The students in Ms. Bluemel's 2/3 Discovery Class worked with Mrs. Mazie Adams, the Director of the Lakewood Historical Society, to research the Templar automobile which was built in Lakewood in the early 1900s. Once a week, Mrs. Adams came to Grant Elementary to help the children use primary and secondary sources for research, take notes, organize information, create timelines, and produce a documentary movie about the Templar Company and automobile.

Mr. Dave Buehler, a Templar enthusiast and collector, brought car parts, stock certificates, advertisements,
and his expertise to the classroom. In the spring he brought a Templar to school so the children could get an up close look and even go for a ride.

In addition to the pictures and article here, you can watch our video [.wmv] 24.4MB

Did you know that there was a car built in Lakewood, Ohio? It was called the Templar. You are probably wondering why there was a car factory in the middle of Lakewood. There was a plant right up the road that made frames and there was also a train to carry the cars and tools.

The Templar factory started during World War I. Before they could start they needed some money, so they sold stocks to raise some cash. The first stock was sold in 1915. Everyone who bought a stock received a stock certificate. A stock is when someone buys part of a company.

Templar built six models; Touring, Roadster, Coupe, Victoria-Elite, Sedan, and Sportette. You have to climb over the side panel to get into the Roadster. The Victoria-Elite was only sold for one year, 1919.

There were no TVs and getting a radio was a big deal back then so there were a lot of advertisements in magazines. The Templar company asked Cannonball Baker to set some land speed records in one of their Templar cars. These are his times; New York to Chicago - 26 hours and 50 minutes, New York to Philadelphia took two hours, New York to Indianapolis took 19 hours and 55 minutes, and New York to Los Angeles took six days, 17 hours, and 33 minutes! The records were written in many advertisements.

On December 13, 1921 there was a fire in the Templar factory. There was $200,000 worth of damage. Most companies would have gone out of business, but not Templar.

In cars today, the speed gauge and all of the instruments around it are on the dashboard. The gas gauge in the Templar was on the gas tank so you had to get out of the car to check how much gas you had. The Templar cars came with a camera so you could take pictures of your travels. They also came with an air compressor to fill up your tires. The Templar really was a superfine car.

-- Report by J.H.

"The Templar Tuesday Project with Grant Elementary School"
By J.H.
The Lakewood Observer