Ohio Automotive Heritage (TM)
Over the years, Ohio was home to over 100 different automobile manufactures, with over 50 different automobiles built in Cleveland alone. Ohio also has a strong claim for being the true home of America's first gasoline powered automobile. In 1891 John W. Lambert of Union City, Ohio built and successfully drove a 3-wheeled automobile. While the Duryea brothers are recognized by the Smithsonian as being the first to built an automobile in the United States, it's hard to overlook Lambert's previous effort in the Buckeye state.
Later Lambert would move to Indiana where he built his friction drive cars until 1918. Lambert products included cars, trucks, fire engines, and tractors. During World War 1 the company converted its factory for national defense, among other things producing artillery shells. There is much more to the history of the Lambert automobile, and The Center for Automotive History will soon retell its true story complete with newly discovered information, photos, and details. J.W. Lambert - father of Ohio's first automobile. |
It doesn't look like much too much is going on in downtown Amherst, Ohio on a long ago sunny summer's day. Never the less the proud owner of a brand new 1906 Lambert Touring Car has strategically parked his prized new ride for all to see.
The Lambert automobile story begins in Union City, Ohio, a town that literally straddles the Ohio Indiana state line. In fact, the town is divided by an aptly name thoroughfare, the Ohio-Indiana State Line Road. This somewhat spilt personality led to an interesting problem for Union City in the years Indiana did not observe Daylight Savings Time. You could literally have one foot in one time zone and the other foot in another time zone without leaving town! The Lambert automobile story shifts to Indiana and will be continued in the Center's Indiana Automotive Heritage Series (TM).
The Lambert automobile story begins in Union City, Ohio, a town that literally straddles the Ohio Indiana state line. In fact, the town is divided by an aptly name thoroughfare, the Ohio-Indiana State Line Road. This somewhat spilt personality led to an interesting problem for Union City in the years Indiana did not observe Daylight Savings Time. You could literally have one foot in one time zone and the other foot in another time zone without leaving town! The Lambert automobile story shifts to Indiana and will be continued in the Center's Indiana Automotive Heritage Series (TM).
The classic Packard automobile - a Buckeye at heart!
One of the greatest of the classic American automobile was the Packard. Now probably best known for its elegant cars of the 1920's and 1930's, the Packard had its start in Warren Ohio in 1899 when the Packard Brothers, James and William, felt certain they could built a better car than the Winton owned by their business partner George Weiss. The Winton, one of the earliest American cars, was also an Ohio product, being built in Cleveland starting in 1897. It is thought the first gasoline automobile ever sold to the public was a Winton.
And build a better car the Packard brothers did! Far more expensive than the average car of the day, the Packard appealed to the wealthy automobile buyer, and soon earned a reputation for reliability and solid construction, traits that Packard would long be known for. Not long after their initial success, a son of a wealthy Detroit family, Henry Joy led a group of investors refinanced the fledgling Packard business and moved it to Detroit where it would go on to lasting fame. Packard built cars in Detroit until 1956; later merging with Studebaker where badge-engineered Packard's were built in South Bend, Indiana in 1957 and 1958. But the true story of the last of the Packard's remains to be told by The Center for Automotive History.
And build a better car the Packard brothers did! Far more expensive than the average car of the day, the Packard appealed to the wealthy automobile buyer, and soon earned a reputation for reliability and solid construction, traits that Packard would long be known for. Not long after their initial success, a son of a wealthy Detroit family, Henry Joy led a group of investors refinanced the fledgling Packard business and moved it to Detroit where it would go on to lasting fame. Packard built cars in Detroit until 1956; later merging with Studebaker where badge-engineered Packard's were built in South Bend, Indiana in 1957 and 1958. But the true story of the last of the Packard's remains to be told by The Center for Automotive History.
Ned Jordan automobile marketer extraordinaire!
Among the great Ohio built automobiles are the Peerless, White, Winton, Willys, and the little known but fascinating Templar, whose factory in Lakewood, Ohio now houses a large collection of Templar cars. But one of the most interesting of all Ohio built automobiles is the Jordan, not so much for the cars themselves, but for the man that created them, Edward "Ned" Jordan.
Ned Jordan was born in Wisconsin in 1882. He had his first experience working in the automobile industry with the Thomas Jeffery Company, manufactures of the at that time well-known Rambler and Jeffery automobiles. The Jeffery Company would become Nash, then AMC, and eventually be bought by Chrysler. Jordan was secretary and manager of advertising, publicity, and sales at Jeffrey, in time becoming General Manager. There is little doubt that Jordan was a born marketer, and he would create some of the most famous automobile advertising of all time. It is said that Jordan thought that "cars are dull and drab" so he set out to build and sell "smart looking cars" to smartly dressed people. It all goes to show that to sell a product you "sell the sizzle not the steak! As part of its Ohio Automotive Heritage Series (TM) The Center for Automotive History will bring more of the Ned Jordan and the Jordan automobile story, as well as a detailed review of all the Cleveland built cars. The Great Cars of Cleveland, another new and exciting presentation from The Center for Automotive History. |
There was little nightlife in 1909 Geneva, Ohio!
Automobiles were once built all across Ohio. Among the lesser known cities and towns in Ohio that once boasted their own automobile factory are Bellefontaine, Chillicothe, Clyde, Eaton, Fostoria, Geneva, Middletown, and Springfield. But one of the most interesting of all these varied Ohio automobile manufacturing locations is the story of the Ewing Automobile Company of Geneva.
The Geneva automobile had something of a majestic introduction, first being shown at the Palace in New York at the New York Auto Show in 1908. In announcing the new car the company proudly described it as the "debutante of the season". That was high praise for what was in fact a taxicab, but the Ewing was a handsome and well-built automobile. The car's designer was none the less than Louis Moores, a veteran automobile designer who had designed the early Peerless cars including those driven by the famous Barney Oldfield. Moores had also worked at Moon, where he designed the first Moon automobile in 1905.
The Company built very few cars in 1908 and 1909, but did turn a profit, small though it was. By the fall of 1909 Mr. Levi E. Ewing, who had formerly managed a match factory in Cleveland, faced a rather unusual problem with his automobile business. It seems that Geneva, being a small and remote location with a population at the time of about 2,400, had very little night life. So in terms of entertainment, Geneva did not offer much, which made it difficult to hire and keep workers. Apparently automobile assemblers and mechanics even in 1909 had more on their mind that building automobiles! Ewing's first idea was to move the company to Erie, Pennsylvania less than 60 miles away. Instead he sold out, which brings us to the next chapter in our story. For believe it or not, the Ewing automobile became part of General Motors! But in truth there is still more to the story of the Ewing automobile and small town Geneva, Ohio's ties to the automobile industry. And the story will continue as part of the Ohio Automotive Heritage Series (TM), brought to you exclusively by The Center for Automotive History.
The Geneva automobile had something of a majestic introduction, first being shown at the Palace in New York at the New York Auto Show in 1908. In announcing the new car the company proudly described it as the "debutante of the season". That was high praise for what was in fact a taxicab, but the Ewing was a handsome and well-built automobile. The car's designer was none the less than Louis Moores, a veteran automobile designer who had designed the early Peerless cars including those driven by the famous Barney Oldfield. Moores had also worked at Moon, where he designed the first Moon automobile in 1905.
The Company built very few cars in 1908 and 1909, but did turn a profit, small though it was. By the fall of 1909 Mr. Levi E. Ewing, who had formerly managed a match factory in Cleveland, faced a rather unusual problem with his automobile business. It seems that Geneva, being a small and remote location with a population at the time of about 2,400, had very little night life. So in terms of entertainment, Geneva did not offer much, which made it difficult to hire and keep workers. Apparently automobile assemblers and mechanics even in 1909 had more on their mind that building automobiles! Ewing's first idea was to move the company to Erie, Pennsylvania less than 60 miles away. Instead he sold out, which brings us to the next chapter in our story. For believe it or not, the Ewing automobile became part of General Motors! But in truth there is still more to the story of the Ewing automobile and small town Geneva, Ohio's ties to the automobile industry. And the story will continue as part of the Ohio Automotive Heritage Series (TM), brought to you exclusively by The Center for Automotive History.
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