Family Visit continued...

...and the family visit continues.  Cousin Nathan, my mother's oldest brother's son, and his wife Janice recently spent a couple of days with us.  FYI, Nathan 'caught' Janice while he was serving in US military in the United Kingdom...or did Janice 'catch' Nathan?  Those Scottish women are pretty determined and very focused!  I should know given Laurie's Scottish heritage...

In my last post, we'd done a little shopping at Everhart Lumber, a furniture and decor store in Tellico Plains Tennessee.  Out next stop with any first time visitors in Tellico Plains was at the Charles Hall Museum and Heritage Center.  This photo...with a handsome fully restored 1934 Plymouth as our backdrop...was taken in Building 2 at the Museum.  From the left, Nathan, my better half Laurie and yours truly.  Janice took the photo.

Among other items, Building 2 features over 400 antique telephones, 16 old-time manual telephone switchboards, a complete local moonshine still, commemorative Harley motorcycles, antique tools, and a plethora of early Appalachian homesteading artifacts.  It also offers a shopping opportunity, "The Museum Marketplace".

Laurie took this group 'selfie' in Building 2 of the museum.  From the left, Janice, Laurie and myself.  Nathan is in the back.  Our backdrop is just a portion of the more than 800 unique telephone insulators on exhibit.

Thousands of collectors covet old or antique glass insulators.  There actually is an annual National Insulator Show.  This year it will be held in June in Marlborough Massachusetts.  

I didn't take any photos in Building 1 of the Museum.  The varied displays in Building 1 includes a wide variety of items, including 350 historic firearms, antique coins and currency, office machines, and Native American artifacts.  This building also features a shopping opportunity..."Timeless Treasures".  

The Charles Hall Museum and Heritage Center is located at 229 Cherohala Skyway (aka TN Hwy 165) in Tellico Plains Tennessee.  Admission is FREE!  The museum is open 7 days per week from March through December.  Phone: 423-253-8000.  Website: https://www.charleshallmuseum.com/.

Our next stop was at the Old Order Mennonite Community Farm Market near Tellico Plains.  The market is owned by the local Mennonite community and it's one of three such markets located within a reasonable driving distance from our home.  A wide variety of produce and other items are grown, raised or built by members of the community.  In addition to the produce (amazing!), they also sell jams, jellies, pickled just about everything, honey, molasses, baked goods, wooden tools, soap, and much more.

Laurie just had to stop at the greenhouse shown above.  This time of the year she always 'needs' more plants...especially herbs.  Tomato plants of various types are a big seller at the market.

Entrepreneurial...a good way to describe the members of this community!  Furniture is available in addition to all the other items for sale.  Oh yes, do you like to eat rabbits...or just have them around?  They are also for sale...as are rabbit hutches. 

Laurie snapped this photo of a Old Order Mennonite carriage moving along one of the roads near the store.  

Keep in mind that the store only accepts cash.  Don't expect air conditioning or fans...there is no electricity.  Hand cranked adding machines are used at checkout.  It is important that shoppers/visitors need to respect the modest dress code that is posted on site.  Also no photos of community members...

This is truly an old-time bucolic scene.  It's the peaceful looking valley just below the store where the people live and work.  The Old Order Mennonite Market near Tellico Plains Tennessee is located at 1472 Fairview Road.

We loaded up at the market.  Heirloom tomatoes, pickled beets, fresh bread, jalapeno cheese rolls and Laurie's favorite granola mix...2 big bags of it!  To see photos of the market, go to the following post on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amishmennonitetn/posts/the-tellico-community-farm-market-in-tellico-plains-tennessee-is-such-a-pretty-p/479923548199930.  If you go to https://www.visitmonroetn.com/farmers-markets, you can view a calendar that projects what produce you can expect to find at the market on a month to month and week to week basis.

When we got home, the exhausted shoppers took a break on our screened porch overlooking the patch of wooded common ground behind our home.  Photo by Nathan as were most of the others in this posting.

Nathan had very fond memories of my mother, his Aunt Beth.  We gifted he and Janice with a couple of my mother's woven wall hangings or couch blankets as well as this ceramic/pottery bust of Grandma Estelle Sibbald Weed.  My mother did an excellent job of capturing my grandmother's features.

This final photo was taken by guess who?  Nathan at least warned me that he was taking a photo so although I'm giving him that 'walleye look', at least I'm not frowning.  Here I am in our bonus room at action central.  Computer, printer, TV, Radio/CD player and lots of family artifacts...what more could a fellow want?!

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

The Woodrow Wilson Library - Staunton Virginia

...continuing with our October 2024 road trip, we had spent the night in Staunton Virginia.  I had previously researched possible attractions and places of interest with the Woodrow Wilson Library and Museum in Staunton popping out as a promising destination.    

This is a view of the Woodrow Wilson Museum and Library complex.  It consists of 3 adjoining structures. 

This is the entrance to the Visitor's Center (and shop) for the Presidential Library and Museum.

The actual Woodrow Wilson Museum has it's own entrance.  Note the big doors and big windows at the right of the photo.

For those who aren't familiar with Woodrow Wilson, he was a politician and academic who served as the 28th President of the United States from 1913 until 1921.  A Democrat, Wilson had served as the President of Princeton University and as the Governor of New Jersey prior to winning the Presidential election in 1912.  He was President during World War I, aka "The War to End All Wars".

After the war when Wilson returned from France after negotiating the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, this then brand new Pierce-Arrow limousine was waiting for him at the dock in New York City to take him back to Washington.  He liked this auto so much that when he left office, his friends purchased it for him to use.  This was the Buffalo New York based Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company's Series 51 Model.

This automobile was distinguished by 2 special emblems.  The Presidential Seal was displayed on each of its arched rear passenger doors.  On the front of the radiator panel was the AAA (American Automobile Club) symbol.  Wilson was the first President to join that association.  This auto was donated to the Woodrow Wilson Birthplace Foundation by his widow, Edith Bolling Galt Wilson.

We did like this striking American Flag-Wilson display setting off a number of personal artifacts.  Of note is the woman featured in the photo as the right of the display.   She is Ellen Bolling Galt Wilson, Woodrow Wilson's second wife.

Unlike more recent Presidential libraries and museums, the collections here at Wilson's birthplace are not as extensive one might expect.  The complex includes the President's birthplace, (aka the Manse), a museum that basically covers the President's life and times, a research library and a gift shop as well as several other buildings that aren't open to the public.  

Note: All United States Presidential Libraries for administrations prior to that of Herbert Hoover, including Wilson's, are not part of the Federal National Archives' Presidential Library System.

                            

While attending graduate school at Johns Hopkins University in 1883, Wilson met and fell in love with Ellen Louise Axson.  Like Wilson, she was from the southern United States.  She had graduated from the Art Students League of New York and worked in portraiture...but she sacrificed her artistic pursuits in order to marry Wilson in 1885.  

The photo above shows Ellen and Woodrow with their daughters in 1912.  From the left...Margaret, Ellen, Eleanor, Jessie and Woodrow.  Sadly, in August of 1914 Ellen died from Bright's Disease" a kidney disorder.

President Wilson reportedly fell into depression following Ellen's passing.  However, in March of 1915, he met Edith Bolling Galt at a White House tea.  She was also from the south and she was a widow, her husband having been a wealthy jeweler in Washington D.C.  After several meetings, Wilson proposed to Edith in May of 1915.  He was initially rebuffed but she warmed to the relationship and they were married in December of 1915.  Wilson is one of the three Presidents that got married while in office, the other two being John Tyler and Grover Cleveland.

These photos show part of a re-creation of the study that was in the house that he and Ellen had built at Princeton in 1895.  His focus was on his career and politics.  The Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library houses materials from during and immediately after his lifetime, memoirs of those who worked with him and governmental volumes concerning World War I.  Other larger collections of Wilson's official papers and documents are maintained at The Library of Congress and Princeton University.

This display is related to Woodrow Wilson's family after they'd settled in Staunton Virginia.  Thomas Woodrow Wilson was born in Staunton in December 1856.  His parents were Scotch-Irish and Scottish.  Woodrow's father Joseph met Jesse, his mother, in Ohio.  Soon after the couple married, Joseph was ordained as a Presbyterian pastor and he was assigned to serve in Staunton.  When Woodrow was quite young, the family moved to another parish in Augusta Georgia.

Woodrow Wilson's earliest memory was when he was in the family's front yard in Augusta.  He recalled a passerby announcing in disgust that Abraham Lincoln had been elected and that a war was coming.  Woodrow's father identified with the Southern USA and he was a staunch supporter of the Confederacy during the Civil War.  Joseph Wilson owned slaves himself...

The items displayed above are related to President Woodrow Wilson and actions surrounding World War I.  From 1914 until early 1917, Wilson's primary foreign policy objectives were to keep the US out of the war in Europe.  Ideally, he wanted to broker a peace agreement.  He insisted that all American government actions must be neutral so as to avoid the perception that the USA had a preference of one side of the conflict over the other.  The sinking of the Lusitania and similar actions by Germany finally forced American involvement.

This is our tour group at the entrance to Woodrow Wilson's birthplace.  It is called the Manse, which is the name of a Presbyterian minister's home.  This home was built in 1846 by the Staunton First Presbyterian Church.  The home has 12 rooms with 12 fireplaces and it originally cost about $4,000 to build.  At that point the Wilson family consisted of Joseph, his wife Jessie and their 2 daughters.  Another son, Joseph Jr. as well as Woodrow, were born in this home.

In general, this Wilson home in Staunton was much like any other middle to upper middle class home of its time...comfortable but not overly plush.  The sitting room above proves the point.

This is one of the family bedrooms.  Our photos from inside the home were cluttered with the tour group so they weren't much use for this posting.  Note the chamber pot under the bed.  It was use that or run outside to the outhouse in bad weather!

Perhaps because it was the home for Presbyterian ministers, the home is quite plain with minimal decor.  Practical and simple are words that come to mind.  

As previously mentioned, Woodrow Wilson became the President of Princeton University.  In that role he strove to raise admission and educational  standards...taking the school from a nice place for upper middle class men to attend to a place that actually promoted and required serious study.  He aggravated and lost some support from alumni but with the help and donations of such wealthy supporters as Mose Taylor Pyne (Cuban investments, sugar and railroads) and Andrew Carnegie, Woodrow did make meaningful changes.  He also promoted the first Jew and the first Catholic to the faculty.  He managed to loosen the conservative control of the conservative Presbyterians on the board.  However, at the same time he worked to keep African-Americans from attending Princeton...this while other Ivy League schools were beginning to do so.

We've seen a lot of toys in old homes and museums over the years but this was the first horse-tricycle we'd ever seen.  Note that it is operated by moving the handles back and forth.  It was located in the 'birthing room' of the home.  

Woodrow Wilson made a lot of progress improving Princeton but eventually he'd made so many 'enemies' that he grew tired of the constant roadblocks to progress and he found a way out.  He attracted the attention of the Democratic Party in New Jersey as they desperately sought a viable candidate for Governor of that state.  He became Governor in 1910 and his clashes with state party bosses enhanced his reputation with the rising Progressive movement.  

In addition to the progressives, Wilson enjoyed the support of key Princeton alumni such as Cyrus McCormick and a number of Southerners who believed that Wilson's status as a transplanted Southerner gave him broad appeal.  Consequently, Wilson became a key contender for the Democratic Presidential ticket as the election year of 1912 approached.  Wilson faced two major opponents in the election.  They were one-term Republican President William Howard Taft and former Republican President Theodore Roosevelt, the latter running as a third party candidate for the "Bull Moose" Party.  The split in the Republican party between Taft and Roosevelt led to Woodrow Wilson's victory and his first term as President in 1913.

Remember...the Manse was built in 1846 and its been refurbished to fit the period.  The kitchen is pretty basic as is the rest of the home.  Note the sand box that the stove is sitting on.

Wilson was a 'progressive', a term that is liberally used in today's politics.  He introduced a comprehensive program of domestic legislation at the beginning of his administration.  No other President had ever done such a thing before.  His 4 major priorities were: conservation of natural resources; banking reform, tariff reduction, and; better access to raw materials via the breaking up of Western Mining Trusts.  This agenda was introduced to a joint session of Congress, making Wilson the first President since John Adams to address Congress in person.  

The Revenue Act of 1913 reduced tariffs, replacing the lost revenue with a Federal Income Tax of 1% on those with incomes of more than $3,000.  That impacted the richest 3% of the population.  Wilson also was instrumental in the creation of the Federal Reserve System...making the banking system 'public not private' and he helped create the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate antitrust violations...

I'm ending this post with another highly decorative stove...this one which would have provided heat to one room in the Wilson family home in Staunton.  Whether it was original or not is not the point as far as I'm concerned.  I just love the design...it is so ornate!

So, once in office what else did Woodrow Wilson accomplish?  He pushed for legislation providing for an 8 hour work day and a six day work week, various health and safety measures, the prohibition of child labor and a number of safeguards for female workers.  He also favored a minimum wage for all work performed by or for the Federal government.  Many credit or blame Wilson for the creation of the welfare state as we know it today. 

Wilson was narrowly re-elected in 1916 and while he did all he could to keep America out of the War in Europe, he did begin building up our ability to fight if it became necessary.  The Democratic Party had campaigned on the slogan "He Kept Us Out of War".  Unfortunately, our late entry into the war in 1917 was not without enormous problems in staffing, training and equipment.  President Wilson is considered by many to have been a segregationist or racist.  He escalated the discriminatory hiring practices and segregation of government offices that had begun under Theodore Roosevelt and continued under Taft.  Under his Administration, many departments were segregated and some adopted whites only employment policies.  Many black office holders were simply fired.

Following the Allied victory in late 1918, President Wilson attended the Paris Peace Conference.  He successfully pushed for the establishment of a multinational organization, the League of Nations, which was incorporated into the Treaty of Versailles, which Wilson signed.  However, when he returned home, the Senate wouldn't approve the treaty unless they were given the power to declare war...taking that ability away from the President or any treaty agreement.  The Treaty was never signed and America never joined the League of Nations.  Wilson suffered a stroke in late 1919 that left him incapacitated.  Some historians debate the impact, but his second wife Edith and his physician controlled Wilson and despite pressure for the Vice President to take over the reins, it never happened.  Allegedly no important decisions were made on the President's 'behalf' for the remainder of his second term.

All in all, our visit to the Woodrow Wilson Library and Museum was very interesting and we both learned a lot.  To learn more about this Presidential attraction located in Staunton Virginia, go to https://www.woodrowwilson.org/.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Luray Caverns Virginia - It's Not Just About the Caverns (3)

...continuing with our fall 2024 tour of the non-cavern attractions at Luray Caverns Virginia.  For those of you that aren't particularly interested in automobiles, the good news is that the post after this one will involve a non-automotive attraction at the Caverns.

This is a 1911 Hupmobile Roadster.  It has a bit of an unusual body design and it certainly has a 'sporty' look, especially for 1911.  It was manufactured by the Hupp Motor Car Company in Detroit Michigan.  With its upscale upholstery and it's 'look' it was the antique version of an 1960's MG sportscar.  It was promoted at the 'little car built better than the big ones.  It weighed 1,100 lbs., it had a 4-cylinder motor that developed 20 HP.

Hupmobile was a line of autos that were built between 1909 and 1939.  Like sports teams today, players frequently changed teams...or companies.  Bobby Hupp co-founded the Hupp Motor Car Company with Charles Hastings...who came from Oldsmobile.  Another key executive was Emil Nelson who had previously worked for both Oldsmobile and Packard.  Even after Bobby Hupp left the company, it was a strong competitor against Ford and Chevrolet.  By 1928, Hupp Motor Car Company's sales had reached over 65,000 units.  In the mid-1920s the company decided to build larger, more expensive autos.  In going for the higher-end market, Hupp forgot their established clientele.  The diversification meant that production of the many models became cost prohibitive as there weren't enough sales to support the variety offered.

This 'old-fashioned' looking auto is a Metz 1912 Roadster and it's another brass era automobile.  It featured something called a 'friction-type drive'.  A steel disc rotating in one plane/angle drove a fiber disc at a 90 degree plane to the steel disc.  The motor turns the steel disc and the fiber disc turns the drive wheel.  Too technical for me!  This roadster does feature a 'Mother-in-Law' rumble seat in the back.  The cost of this car was $475.00.  It featured a 4-cylinder engine that produced 22.5 HP.

The Metz Company began business in 1886 making bicycle parts.  Later as the company got involved with the automobile business, Metz did offer the first known "kit automobile" on an installment plan.  The buyer would buy 14 groups of parts on an installment plan for $27.00 each.  Then the customer could be put the auto together with the plans and tools provided.  Total price came to $378.00.  A factory-assembled automobile could be purchased for $475.00.  This plan continued until the kits couldn't compete with dealer-supplied Model T Fords.  Metz also produced light trucks but shortly after World War I the company folded.

This is a 1912 Ford Humpback delivery truck.  Made in Detroit and costing $700.00, it had a 2-speed transmission, a 4-cylinder motor that produced 20 HP.  Early on the Ford Motor Company produced Model T automobiles and or motorized chassis that other companies would outfit with whatever truck body the customer needed.  Some of these bodies were scratch-built at home but most of them were sourced from a known company or builder.  With the Ford Model T being so popular, it didn't take long for Ford to diversify into light trucks...cutting out most of the companies that were building specialty bodies.

This is yet another version of a Ford Model T truck, this time serving as a milk delivery truck.  How many folks even remember home delivery milk trucks!?  When this 1914 Model T truck was refurbished for the museum, the original lettering could still be seen, making it easy to 'freshen up'.  The 4-cylinder 22.5 HP motor achieved about 20 miles for each gallon of gas.

1914 was the last year that Ford installed gas lamps/headlights on their vehicles.  It was also the first year that Ford actually fully assembled trucks on the assembly line...

Now for some more exotic automotive creations... This is a 1932 Rolls-Royce Shooting Brake and it was built in Derby England.  This special automobile originally cost $15,800 and it is equipped with a 6-cylinder motor producing 25.3 HP.  Top speed was about 50 MPH.

This vehicle's main function was to serve as a 'gentlemen's hunting wagon'.  This luxury vehicle was used to carry hunting or shooting parties along with their weapons, equipment and game.  There actually were 81 of these hand-built vehicles produced in 1932.  The coachwork by Crosbie and Dunn Ltd. of England, was constructed using Honduran and African mahogany. 

Hey!  This is an exotic vehicle too... There are different ways to define exotic!  This is a 1925 Graham Brothers "Black Maria", really a portable jail.  This 35 HP truck was rugged and simple...and it was a secure way to transport evildoers.  Love the Luray Caverns paint job!

The Graham Brothers started out producing kits to convert Ford Model Ts into trucks and to modify the newer Ford Model TT's (heavier duty) trucks.  Eventually they began building their own trucks.  From 1921 and 1929 the Graham Brothers manufactured all of the trucks for Dodge...using Dodge engines.  Actually, in 1925 Dodge purchased the Graham Brothers truck company and the Grahams were brought on board at Dodge as key executives.  As a subsidiary of Dodge, by 1926 the Graham Brothers were the largest company in the world that was dedicated to truck manufacturing.

Luckily for the reader, I'm not going to go into the history of Mercedes-Benz.  Nevertheless, this is indeed a Mercedes-Benz classic car.  This Model S Tourwagen was built Stuttgart Germany in 1928, and only 7 vehicles using this chassis were built.  The auto was designed by Ferdinand Porsche and it was built by Daimler-Benz.  This was one of the first autos built under the Mercedes-Benz name.  Costing $15,000, this was a fast car.  This beast of an auto weighed 5,511 lbs., and it was equipped with a 6-cylinder supercharged motor producing 220 HP.  It could reach speeds of 110 mph.

Cord automobiles are another luxury brand that I've expounded on previously.  This is a 1930 Cord L-29 Phaeton.  It features front wheel drive with the transmission mounted in front of the engine.  Strangely, the shift lever is mounted on the dash panel.  The motor is a water cooled Lycoming straight-8 cylinder that developed 120 HP.  It's original cost was $2,595.00

If you love automobiles or even just innovative design, a visit to the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum in Auburn Indiana.  Check it out at https://automobilemuseum.org/.  The website itself is chock full of great automobile photos...

I'll end this post with this 1935 Hispano-Suiza Drophead Coupe.  FYI, Hispano-Suiza refers to the original Spanish-Swiss collaboration that led to this line of automobiles.  This model was created for the 1935 Paris Auto Show.  It has a dual ignition system, an 8-cylinder motor that develops 132 HP and it cost $20,000 new.  The accent trim and other exterior appointments were made with solid brass and German silver.  The Hispano-Suiza Company had it's start in 1904 with plants in both France and Spain.  It didn't hurt the company's reputation that these autos had earned the affection of Spanish King Alfonso XIII. 

The Hispano-Suiza Automotive Company is still making automobiles today...over 120 years later.  If you have the resources, you can order a Carmen Sagrera...shown above.  There is only a 9-month waiting period before delivery.  This automobile is yet another effort to save the planet in that it is fully electric.  Developing 1,019 HP, it will accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 3 seconds.  Cost - $3,200,000 plus taxes.

On the other hand, you could pick up an older model for a more reasonable price.  In August 2022, a 1936 Hispano-Suiza J12 Cabriolet was purchased by someone in Monterey County California for a mere $1,050,000.

That's all for now.  Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Luray Caverns Virginia - It's Not Just about the Caverns! (2)

...continuing with our tour of the 'Non-Cavern' attractions at Luray Caverns in Virginia.  If you follow me very often, you have noticed that I'm into old and/or classic cars and trucks.  Returning to where I left off on my last blog post, this is a continuation of our perusal of classic antique vehicles at the museum.  Fortunately for me, Laurie also likes viewing old cars, trains, planes and ships.  One of her wishes is to be able to fly on either a PBY Catalina (water take off and landing please) or a D.C. 3 or it's military version, the C-47.

Now on to some strange and wonderful old cars and trucks... Some are classics and some were more utilitarian.

This is a 1903 Knox 7-passenger Touring Model.  It's one cylinder engine produced 10 HP.  An interesting feature is this vehicle's cooling system.  Called a 'porcupine' cooling system, it features studs driven into the cylinder wall to carry off the engine heat.  The Knox was advertised as the car that never drinks.  How do 7 passengers fit into this automobile?  There is a front folding seat that can be opened up that seats 2 adults.  

The Knox Automobile Company was based in Springfield Massachusetts.  The company built cars from 1900 until 1914.  They continued building trucks and farm tractors until 1924.  Knox built the first modern fire engine in 1905 as well as the first American vehicle equipped with hydraulic brakes, in 1915.

This interesting blue beauty is a 1903 Winton.  Apparently the back seat can be easily removed, allowing what appears to be a full-size touring touring car to be transformed into a sporty roadster.  The 2-cylinder water-cooled engine produces 20 HP.  In 1896 Scottish immigrant, Alexander  Winton, turned from producing bicycles to developing motor cars.  In 1898, he sold his first car, (one of if not the first car to be sold in the USA), to a customer who's seen an advertisement in "Scientific American" magazine.  

To prove his automobile's durability, Winton had one of his cars undergo an 800 mile endurance run from Cleveland to New York City.  In 1898, Winton sold 21 more vehicles, including to James Ward Packard...who later founded the Packard Automobile Company.  In 1899, the Winton Motor Carriage Company sold more than 100 autos, making the company the largest manufacturer of gasoline-powered vehicles in the USA.  The Winton Motor Carriage Company ceased automobile production in February of 1924 but the separate Winton Engine Company continued, and was purchased by General Motors in 1930.

Note: In 1903, Dr. Horatio Nelson Jackson made the first successful automobile 'road trip' across the USA.  Using a slightly used Winton touring car and accompanied by a mechanic, the team drove from San Francisco to Manhattan in New York City.  The trip lasted 63 days, 12 hours and 30 minutes including breakdowns and delays waiting for spare parts.  At that time there were only 150 miles of paved road in the entire country.  The 'cross country' Winton is on display at the Smithsonian Museum.

In 1909 the fall Sears Catalog included an automobile for the first time...The Sears Motor Buggy.  Sears foray into the automotive business began with the company fitting a motor on their best horse-drawn  buggy model.  It had tiller steering and high wheels for navigating the rough roads and terrain of the day and it was equipped with a 2-cylinder dual-exhaust engine that produced 14 HP.

The initial run of Sears Motor Buggies were built in 1908 by the Hercules Buggy plant in Evansville Indiana.  But by the fall of 1909, the Sears Motor Car Works began operations.  In the first year of production, the automobile was offered only as a $395.00, solid-tired runabout.  But in 1910, the company offered 5 different models of the Motor Buggy.  In fact it was the same car with different amenities, such as fenders, lights, tops, etc.

Despite praise from satisfied customers, Sears had a problem.  The car cost more to produce than the company was getting from its sales.  Production ended by 1912.  Note the photo above... I did find a Sears Motor Buggy that was sold at auction in August of 2022.  The winning bid totaled $13,850, which coincidentally is about today's dollar equivalent of the original price...

This elegant automobile was built in St. Denis France.  The Delaunay-Belleville Town Car was built in 1908.  It powered by a 6-cylinder motor that developed 20 HP.  This town car has been driven over 300,000 miles At the start of the 20th Century, this company was perhaps the most desirable French marque to be attached to your prestigious automobile.  By 1906, Emperor Nicholas II of Russia owned one.  Other royals with Delaunay-Bellville autos included King George I of Greece and King Alphonso XIII of Spain. 

All the Delaunay-Belleville vehicles were sold as a bare chassis body...and high-end specialty coach builders, in this case Kellner and Ses Fils of Paris, was responsible for the luxurious features shown above.  Note the solid mahogany coach work, the original upholstery and the leather 3-stage fenders.  

The Kellner firm also built bodywork for upscale European automobiles such as Hispano-Suiza, Rolls-Royce, Delage, Renault as well as one of the 6 Bugatti Royales ever built.

Even for 1909, this high-wheel Schacht Model K had an 'old-fashioned look.  The carriage style wheels were designed for navigating rural roads with their mud and ruts without getting bogged down.  Featuring a 2-cylinder motor, the Schacht Model K cost $650.00 back in the day.

Originally the Schacht Manufacturing Company built buggies.  But, beginning in 1904, the company built automobiles and 'high-wheelers'.  Renamed the Schacht Motor Car Company, over 9,000 cars were built between 1904 and 1913.  Automobile production ceased in 1914 and the company was rebranded as the G.A. Schacht Motor Truck Company.  The truck company continued to build trucks and fire trucks until 1938.

Backing up for a moment, time-wise, this is a 1907 International Autowagon.  As with the Autobuggy, International Harvester, a company that was formed by the merger and buy outs of other corporations, had been making farm machinery for several years.  However, as autos and trucks became more practical and accepted, like Sears had taken their best buggy and put a motor on it, that's exactly what International Harvester did with its best spring wagon.  

International Harvester also built auto buggies from 1907 through 1912.  There were both air and water cooled versions of the Autowagon.  The company continued manufacturing Autowagons until 1917.  The history of International Harvester is too confusing for me to summarize here.  To learn more about International Harvester and its progenitors, you can just go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Harvester.

This is a rare 1909 Middleby roadster.  It was actually discovered in Luray, where it had been owned by the former freight agent for the Norfolk and Western Railway.  This may be the only Middleby in existence.  With its wooden frame, large air cooling fan and original white rubber tires, it is a special auto indeed.  It was powered by a 4-cylinder motor producing 20 HP.  

The Middleby Auto Company was a 'brass era' automobile manufacturer that was based in Reading Pennsylvania.  Just looking at this car, it's obvious why it is considered to be part of the 'brass era' in American auto building.  Customers paid $850.00 to own a Middleby, about $30,000 in today's dollars.  Standard equipment included a 3 speed transmission plus reverse, 2 gas lamps, 2 side oil lamps, a rear lamp, tools and a French horn.  By 1910, the company had sold about 400 cars.  Founded in 1908, it went out of business by 1913.

This classic black touring model is a 1914 Westcott.  When it was found it only had 1,700 miles on it.  Since then it was given new tires, a new top and it's been repainted.  However the engine hasn't been touched.  The 6-cylinder 60 HP motor will cross any mountain in Virginia in high-gear without any issues.  Note that the brass era was over by 1914 and a nickel-tin finish had replaced it.

First manufactured in Richmond Indiana and later in Springfield Ohio, the Westcott Motor Car Company was in operation from 1909 until 1925.  Production reached 2,000 cars in 1917 and it peaked by 1920.  Westcotts were hand-built and the company had not adopted the cost saving production line methods used by other manufacturers.  The company collapsed due to debts owed to suppliers.  

Note: Burton Westcott was a client of architect Frank Lloyd Wright who designed a Prairie School style house for the family in Springfield Ohio in 1904.  As you can see in the photo above, the house has been refurbished and maintained over the years.  Today it is open to the public.  Go to https://www.westcotthouse.org/ to learn more.

I'll end this post with this 1910 Maxwell Roadster.  It was a very popular automobile back in its era and it was one of the 'base' autos that was involved in the creation of the Chrysler Corporation...now Stellantis North America.  This roadster was powered by a 2-cylinder motor that developed 14 HP.  Note the lack of a windshield.  Goggles were an obvious necessity!

Originally Maxwell automobiles were built in Tarrytown New York but in 1907 after a fire, the company opened a new modern automobile factory in New Castle Indiana.  The basic materials needed to build a car came in one end of the plant and finished cars came out the other end.  This plant was in use by Chrysler until 2004.  Chrysler had acquired Maxwell in 1925.  For a significant period of time, Maxwell was considered one of the 3 top automobile firms in the USA, along with GM and Ford. 

For those of us old enough to remember...and who still can remember...a decrepit old Maxwell was famous as the car that Jack Benny drove long after they were no longer built.  The running joke on his radio and TV shows was that Benny was too tight with the dollar to buy himself a new or newer used car...as long as the old one still ran.

It is worthy of note that Maxwell was one of the first automobile manufacturers that marketed specifically to women.  In 1909 the company received a lot of publicity when it sponsored Alice Huyler Ramsey, an early advocate of women drivers, as the first woman to drive coast-to-coast across the United States.  By 1914, the company had strongly aligned itself with the women's rights movement.

Sorry about being so 'wordy' but I like the research...and the learning.  Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Luray Caverns Virginia - It's Not Just about the Caverns! (1)

...continuing with our October road trip which started in Eastern Tennessee, cut back across Kentucky, then over the Ohio River into the States of Ohio, then West Virginia and Pennsylvania, finally heading south through Maryland and into Virginia.  The State of Virginia represented the last leg of our journey...but we took full advantage of attractions along the way home.

My last post was about Luray Caverns...and the beginning of our tour of the 'other attractions' at the Luray Caverns complex.  You may remember that my last post involved 'wheeled' vehicles, actually a child's goat cart as well as a clown's circus tricycle.  I hinted at what was to come...in that if anyone has followed me for any length of time, they know that I really appreciate vehicles involved in transportation: trains, planes, horse/mule drawn conveyances and of course automobiles as well as other motorized vehicles.   

Luray Caverns features a very interesting grouping of vehicles...and this is just Part One of the autos on display.

This ornate carriage was built in Paris for a member of the Portuguese Royalty in the mid-1700s.  In its original condition, it would have been pulled by a team of 2 or 4 horses.  The style is a "Berlin Coupe de Gala", with only 2 seats in the carriage.  The gilded carriage features a royal crest and a gilded surface painted with cherubs and mythological characters.  This is one of the oldest carriages on display in the United States. 

This 1900 Steam Pumper Fire Engine was built by the Manchester Locomotive Works in Manchester New Hampshire.  It was delivered to the Watertown New York Fire Department in 1900 and later it served in the Adams New York Fire Department.  The steam pumper would use whatever source or water that was available to fight a fire.  Originally pulled by 2 or 3 horses, it was still in use in the 1920 but it was being pulled by a truck.  The Firestone rubber tires replaced the original steel banded tires, creating a smoother ride.

The Manchester Locomotive Works originally built steam locomotives for the railroads, starting in 1855.  The steam fire truck portion of the business was acquired in the late 1880s.  The company was absorbed into the American Locomotive Company in 1901 and all production ceased as of 1913. 

This handsome coach was built by Holland and Holland in London England between 1840 and the late 1850s.  It was the 'mass transit' or 'bus' of its day.  Note all of the internal and external seating available.  Drawn by a team of 4 matched horses, it could carry as many as 20 passengers and their luggage.  

For about 100 years, Holland and Holland built carriages, coaches and even limousine auto bodies, including electric 'carriages' into the early 1900s.  The company was known for the quality of their products.  As railroads took over mass transport, Holland and Holland became known for their luxury private coaches and carriages for the wealthy gentlemen who wished to drive their own conveyances with their teams of horse, just for the pleasure of it.  The company was purchased by a competitor in 1912.

I'm unsure of the date when this stunning wicker baby buggy was built, or even the builder, but it is a beauty.  Note the boat shape body designed for the comfort of the baby.  The carriage is equipped with a foot brake so it could be secured when the nanny or parent wanted to stop and chat. 

Wicker baby carriages or buggies, were popular in the USA roughly from the 1880s into the early 1900s.  Wicker was popular because it was light weight and very durable.  As the photo above demonstrates, these carriages were not just functional.  They also symbolized status and elegance with their ornate designs and high-spoke wheels.  I did note that for a number of years the Sears catalog featured a wide variety of wicker baby carriages.

To view an amazing collection of wicker baby buggies or carriages, just go to https://www.pinterest.com/maryannquay/wicker-baby-carriages-i-love-them/.

As indicated on the covering on this carriage, it served as transportation for early visitors to Luray Caverns.  It was in service from about 1910 until 1920.  The fare was 25 cents...the equivalent of about $8.35 today.

The caverns were discovered in 1878 and the land over and around the caverns were purchased in 1905 by the great grandfather of the current owners.  The business has been in the family for 120 years!  In 1906, a total of 18,000 people visited the caverns.  As of 2018, the number of annual visitors had risen to 500,000!  The caverns have been designated as a National Natural Landmark.

The placard is hard to read but this is an 1898 Benz "Vis-a-Vis" model.  Built by Karl Benz, (before Mercedes), in Manheim Germany, this is one of the very first cars produced in any quantity for resale to customers.  It is equipped with a 5 HP motor and it is one of the oldest autos on display in the USA.

Karl Benz, first photo above, patented the first internal combustion engine in a car...the "Benz Patent Motorwagen", in January 1886.  He financed it through his wife-to-be Bertha's dowry.  As a single woman, she could invest or do with her money whatever she wanted.  Once married, women in Germany at that time no longer had that right.  Bertha (second photo) was his business partner and investor.  

She was the first person to drive an internal combustion engine powered vehicle, over a long distance...66 miles.  In August of 1888, Bertha and her two sons undertook this adventure without telling her husband or without the permission of the authorities.  Karl had no comprehension as regarded marketing their invention, but Bertha knew that if the trip succeeded, lots of positive publicity would result.  If you ever saw the old Mercedes ad about this first automobile road trip, the story is correct with Bertha solving operational issues along the route.  As they say, the rest of the Benz/Mercedes story is history.

To view the ad depicting Bertha's historic road trip, click on this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsGrFYD5Nfs.  

Bright and colorful as it is, this 1899 Peugeot's Type 26 Vis-a-Vis model seems counterintuitive.  Seating 4, the seats face each other.  Had to be hard for the driver to see where he was going.  This early automobile had a 4 HP engine and it could move along at 20 mph.  Given that its called the Vis-a-Vis model, it makes sense in this case...as it means 'face-to-face in French.

I 'borrowed' this second photo from the Internet and the quality of the picture leaves a lot to be desired.  However, I wanted to show how this unusual automobile was steered.  Up to this point, most automobiles were steered with a stick/rudder or a steering wheel.  This model Peugeot was steered via the 2-handled crossbar as shown in the middle of the picture.  Peugeot adopted the steering wheel as we know it in 1901.  

Peugeot automobiles are still produced.  Peugeot is one of the 14 brands owned by the Stellantis Corporation.  Some of the company's other brands include Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep and Ram Trucks.

This 1903 Speedwell Roadster is a bit of a mystery to me... According to the placard this 1-cylinder 6 HP vehicle was built in Manchester England by the Speedwell Motor Car Company.  I tried to research the history of that company and I came up blank.  There was plenty of history/information about the Speedwell Motor Car Company in Dayton Ohio (1907 - 1914), but this roadster predates the American company.  I did note that the average man today would not be able to put his legs under the steering wheel of this automobile.

I'll end this post with this 1905 Riley "Tri-Car", a 3-wheel car designed for those who don't like their passenger...or perhaps to act in the capacity of a taxi.  This vehicle was powered through a chain drive driving the single rear wheel.  It featured a 2-cylinder 6 HP engine.  One obvious problem or challenge was that the driver sat behind the passenger...visually awkward at best.

In this instance I could find some information about the Riley Cycle Co. Ltd... I learned that William Riley Jr. owned the company and he had little interest in building automobiles.  The family business was bicycles...and automobiles were the 'enemy' that threatened the business.  However his middle son, Percy, persisted and this vehicle is the result of his persistence.  In 1900, Riley sold just one 3-wheeled automobile but, with his brother's help, their father was eventually won over to motorized vehicles including motorcycles, 3-wheel chain driven cars like this one and then true 4-wheel automobiles.    

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave