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Franklin Automobile Company Collection

An inventory of the collection at Syracuse University


Finding aid created by: MRC
Date: 25 Jun 2008

Biographical History

The H. H. Franklin Manufacturing Company, located in Syracuse, New York, was a a maker of automobiles between 1902 and 1934. The company was founded by Herbert H. Franklin with the assistance of engineer John Wilkinson. Franklin automobiles offered the first six-cylinders (by 1905), the first automatic spark advance (1907), and were the leading air-cooled automobiles on the market (most other autos were water-cooled, which was problematic for cold-weather buyers such as those in Syracuse). Franklin also manufactured air-cooled engines for light aircraft and early American helicopters.

The company produced automobiles as The Franklin Automobile Company. The company went bankrupt in 1934, but a group of former Franklin employees formed Air-Cooled Motors of Syracuse, bought Franklin's name and assets, and continued production of Franklin air-cooled engines for several years. The company eventually passed through several corporate hands including Republic (aircraft),Tucker Industries (Tucker automobile), and Aero Industries; the latter renamed it Franklin Engine Company. In 1975 the company was purchased by the government of Poland and relocated to Rzeszów.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Franklin Automobile Company Collection (formerly titled Franklin Automobile 25th Anniversary Broadside) contains material relating to the Syracuse, New York manufacturer of automobiles. The collection includes an illustrated broadside advertisement for "The 25th Anniversary Franklin," at a price of $2490 for the coupe and $2790 for the sedan.

Arrangement of the Collection

By type.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions:

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

Related Material

Special Collections Research Center has made a concerted effort over the years to ensure that its manuscript and rare books holdings complement each other. As a result, many of our manuscript collections are supported by books, pamphlets, serials and other items which are cataloged in the Rare Books Collection. Please be sure to search Libraries Search for these related materials.

In particular, see Menno Duerksen's history of the great american classics, and the H.H. Franklin Club's The city of Syracuse & Franklin cars.

Subject Headings

Corporate Bodies

Franklin Automobile Company.
H.H. Franklin Manufacturing Company -- History.

Subjects

Automobile industry and trade -- New York (State) -- Syracuse.
Automobiles -- History.
Franklin automobile.

Places

Syracuse (N.Y.) -- History.

Genres and Forms

Advertisements.
Broadsides (notices)
Checks (bank checks)

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Franklin Automobile Company Collection,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Purchase, 2008, 2015.

Table of Contents

Business papers

Printed material

Inventory