Chamber Celebrating 100 Years

Shown in the photo above were the officers of the Huntington Commercial Club, the forerunner of the Chamber of Commerce organization taken about 1912. Pictured in the photo from left, are Bert Bartlett, J.W. Caswell, Louis Marx, Rev. Elmer Ward Cole, Dr. M.V. Krebs and Oliver Kline. This photo was taken from the 1948 100th anniversary edition of The Herald-Press.

The Huntington County Chamber of Commerce will celebrate 100 years of service to the community March 20, 2024. First organized as the Commercial Club July 2, 1902 by retail and industrial leaders of the city, according to the former Daily News Democrat, the Chamber of today is a direct link to those early forward thinkers. Each month during 2024, a different contribution of the Chamber to the community will be featured.

The beginnings of today’s Chamber began with the Commercial Club of Huntington, incorporated July 8, 1902. The first officers and 15 member board were elected July 24, 1902. The papers of incorporation contained the names of 82 members and by August of that year there were 106 members.

A new constitution was adopted November 7, 1911 when the Commercial Club became the Huntington Commercial Association as published in the Morning Times of the next day. 400 Huntington men promoted the association which was to “deal with industrial affairs and promote any movement which has for its purpose the betterment of Huntington.”

The foundation of the Huntington Chamber of Commerce was laid on Monday, February 26, 1924 by a committee of 50 members of the Commercial Association. The group met at the K of C Hall, and letters of interest were mailed with a “big banquet” planned for March 10 of that year. Jacob L. Brenn, acting secretary, prevailed over the event in which 400 men and women attended.

The Huntington Press of Friday, March 14, 1924 reported that 472 members were enrolled in the new Huntington Chamber of Commerce. On March 20, 1924 the Commercial Association became the Huntington Chamber of Commerce with Donald Purviance, president. The Chamber’s newsletter began as “Huntington First,” published for the first time in January 1925, and the organization met upstairs at 12 West Market Street. The Huntington County Chamber of Commerce of today was incorporated as a non-profit organization on March 20, 1934.

The mission of the Chamber has continued through the years with the statement, “The mission of the Huntington County Chamber of Commerce is to support and promote a community atmosphere in which business prospers and the quality of life continually improves.” The Chamber of today is located at 40 East Franklin Street and has over 400 members.