| [ HOME ] Back home to HELIPAD.consulting |
|
Fred and Augie Duesenberg The carbuilders from Kirchheide , district of LEMGO / Germany Klick die Flagge für Deutsch 
|
|
The property No. 34 , today Salzufler Str. 48 , since 1995 private home and office of HELIPAD.consulting / Germany , is the house where the brothers Fritz and August Düsenberg lived until emigration to America in the year 1885 . They became quite famous as car makers of the legendary Duesenberg Cars in America . Duesenberg Farm in Lemgo-Kirchheide / Germany Download GoogleEarth - Placemark : duesenberghaus_eng.kmz |
|
Entrance door with arc of gate and inscription .
The farmhouse Homestead No. 34 was built in 1760 . In 1848 the house was made longer and it got a stable . This is written down in the inscription of the arc of gate . |
|
Inscription of the arc of gate .
|
|
Translation of the inscription .
|
|
Brickmaker Johan Heinrich Düsenberg , who is mentioned here , emigrated to America in 1866 .
His wife Katrine Henigete Düsenberg , maiden name Naken , followed him 2 years later .
From then on Konrad Heinrich Ludwig Düsenberg, Johan Heinrich Düsenberg´s brother, lived there with his family. When settler Konrad Heinrich Ludwig Düsenberg died , his widow Luise Conradine decided to make her fortune in Amerika together with her 6 children ( Conrad 22y , Wilhelmine 19y , Caroline 14y , Amalie 10y , Friedrich 7y , August 4y ) . She arrived in 1885 at New York harbor and traveled to Rockford / Iowa . They than changed their name to Fred and Augie Duesenberg . Here they went to school and afterwards they worked as technicians for agricultural machines and as manufacturers of windmills . At the age of 17 Fred Duesenberg founded a bike shop in Rockford . His brother Augie ran a similar shop in Garner / Iowa . In 1902 Fred started a career as technical responsive for development and as a test driver at the RAMBLER car factory . In 1910 Fred presented his first racing car . In 1913 the DUESENBERG MOTOR COMPANY was founded . The brothers Fred and Augie built racing cars and developed aircraft engines for operations during World War I . In the same year Fred married Isle Denny from Runnels / Iowa . They had a son . In 1920 a world record at high speed ( 251km/h ) was gained by Jimmy Murphy driving a Duesy . 4 victories at Indianapolis 500 . In 1921 the first american victory at Grand Prix of Le Mans / France with a Duesy racer . Filmstars like Greta Garbo , Clark Gable , Gary Cooper , James Cagney , Elisabeth Arden and the Marx Brothers owned luxurious Duesenberg cars . In 1926 E.L. Cord took over the DUESENBERG MOTOR COMPANY , a consequence resulting from changes in the automobile industry . Fred D. was still constructor . The brothers built THE WORLD´S FINEST MOTOR CARS now . On 26th July in 1932 Fred Duesenberg died in a crash . He is buried at Crown Hill Cemetary / Indianapolis . In 1955 his brother Augie died at the age of 76 . His wife Gertrude , maiden name Pike , died in 1974 . Today only old-timer fans know the name DUESENBERG . This name should be in one line with PORSCHE , BENZ , DAIMLER and FORD . Only few people in Germany know that Duesenberg´s grandsons built part of the 1,400 miles long Alaska Highway through the Canadian wilderness during World War II . H.Milton Duesenberg , a Duesenberg great grandson wrote a book about this technical masterpiece . |
|
Great event in Kirchheide - Back to the roots Monday 3th September 2007 there was a visit from Netherland by a Duesenberg J · Murphy Convertible Coupe · Model 1929 . For many of the Kirchheide people it was the first time , seeing this wonderful car in original . The publishers of the special journals OLDTIMER-Markt and OLDTIMER-Praxis , on occasion of a report on the Duesenberg Brothers , have interested a Duesy owner from Holland , to go to Kirchheide . After participation in the EUROPEAN CONCOURS D´ELEGANCE in Schwetzingen / Germany , Jan and Terry Meijers had gone a roundabout way to Lippe , to present their wonderful car in Kirchheide infront of the Duesenberg-House . Full story in the journal  Number 1/2008
1981 Best of Show - Pebble Beach - USA 2002 People's Choice - Louis Vuitton Classic Paris - France 2006 Best of Show - Essen Motor Show - Germany 2007 Best of Show - Antwerpen Classic Show - Belgium |
|
Dreamcar Duesenberg J Murphy Convertible Coupe with non-disappearing top and dixi-sit · Model 1929 Complete Original 8 Cylinder · 6.7 Liters Volume · 2.5 t Weight First owner was multi millionaire John R. MacKinney from NYC . Price at that time : $ 14,500 - the price of two dozen Fords . MacKinney & Weicher are established at the NY Stock Exchange and partner of John D. Rockefeller Sr . |
|
Only the chassis and engines were designed by Fred Duesenberg . Body and interior of the cars would be custom-made by experienced coachbuilder to the owner's specifications . The bodywork made for Duesenbergs came from famous coachbuilders in America and Europe . Coachbuilder Walter M. Murphy from Pasadena / CA only build 50 bodies for Duesenberg and only 5 with a non-disappearing top and a dixi-sit . This Duesy Model J is one of those five ones . More information / More car photos : NL-CLASSICS |
|
Dixi-Sit or also Mother-in-Law-Sit of the DUESY |
|
The brilliant Carbuilders Fred Duesenberg 1876 - 1932 Augie Duesenberg 1879 - 1955 |
|
Sources / Links
Lippische Blätter für Heimatkunde 05 / 1999 Homepage Automotive History / American Automobiles Emigration from Lippe to the USA - Homepage Genealogy WG - Natural Scientific and Historical Society for the Lippe Country Homepage Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum Homepage NL-Classics Homepage Town Lemgo Expeditionary Force / A Roadbuilders Story von H Milton Duesenberg Translation by my old school friend Reinhold Stenvers † , Lemgo © by Ulrich Schumacher , Lemgo |