>> Production support for "Journey Indiana" is provided by WTIU members.

Thank you.

>> BRANDON: Coming up.

>> ASHLEY: Start your engines at the Studebaker National Museum.

>> BRANDON: Hear the bells of the Metz Grand Carillon.

>> ASHLEY: And become a fan of the Antique Fan Museum.

>> BRANDON: That's all on this episode of -- >> TOGETHER: "Journey Indiana"!

♪ >> ASHLEY: Welcome to "Journey Indiana."

I'm Ashley Chilla.

>> BRANDON: And I'm Brandon Wentz, and we're coming to you from the Eugene V. Debs Museum in Terre Haute.

The Eugene V. Debs Museum housed on the campus of Indiana State University is the former home of Eugene Debs and Kate Metzel Debs.

Debs was an American labor organizer and politician.

He ran for the presidency five times from 1900 to 1920.

Four of them as a candidate for the Socialist Party of America.

And we'll learn all about Debs and the museum in just a bit.

>> ASHLEY: But first, we're headed to St. Joseph County where producer Tyler Lake takes a lap around the Studebaker National Museum.

♪ >> For over 15 years, this building in South Bend has been home to the Studebaker Museum, a one-of-a-kind collection of pieces from America's transportation history.

But this group of rare and significant vehicles is a lot older than you might think.

>> Well, there's been a Studebaker Museum, actually, since the early 20th century when the Studebaker Corporation maintained its historic vehicle collection.

The museum has about 120 wheeled vehicles.

We display about 70 to 75 at any one time.

And when visitors come to the Studebaker National Museum, they will first encounter the family's Conestoga wagon, really the earliest parts of Studebaker history, when the company was two men in a blacksmith shop.

And from there, they see the company's growth into the world's largest builder of wagons and buggies.

You see the evolution to automobiles.

They were still selling wagons as fast as they could build them, but the automobile was taking up more and more of their business.

We see them fully transition to the automobile era in 1920, and then their survival of The Great Depression and wartime.

It's this journey that takes you from the earliest -- you know, the horse drawn days, when we were still getting around on foot, and things pulled behind draft animals up until the space age in the 1960s, and Studebaker can take you there with something with their name on it.

The collection began when Clement Studebaker began acquiring vehicles he felt were significant to not only his company's history, as well as American history.

And that's how the Lafayette carriage and the Lincoln carriage and several other presidential carriages came into the fold.

President Lincoln's carriage.

This is the carriage he took to Ford's Theater the night of his assassination.

We have people come from all corners of the earth, it seems, to see that, as well as Lafayette carriage and our other presidential carriages, which by the way, is the largest collection of presidential carriages anywhere, not the Smithsonian, not anywhere else in the country, but right here in South Bend, Indiana.

>> The museum tells the story of a rapidly changing America through the evolution of Studebaker models and designs.

>> A Studebaker's position in the industry is really a tale of two different eras because the horse drawn era, they were the biggest.

They were the best in an era when most wagon manufacturers were local and regional, Studebaker was global.

If you had to pick a handful of examples of their products, the farm wagon.

This was the bread and butter, the volume model.

It plied the trade throughout thousands of farms across the country.

Going to the automobile era, the Flanders 20, their first lower priced mass produced car.

Going forward to the Light Six in the 1920s.

This was the first Studebaker built in South Bend.

The fact that South Bend history in so many ways -- I would say just about every way, from having that infusion of workers, of capital, investment in the company, which had begun in South Bend since the 1850s, was going to be here, you know, for many years to come.

Their 1950 model, the bullet-nosed model.

By now, Studebaker had gained a reputation as a styling leader.

They had retained Raymond Loewy Associates in 1936 to handle the company's design.

And Loewy, for Studebaker, it was one hit after another.

>> And that high-flying design is still one of the most iconic cars in the collection.

>> They had a fresh look for 1950.

You see the bullet spinner like an airplane, and that was Lowey's instruction to his staff.

I want it to look like an airplane.

And the cars were just a huge hit.

They had sold more of these than any other model, and this was really pushing the envelope.

Really very bold for 1950 as well.

Even Ford adopted -- they had a little bullet spinner in the early '50s as well, but they didn't take it to near the lengths that Studebaker did.

>> This was the era of peak Studebaker design.

It was one masterpiece after another.

>> The '53 Starliner was their next jaw-dropping, gorgeous car from Raymond Loewy Studios, completely unlike anything else produced in America.

And really the Avanti was the coda, Studebaker's great design legacy.

Again, they went back to Loewy to produce an exciting new automobile.

He succeeded.

The Avanti was a critical hit, and unfortunately, had Studebaker not had the production woes they did with the car, due to the accelerated timetable, who knows what their history could have been in the mid-1960s.

But it was kind of a fitting end to a company that had gone through so much, and they were able to finish on a high note.

>> But Andrew admits, one of the most striking cars in the museum isn't actually a Studebaker.

>> This is the 1956 Packard Predictor.

It was built by Packard for the 1956 auto show circuit, and they really wanted to create a wow factor.

So they commissioned a fresh design, and just a truly stunning automobile.

It's even more remarkable that the car actually survived.

Generally cars like this were just broken up after their use was done.

And just some neat features on here.

There's no sun visors in the windshield because they didn't want to obscure the view into the car.

It's got the roll tops, the T-top, if you will, but they retract into the roof.

The rear window goes up and down.

The hidden headlights.

It's really just a truly stunning vehicle, and we're so delighted it survived to the present day.

>> From carriages to electric cars, the collection takes visitors on a ride through American transportation history.

>> Well, many people are surprised to find out that Studebaker's first automobile was actually an electric.

Electrics came out in 1902.

Studebaker gasoline-powered cars didn't come out until 1904.

J.M.

Studebaker much preferred the electrics.

He called gasoline-powered cars dangerous, clumsy, noisy brutes that stink to high heaven and break down at the worst possible moment.

And we are actually telling the story of Studebaker electric, and also the electric automobile in general through our Charged Exhibit looking at the history of the electric vehicle from the late 19th century up until the present day, looking at some of the newest, you know, electric models on the market, the GM EV1 prototype here.

Just a fascinating history on how electrics, that's what Studebaker started out with, and that appears to be where we are going 120-some years later.

>> And if that doesn't interest you, no problem!

The museum has something for everyone.

>> We also have an extensive military collection showcasing Studebaker's defense production.

Of course, it supplied wagons for the Civil War, Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II, and every conflict up through Vietnam.

We have a special children's area, the Super Service Center.

The kids can come in and learn how a car operates through an interactive exhibit.

For some people, it's a nostalgic trip, because they remember my father, my grandfather.

I learned to drive on one of these cars.

This is, you know, what the relatives had.

Some people, it's pure discovery.

They -- you know, their entire automotive existence or experience has been driving a Toyota Prius or something like that, and this is completely foreign to anything they've ever experienced.

Some see it as a study in automotive design.

And some people are avowed military enthusiasts, and they will spend all day downstairs staring at the military collection.

And I think that's one of our strengths we can bring.

There's just so many different aspects of the Studebaker history that are accessible for people.

It's -- you know, we don't care what your takeaway is, you know, just so you don't go away hungry.

That's all we ask.

>> ASHLEY: When I think of a Studebaker, I have a very specific memory that comes up.

And maybe for you too, I don't know how big of a fan you were.

But "Grease."

When I think of a Studebaker, I think of "Grease."

I think of being a child watching that movie, doing the dances.

You know, that's just, like, peak 1950s for me.

>> BRANDON: Yeah, there is not a single car in that museum I would not love to drive around for a little bit.

>> ASHLEY: Want to learn more?

Just head to StudebakerMuseum.org.

>> BRANDON: Earlier, we spoke with Allison Duerk to learn more about the Eugene V. Debs Museum.

>> Eugene V. Debs was one of the most important Hoosiers that most of us might not learn about.

He was a pioneer labor leader, led the American Railway Union and the Pullman Strike of 1894.

He cofounded the Socialist Party of America, ran for president five times as its candidate from 1900 to 1920.

Debs was also an outspoken antiwar advocate, and went to prison for giving an antiwar speech.

He ran for president the last time from his prison cell, and earned almost a million votes in 1920 in the presidential election.

Debs first got involved in organized labor at the age of 19.

He had just left a job working as a locomotive firemen for the Terre Haute and Indianapolis Railroad.

Locomotive firemen had one of the worst jobs on trains, firing the engine that made the steam engine go.

We would expect to see boiler explosions, derailments, collisions, and your boss really wasn't liable for your death or injury if you were hurt or killed on the job.

Debs found himself leading the effort to organize an industrial union for railroad workers, and that took the form of the American Railway Union.

While it didn't abolish the color line, like Debs had hoped, it did organize women and organize workers across different skills and crafts and trades within the railroad industry.

And that's how they were able to pull off a shutdown of such a scale, all in protest of the living and working conditions in a company town of Pullman, Illinois, today a neighborhood of Chicago.

And the Pullman Strike's outcome convinced Gene Debs that both republicans and democrats were in the pockets of the richest Americans, not the working class.

Debs' five presidential campaigns came with an understanding that he was not going to make it to the Oval Office.

That really wasn't the immediate goal for him.

He was running these campaigns to build the groundwork for future electoral wins for the socialists, but also build what socialists would call class consciousness, that getting workers to see ourselves as workers.

Debs found himself in prison when he ran for president his fifth and final time in the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary.

And that was because Debs had vocally spoken out against this country's role in World War I.

And that was a crime, just to have a vocal antiwar position.

Debs said in Canton that if war is really right, let it be declared by the people.

You who have your lives to lose, above all others, should decide these momentous issues of war or peace.

So democracy really was the big idea of that speech.

And it was enough to lock him up.

Everybody should come visit the Debs Museum.

There is absolutely something here for any kind of visitor.

Victorian architecture and furnishings, labor and political history, the history of social movements which are so important.

When folks come through our door, we're not asking them to step back in time.

Like, definitely enjoy the historic furnishings and finishes, but we are not pretending it's 1890 anymore, because I really want to encourage people to think about why Debs and his ideas are still meaningful to us today in so many ways.

>> ASHLEY: Weve talked before that Brandon and I are well-versed in Terre Haute history.

We both went to Indiana State University.

But I had never been here before.

Had you?

>>Brandon: Yea, actually when we were in undergrad here at ISU many, many, many years ago, one of the grad students actually wrote a play about the life of Eugene V Debs and we visited here during that time.

>> BRANDON: You can find out more by going to DebsFoundation.org.

>> ASHLEY: Up next, producer Nick Deel takes us to Monroe County, to hear the bells of the Metz Carillon at Indiana University.

♪Bells Ringing♪ >> Located on Indiana University's Bloomington campus, the Metz Carillon is a familiar sight and sound for the campus community.

But this imposing musical tower is also a bit of a mystery.

>> It looks like a spaceship, like a rocket.

I call it Space X. I just know that it was built, I think, for the 100-year celebration of IU, I think.

>>I thought it was the weather service and stuff like that.

>> I actually one time passed through there, and I tried to go in it, but it has a lock.

So I think it would be cool to -- like, to people to see it and appreciate it more, if you could go in and see the whole bell, like, structure thing.

>> Wade FitzGerald is a graduate student in the organ program at the Jacobs School of Music at IU.

He's also the associate instructor of carillon, teaching an elective course open to any Jacobs student interested in learning how to play this unique musical instrument.

>> So a carillon is a keyboard instrument.

It's a relative of the piano or the organ.

What makes it unique is how it produces sound.

So carillons make sound through cast bells.

You can contrast that with piano or organ.

The piano does it through strings.

The organ does it through pipes.

Dating back to sixteenth century Europe carillons were initially used as a means of time-keeping, but gradually evolved into finely-tuned mu musical instruments.

It's a very straightforward mechanism.

You'll see these things that look kind of like the end of broomsticks sticking out of this console here, and you play those with your fists.

And when I press the key or baton, as they are called on a carillon, you will see this cable moving up and down.

That cable runs up through the ceiling over our heads, and attaches to the clapper inside of a single bell.

And so when I press it, it tugs the clapper against the inside wall of the bell, causing it to ring.

And thats how the instrument produces sounds, so... ♪ Something like that.

♪ Bells ringing ♪ Originally built in 1970, the Metz Carillon sat in the northeast corner of IU's campus, on the highest point in Bloomington.

However, it was far away from any foot traffic, and its open design made it hard to hear all the bells clearly and exposed them to the elements.

In 2017, plans were made to relocate and redesign the carillon so that it could be better appreciated by the broader campus.

Unveiled in 2020, as part of IU's bicentennial celebrations, the redesigned Metz carillon stands one hundred and and twenty-seven feet tall.

and sits in IUs Arboretum, at the heart of campus.

Sixty-five bells, ranging in weight from seventeen to twelve-thousand pounds are arranged above the playing cabin in circular chambers specifically engineered with acoustics in mind.

>> The Metz Carillon is unique primarily because of its design.

If youre standing outside the tower and you look up youll see these things that look like blinds all around the belfry.

Those are called louvres.

And what they do is they sort of blend and balance the sound.

And it also focuses the sound down toward the listener.

>> And while the Bicentennial Metz Carillon sounds much better its more central location on IUs campus does present new problems.

>> People might want to hear you perform.

Nobody wants to hear you practice.

You had a chance to practice it much siince then?

>> And so along with the new Metz, IU commissioned a practice carillon that mirrors the real thing... almost.

>> The practice carillon is limited in that the touch weight is uniform.

So, like, this note and this note are the same weight.

They are not the same weight on this -- on the real instrument.

So that's a little problematic.

And the first time you take a piece from the practice carillon to the real carillon, it will throw you off a little bit.

>> Which makes time performing on the real instrument that much more valuable.

>>You know, the carillon has a huge dynamic range.

It's a very expressive instrument.

So I can bring it almost to the key bed and just barely tap it, get a very soft sound, or I can come from above and get a very loud sound.

And so, yeah, you can get a huge range of expression with this instrument.

>> Subtle as it may be, there are drawbacks to playing an instrument larger than some buildings.

>> Yeah, so the sort of lack of direct contact with your audience is definitely an unusual part of playing this instrument, because this is already such an uncommon instrument that so few people know about, and most of them don't get to see how it's played unless, you know, I bring them up for a tour afterwards.

But it's also just a really sort of exhilarating feeling when you are playing something and you know that everybody within, like, a quarter mile radius or further can hear you.

So when I play this instrument, I feel like I'm part of, you know, the sort of -- a sort of soundtrack of the community or the campus And that's one of the things I like most about it.

♪Bells Ringing♪ >> BRANDON: Ashley, I know that you work at IU.

Are you familiar with the Metz Carillon?

>> ASHLEY: Yes.

So one of my other jobs that I have is I work for the Jacobs School of Music, and that is actually -- Wade is one of our students, one of our graduate students, who teaches others how to play it and plays it himself.

We talk about this quite a bit at our school.

And one of the things that I really love about that particular structure is that all of the bells are inscribed with a quote about music.

So that's something you wouldn't necessarily know unless you go up there, and I have never been up there, and I probably won't be either.

Want to learn more?

Just head to the address on your screen.

>> BRANDON: Up next, we're in Boone County, where producer John Timm cools off at the Antique Fan Museum.

♪ >> I get asked often what my favorite fan is, and I don't -- I can't say that I have a single one.

I have many favorites because of the circumstances, you know, the hunt, but I can't say that I have a single fan.

♪ I'm Tom Frampton.

I'm owner of Fanimation and curator of the All of us collectors, we've pulled our nicer pieces together for display, two floors of probably 3,000 fans on display of all types and shapes and colors and finishes.

We have water-powered fans, hand-powers fans, alcohol-powered fans, belt-driven fans.

I don't have an actual count on the number of fans here.

I probably personally have a couple of thousand, and there's another thousand or so on loan from other collectors.

♪ >> I got into fans when I was in high school.

Between my junior and senior year of high school, I went to work for an antique dealer.

One of the many things he worked on were some reproductions of some antique belt-driven fans.

Pulley-driven fans.

My first day on the job was to work on a reproduction of an antique fan.

One thing led to another, and we became the ♪ It grew from just the two of us, to hundreds of us, and about ten years later, I ended up buying my department, which was the specialty end of the business.

Started Fanimation.

So I have always been around antique fans.

♪ I came in contact with the Antique Fan Collectors early 2000s, 2003, 2004.

And one thing led to another, and I now host the museum for the club.

Here we are many years later, and many more fans.

♪ In most any collecting, it's the thrill of the hunt, tracking a particular fan down, particular model down.

♪ You are always looking.

I mean, the usual things, antique stores, auctions.

I've got a technique for looking for fans.

A good example in Nice, in France, the streets are narrow.

The doors are usually open, and a lot of people will go in and look up.

I look at the floor for shadows, just the shadows that a fan makes from a ceiling fan, and I can find a lot more fans that way.

♪ I've got fans from Australia, Italy, France, Germany, Singapore, just off the top of my head.

One of the interesting early stories, I was in Kenya to start a tour, and prior to the tour, we had gotten in the night before.

A political riot broke out, started at our hotel, spread into the park next door, and the tour operator sent a car and driver over just to get us out of town until things calmed down.

And the driver asked what did I want to do?

I asked, well, do you have a rail museum?

He said they do.

A really nice one.

So he took us over there, and a fantastic colonial era rail station, and in the rail yard were two sleeper cars, and there were 14 DC-powered wall-mounted fans in the compartments.

And I was able to buy two of them from the museum.

These days, you know, eBay sort of took some of the thrill out of the hunt.

♪ I don't know that we have -- necessarily have a favorite fan joke.

You hear "fan-tastic" a lot.

We also make a hand fan, a giveaway here at the museum, and it says, you know, ♪ I like things mechanical, always have.

You know, you pick any collection, anything that's antique, the techniques and designs that were around 100 years ago, are, you know, truly amazing.

It's a rather limited group of interest in this, but those of us who are into it are really into it.

♪ When I walk in here, yeah, I'm often re-impressed again by the collection, and I come in here fairly often.

♪ Anybody interested in things of the past should visit the museum.

You will see things that you will recall, oh, my grandparents had this, or I used to have this particular fan.

People who don't have any idea what's in the museum often come in with pretty low expectations, but I haven't seen one person yet who isn't by what they find in here.

♪ >> BRANDON: You can learn more and plan a visit at fanimation.com.

>> ASHLEY: And as always, we would like to encourage you to stay connected with us.

>> BRANDON: Just head over to JourneyIndiana.org.

There you can see full episodes, connect with us on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, and suggest stories from your neck of the woods.

>> ASHLEY: We also have a map feature that allows you to see where we've been and to plan your own Indiana adventures.

Well, Brandon has already been around here, but I have not.

So I think we're going to go do some more exploring.

So we'll see you next time on -- >> TOGTHER: "Journey Indiana."

♪ >> Production support for "Journey Indiana" is provided by WTIU members.

Thank you.