Independence Day Parade

(Click on image to enlarge)
Image courtesy of John Fleck.

This photo, showing the July 4, 1915 parade in Hobart, was sent to me by John Fleck, son of John and Daisy (Raschka) Fleck. He says that the driver of the car is his Uncle Bill Fleck, and the young woman in back is Mayme Brand, who would become Bill's wife in 1921.

Here is an account of their wedding, from the Lake County Times (Hammond) of June 23, 1921.


(Click on image to enlarge)

Bill Fleck and his father-in-law, Henry Brand, were the Brand & Fleck who sold meat and groceries from the Guyer Building.

The car in the photo has been traveling west on Third Street and is turning south onto Main. Concerning the car itself (which can hardly be seen for all the decorations on it), John Fleck has some interesting tidbits for us:

That old car is a 1912 Michigan & belonged to my grandfather, Michael Fleck. The car sat in his barn on West Third St., Hobart until the 1970's — I saw it many times when I was a kid. The car was later bought and moved to Hebron where it remained until two years ago. It was purchased by a cousin and moved to California where it is being restored. There are only a few 1912 Michigan's left in existence.

I believe the manufacturer of this car was the Michigan Buggy Company.

[Nov. 2020 update] The current owners of the car in the photo above have a website dedicated to it and its manufacturer, the Michigan Motor Car Company, including a blog detailing the enormous amount of work that has gone toward restoring this individual vehicle: https://michiganmotorcar.com/