Keystone Region Chapter of The Studebaker Drivers Club, Spring Mills, PA., began as a dream in the minds of a handful of Studebaker enthusiasts and continues today with great visions of future accomplishments.
Keystone Region’s first meet was held on September 29, 1968 at the R.B. Winter State Park (Halfway Dam) in Union County, Pa. with 42 cars and trucks and nearly 100 Studebaker fans attending the activity. As you might imagine, everyone was elated at the results, and all fears of a Studebaker Club failing for lack of support were put to rest. A subsequent meet held on Sunday afternoon of the October Hershey AACA meet stirred a lot of interest and enthusiasm and gained a lot of friends for Keystone Region.
East McKeesport, Pa. was the site of the third annual meeting of the Studebaker Drivers Club, a small and struggling auto club devoted to the preservation and enjoyment of Studebaker vehicles. The year was 1967, and public sentiment related to Studebaker and its automobiles was at low ebb. “Studies”, especially Post War models, were readily available at low cost, and, to many experts, it seemed that these automobiles would never be worth much more than junk prices. Yet with this as a backdrop, Harry Barnes and some of his fellow Studebaker fanatics were able to build a fire that still warms the hearts of Studebaker enthusiasts, especially in Central Pennsylvania.
