Evansville Chrysler plant

["Bill Watson" <wwatson5@xxxxxxxxx>]

Chrysler had an assembly plant in Evansville, Indiana that began assembling
Plymouth cars in 1935.   Dodges were also built there in 1937 and 1938.
Evansville was also the site of a body plant as well, acquired when Chrysler
purchased the American auto body business of Briggs in December 1953..
Briggs opened the Evansville body plant in 1936.

With the coming of the unibody for 1960, Chrysler built a new assembly plant
in St.Louis.  The Evansville plant was closed at the end of 1959 with the
end of the body-and-frame construction.

Not sure where the Evansville plant or land came from.   I know Chrysler
acquired land and a plant in Evansville when it purchased Dodge Brothers in
1928.  Both the Evansville site and a site in Stockton, California were
acquired by Dodge Brothers when they took over Graham Brothers truck.

And I am not sure what was meant by the last "hull".  Cannot find reference
to anything else being built at Evansville.

Bill
Vancouver, BC



----- Original Message ----- 
From: <tomswift@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, June 26, 2004 8:37 AM
Subject: IML: Evansville Chrysler plant


> I just moved to Evansville, Indiana recently and discovered that there was
once a Chrysler factory here.  There was a plaque on the wall of a local
store, given to the owner of the store, congratulating the local Chrysler
factory on producing the last "hull" in 1953.  I don't know if this was a
ship's hull, a tank, or a car.  The owner seemed to think they built Dodges
and Plymouths here until the 50's.
>
> Does anyone know anything about the Chrysler factory in Evansville,
Indiana?
>
> Thanks, Mark
>
>
>
>