Exhibit on school bus company to open in August

The Wayne County Historical Museum next month plans to unveil an extensive exhibit on the history of one of the area's former iconic employers.

The museum, 1150 N. A St., will unveil its gallery of memorabilia from Wayne Works — at one time one of the world leaders in school bus manufacturing — during a closed reception Aug. 13 for former employees and their spouses.

The reception will be closed to the public, but those who have direct connections to Wayne Works can attend the Aug. 13 event, the details of which are still being worked out.

The exhibit, which will run for about six to nine months, will feature donated photographs, documents and transcribed stories from former workers at the plant, which first opened in Richmond in 1876 after moving from Dublin, Ind. The factory closed in the early 1990s after it was bought by a competitor.

This will be the fourth exhibit to be displayed in the Community Hall, which is an annex of the Historical Museum that was added in 2010. Others include exhibits on World War II and the Korea and Vietnam wars. All materials will remain in the museum's archives after the exhibit closes, according to executive director Jim Harlan.

The museum is still accepting donations for the exhibit.

"We are really looking for anyone who used to work there who wants to contribute to our (cataloging) of the history that came through that place," Harlan said. "We want people to be able to give their two-cents-worth to this exhibit."

Harlan said his team has worked tirelessly on making the exhibit something of which Wayne County residents, and former workers, can be proud.

"There were many who came through that facility and a lot of people who spent 20-some years at Wayne Works," he said. "When it closed in 1993, it was certainly a (bad day) for the area."

Much of the history was preserved by searching through the trash at the site itself, Harlan said.

"After it was thrown out, there were people who went and got about 17 bankers boxes worth of materials ... we have those and we've been figuring out what to do with them and how to present them in the best possible display," he said.

One of those involved with putting together the exhibit is Nate Pendergraft, an intern with the museum and a history student at Indiana University East.

Pendergraft said while he began the project knowing very little about the history of Wayne Works, and its impact on the area, he's gained an appreciation for the significance of the company, and is hopeful those who visit the display will walk away with the same feeling.

"When I look at all these materials, it shows how great this town was ... it shows how great this town could be again, if it's given the chance," he said. "This display isn't just going to be for the people who worked there ... Wayne Works left a mark on the whole of Wayne County. That's what I hope people understand."

Anyone with interest in attending the reception or contributing to the exhibit can learn more information by calling 765-962-5756 or by emailing office@wchmuseum.org.

What was Wayne Works?

Beginning as the Wayne Agricultural Works in Dublin, Ind., in 1837 and incorporated in 1868, Wayne Works moved to Richmond in 1876.

By the 1890s, in addition to making farm implements, it was making carriages and horse-drawn “kid-hacks,” or early school buses. From 1906 to 1916, Wayne Works manufactured the “Richmond” automobile.

In 1914, it built its first school bus, and for most of the rest of the century, it was a major producer of buses.

In 1956, Wayne Works merged with the Divco corporation of Detroit and became Divco-Wayne. When the company threatened to leave in 1964, the community launched a drive to build a new plant, which was opened in 1966 and was a $5 million, state-of-the-art facility. Wayne Works stayed in Richmond, but it closed by 1993.

Source: Morrisson-Reeves Library

To reach Palladium-Item business reporter Mickey Shuey, call (765) 973-4472. You can follow him on Twitter via @MickeyShueyPI.