Auburn 852 Cabriolet
Highsmith, Carol M, photographer. Grille and hood ornament on an Auburn 852 Cabriolet, one of about 125 classic automobiles displayed at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum in Auburn, Indiana. -09-25. Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2016632108/>.

The Workshop

The Ball State University History Department and Gallia-Vinton Educational Service Center invited educators of grades K-12 from around the country to spend a week of summer 2023 learning about the automobile industry. This NEH Landmarks of American History and Culture workshop twice. These workshops follow the development of the parts industry as it grew in the Midwest, the recreational aspects of car culture and racing, the local community factory, and the contributions of organized labor in small towns.

Participants had the opportunity to experience and engage with local culture while interacting with field experts. 

The Democratization of the Automobile Industry: Construction, Culture, and Preservation workshop has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and is being hosted by Ball State University and  Gallia-Vinton Educational Service Center. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this workshop, do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities. 

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