continental Kit on the back, and she drove me to my friends' houses and doctors' appointments in it. The car was 10 years old when she got it, and I remember singing the Beatles' "Yellow Submarine" on the way home from the doctor. It periodically flooded, and she would take a stick and open up the breather to start the car when it wouldn't start.
Great days. As Bob Hope would sing, "Thanks for the memories..."
Mike
Love this post. Had to share it. Gorgeous gorgeous photos.
Thank you for sharing your memories with us. I really enjoyed every word. I hope you still have it because they are the most collectable cars.
Wow, you have wonderful memories in the family , and you're able to present them in extraordinarily interesting way.
Peggy, thank you for sharing these sweet memories of your dear mother. I know you miss her very much, especially today. She is watching over you and now loves you from afar.
Fun memories to cherish. Your Mom was very beautiful and appreciated life. Always a beautiful smile.
Loved this! My grandmother drove a powder blue Studebaker.
I really like Studebakers. One of my first cars was one of the old ones but I can't remember the year. I was thinking 1947 but I'm not sure. As far as heaters go, I think they had better heaters than other cars did until the mid-fifties or whenever fresh air heaters were introduced.I always wanted one of the Golden Hawks but never got one.
thankyou, hopefully you have more|?
I also loved this story. Such great memories. I wonder what our children will remember with fondness years from now. Great Hub.
I just loved reading your story, thank you for sharing.
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