Nordyke and Marmon

Nordyke and Marmon was a mill equipment and automobile manufacturer. In 1851, Ohio-born Ellis Nordyke started a flour mill equipment factory in Richmond, Indiana. His son, Addison H. Nordyke, joined the firm in 1858. Daniel W. Marmon purchased an interest in 1866, and the business became known as Nordyke and Marmon. Upon Ellis’ death in 1871, Addison assumed his father’s interest and led the company until 1902.

The need for more production space and better transportation outlets resulted in relocation from Richmond in 1876 to the former Quaker City Works factory, located in an area bounded by Kentucky Avenue, Morris Street, and the Belt Line Railroad in West Indianapolis. By the end of the 19th century, the company produced a wide variety of machinery for com, rice, flour, and other cereal mills worldwide.

Meanwhile, Marmon’s sons, Walter and Howard C. Marmon, joined the company in 1897 and 1899, respectively. Both graduates of engineering schools and keenly interested in the automobile, they helped establish a subsidiary company of Nordyke and Marmon which, in 1901-1902, produced a motor car.

The Marmon Automobile, as the motor car was known, featured an improved lubricated crankshaft and rod bearings. In 1911, the Marmon Wasp became the first winner of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, while the Marmon 16 was an incredibly popular luxury car. In addition, the Marmon Model 34 gained recognition during the late 1910s for its use of aluminum, making it much lighter than its competitors.

In 1926, Nordyke and Marmon dropped production of milling and agriculture-focused equipment and became known as the Marmon Motor Car Company (which would be succeeded by the Marmon-Herrington company in the 1930s). The Nordyke name and the milling equipment were sold to Allis-Chalmers, which gradually phased out the name yet continued to take orders for Nordyke parts.

Pioneering in all-wheel-drive technology, Walter Marmon owned half interest in Marmon-Herrington until his death in 1941. The Pritzker family, also founders and owners of Hyatt Hotels, purchased Marmon-Herrington in the early 1960s. Eventually, part of the Marmon Group, a conglomerate of manufacturing and industrial companies, Berkshire Hathaway purchased Marmon-Herrington in 2008.

The original (pre-1915) Nordyke and Marmon factory has been replaced by the Eli Lilly and Company Corporate Center. Portions of the 1919 plant additions have been incorporated into Lilly facilities.