Screamin’ Chicken Chasers © - "Eleanor's" History Gallery

"Eleanor's" History Gallery

Welcome to the photo gallery of the history of "Eleanor".

My friend "Raven" a.k.a. Joe found her in a garage for us in Wisconsin and drove her to my son Mason and I in Louisiana.

Slide Show Feature

Click the "+" on the first picture and then the play button to start the slide show. Each photo has a caption that you can pause and read.

Enlarge Photo

To view a photo click the "+" on that photo. Each photo has a caption that you can pause and read.

Chasing Tail Feathers

Tracking Down "Eleanor’s" Many Nests

I maintain contact with the two previous owners in hopes to someday work my way back to the original owner. The two previous owners both live in Wisconsin. One in Thorp and the other in Curtiss. So far those two owners take me back as far as 1994. Rumor has it that two more previous owners live in Wisconsin as well. One in Kennan and the other in Madison.

Once my son and I discovered the build sheet on 7-25-09, it revealed the original nest, Tusler Motor Company in Appleton, Wisconsin. Tusler Pontiac had been around since 1939.

With no listing for Tusler Motor Company on the internet, I called the dealership across the street, which was Tom Meiers Motors and spoke with a very helpful man be by the name of Jeff Fisher. He explained that the building is now Quaker Bakery Brands.

Jeff then led me to Bill Tusler, the son of the original dealership owner and to Tom Smith, Sales Manager of Quaker Bakery. I contacted Mr. Tusler first and then Mr. Smith.

Bill Tulser explained that when his father passed away his mother sold the dealership to his uncle who ran in until the late 70’s and eventually sold it to Quaker Bakery. He went on to tell me that as a young man he worked at the dealership and figures that he probably washed "Eleanor" a time or two.

I was also fortunate enough to talk with Tom Smith, Sales Manager of Quaker Bakery, who was around during the time the building was purchased from the Tusler family. He told me the following story:

Burt Tusler closed the business because Pontiac approached the elderly Tusler in the late 70’s and asked him to move the dealership and build a more modern dealership in another area of town. Tusler sold the building to Quaker Bakery for future expansion. Another automotive twist is that Mary Stump from the Stump Ford Dealership wanted to lease it from Quaker Bakery, but she passed away before that lease was final. Before the expansion of Quaker Bakery in mid 1980’s the building served many purposes from storage to housing of the Red Cross "Dial a Bus Program" vehicles.

The Tusler Pontiac newspaper ad featured above appeared in the Appleton Post-Crescent on January 19, 1976.

Ad courtesy of the Appleton Public Library.

"Eleanor" Timeline

Here is a quick timeline of "Eleanor".