History of the Franklin Club

The H. H. Franklin Club was founded in 1951 and is comprised of some 900 plus members worldwide, most of them residing in the U.S. and Canada. It is devoted to preserving and enjoying the legacy of the H. H. Franklin Manufacturing Company and its principal product the Franklin motor car, (1902 - 1934) one of the pioneer American automobiles.

A few loyal Franklin fans got together in 1951 to celebrate the achievements of this fine company (The H. H. Franklin Manufacturing Company) and started The H. H. Franklin Club. When word spread of this friendly and informal club, many fond memories of the Franklin were rekindled and the Club's membership grew. (For those of us not born until well after the last Franklin was made, a chance acquaintance with a friendly Franklin owner provided us with the opportunity to learn about this remarkable car and the fellowship of its enthusiastic supporters.) Attendance at its annual national meeting called the "Franklin Trek" held in Syracuse, N.Y. continued to grow until in 1970, the Club moved its national meet to Cazenovia College in Cazenovia, New York a lovely old resort town in the Finger Lake region of New York State. This annual Trek has been held there ever since and has grown from a two day affair to a week-long meet in mid August. The 40th annual Trek was attended by some 400 individuals from the four corners of the U. S. and Canada, bringing nearly 100 Franklin motor cars to the Trek, many of them being driven to the meet. The Trek is non-competitive and all Franklins are welcome. The only automotive award presented is a "Drivers Choice" award for the favorite car at the Trek that year.

Midwest Region

After the National Club was formed in 1951 members in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin felt the club should have some type of local meets for Franklin owners and friends. So a small but active group met for dinner one night. From that small group the Region has over 130 members today. The covered states today include, IL, MN, MI, IN, OH, MO, KS, KY, IOWA and also includes National members from all over the U.S. and Canada. The Region holds two meets a year one in the Spring (May or June) and one in the Fall (Sept. or Oct.) in which over 50 members and friends attend a long with many Franklins. The meets are held in all the states covered by the Region. The Region also takes a very active part in the Franklin Board Meeting and in its membership there are many members on the Franklin Board.