Early Automobile History
One hundred years ago, the first Model T automobile was made. The Model T
automobile was not the first car to be built, but
it was the first widely affordable mass-produced
car. The first Model T was built for sale on
October 1, 1908, at a price of about $850.
Between 1908 and 1927, a total of 15 million
Model Ts were sold. By the 1920s, half of all
the cars in America were model Ts. The 1925
Model T touring car cost about $260 at a time
when the average annual income in America
was $1236.1
In January 1906, Dr. C.C. Bachman
purchased the first automobile to be owned in
Waterloo. His car was a 15 horsepower Pope
that he purchased at the automobile show in New York City. In July of that same year, H.I.
Buttery purchased a 25 horsepower Pope Hartford automobile that he drove from Syracuse to
Waterloo.2
Automobiles, however, had been seen in Waterloo and Seneca County before 1906. John
E. Becker in his A History of the Village of Waterloo states that The Automobile Review of
August 13, 1904, gave an extended account of LaRoche’s 3,314 non-stop round-trip run between
New York City and St. Louis. Included in this account is this paragraph: “Between Syracuse and
Rochester, at Seneca Falls I think it was, I got stuck in the mud and it took me five hours of hard
work to dig the machine out and get started again. My hands are covered with blisters from the
work!” This incident is said to have happened just west of the village of Seneca Falls and
“illustrates one of the drawbacks to automobiling through the country.” It was also reported just
a few years later that the village of Waterloo was “known from coast to coast” as having some of
the worst streets over which automobiles had to pass in crossing the continent.3
Becker’s History also reports that seventy-six automobiles came through Waterloo on
July 11, 1906, as part of the 1906 Glidden Tour. This was the third annual run of the American
Auto Association, covering a distance of 4135 miles in sixteen days. The object of the race was
to see which make of machines would last the longest and perform the best work as to endurance
and keeping in repair. Becker reported that “Main Street was lined with sightseers who were well
repaid for ‘looking.’ It took the entire afternoon for the passage of the ‘Cars’ through the village.
Late in the forenoon came the pilot cars and finely cut strips of paper (called confetti) were
thrown from them to mark the route, which through the business section was on the south side of
the street. There were about 300 passengers in the whole number, of whom fifteen were ladies.
The latter wore the customary veiling, while the men were generally clad in long brown linen
dusters with the regulation caps and goggles.”4
According to a 1967 Reveille article written by June Callahan, what is today the Peter
Koch car dealership at 221-229 Fall Street in Seneca Falls was the scene of the manufacture of
the Iroquois automobile. The Iroquois Type D car was a 35 horsepower touring car, with a 100
inch wheelbase and was sold F.O.B. Seneca Falls for $2,500. The Iroquois Type E was a 40
horsepower, 7 passenger car with 4.5 by 32 inch tires and platform springs on the rear, with a
selling price of $3,000 F.O.B. Seneca Falls. 2
John Kaiser was the President of the Iroquois Motor Car Company between 1903 and
1909. Only thirteen cars were actually built but
they were a good car. The small number of
vehicles produced was largely because Mr.
Kaiser’s approach to building an automobile
was considerably different from today’s
procedures. He took his technique from the
carriage makers—he built his cars to last. He
considered a $3,000 automobile to be a very
serious investment and he expected his
customers to drive his cars for twenty years or
more. Because he wanted to build durability into
his cars, he inspected and re-inspected every part and he and his employees assembled the entire
automobile. In 1909, the company dissolved because of lack of business. Ms. Callahan
speculated in her article that “had Mr. Kaiser thought the same way as Henry Ford, maybe the
Iroquois Motor would be a booming industry in Seneca Falls today….”5
In that same article, Callahan reported that “the streets of Seneca Falls were traveled in
the years that followed by many makes that are no longer in production.” These include the
American Under-Slung that Norman Gould owned; Fred Fisher owned a Winton; Walter Ward,
Sr. owned a Mora; Dr. Horton had an Overland; Charlie Fegley had a Reo; Harry Fredenburg
had a Franklin; Paul Perkins, Sr. had a Savon; W.E. Dickey had a Page; and Mrs. Partridge had a
Pearce Arrow.
The May 30, 1913, issue of the Seneca Falls Reveille noted that people in Seneca Falls
had auto fever. There were 89 Model Ts, plus a number of other car makes in the village. In
January 1921, there were 2,073 autos and trucks in the county and by September of that same
year the number had increased to 2,945. On October 27, 1922, Fred L. Huntington leased a
building at Fall and Mynderse Streets for auto
sales.6
Getting an early automobile started,
especially once it stalled out, was not an easy
task. Virtually everyone knows of the necessity
of “cranking” the motor. Not everyone knows,
however, of the “runaway automobile” incident
on September 17, 1917, in Waterloo. Just as the
crowd was dispersing from the New York Central
Railroad Station after seeing off a large
picture of a car in Seneca Falls about 1915 contingent of Seneca County young men entering
the army for war duty, William Redfield’s big Studebaker car became stalled at the main village
intersection. When it wouldn’t start, a number of helping hands gave it a push. The car was still
in gear and there was no driver in the seat. The runaway car struck another car and then took to
the sidewalk where it tore down awnings along the street. In front of Semtner’s tailor shop the
car struck and killed H. Eugene Van Buren who was repairing the sidewalk. The auto then struck
two little girls and then a tree in front of John C. Shanks’ residence on the corner of Church and
Main Streets. The runaway car then bounded across the street and crashed into the house of
Edward Conant just east of the Presbyterian Church. Becker summarized the incident with the
comment, “Every part of the auto’s driverless trip down the street was a freak occurrence.”73
If you want to see this wellpreserved 1903 Ford Model A car, you
simply have to go to the N.R. Boyce car
dealership in Ovid. They have had this
car on display since about 1949. To
clarify why it is called a 1903 Ford
Model A, early Ford cars were simply
lettered model A, then model B, etc. until the Model
T proved so popular that Ford kept producing that
Model T for several years. Then Ford went back to
producing a new Model A. As the picture at right
shows, the 1903 Ford Model A was chain-driven. The
car often had the problem of mud, etc. clogging up the operation.8
As automobiles were increasing in number, our villages were changing as well. Waterloo,
for example, erected its first street signs in late 1910.9
In June 1913, a five year contract was
made with Central New York and Electric Co, providing for all night street lighting in Waterloo.
This lighting consisted of five ornamental cluster lamps of 60 candlepower each to be placed on
each side of Main Street, 100 feet apart.10 Also in 1913, the village of Waterloo designated street
numbers for houses and business places so that free postal delivery could be instituted in the
village of Waterloo on September 1, 1913.11 The Waterloo village board on May 6, 1914,
resolved to have East Main, Washington, and River Streets, paved as part of the new state
Highway Law, by which the state, the county, the village and adjoining property owners would
pay for the improvement.12
The rapid increase in the number of automobiles led to the development of many autorelated businesses such as gas stations and tourist cabins. One of the most interesting examples in
Seneca County was the Windmill Tourist Camp just west of Seneca Falls. The windmill itself
was built in 1929. The Camp had a total of 15 cabins, as many as nine gas pumps, and a
restaurant and gift shop. It should also be
noted that the rise of the automobile helps
to explain the demise of streetcars and
railroads in our county and nationwide.13
In 2007 there were 28,143
registered automobiles in Seneca County
for a population of about 33,000, and a
total of 24,758 driver’s licenses.14 Seeing a
really old car like a Tin Lizzie while
driving along on a highway today prompts
strong reaction and for good reason.
Maybe it’s simply because cars today are
One hundred years ago, the first Model T automobile was made. The Model T
automobile was not the first car to be built, but
it was the first widely affordable mass-produced
car. The first Model T was built for sale on
October 1, 1908, at a price of about $850.
Between 1908 and 1927, a total of 15 million
Model Ts were sold. By the 1920s, half of all
the cars in America were model Ts. The 1925
Model T touring car cost about $260 at a time
when the average annual income in America
was $1236.1
In January 1906, Dr. C.C. Bachman
purchased the first automobile to be owned in
Waterloo. His car was a 15 horsepower Pope
that he purchased at the automobile show in New York City. In July of that same year, H.I.
Buttery purchased a 25 horsepower Pope Hartford automobile that he drove from Syracuse to
Waterloo.2
Automobiles, however, had been seen in Waterloo and Seneca County before 1906. John
E. Becker in his A History of the Village of Waterloo states that The Automobile Review of
August 13, 1904, gave an extended account of LaRoche’s 3,314 non-stop round-trip run between
New York City and St. Louis. Included in this account is this paragraph: “Between Syracuse and
Rochester, at Seneca Falls I think it was, I got stuck in the mud and it took me five hours of hard
work to dig the machine out and get started again. My hands are covered with blisters from the
work!” This incident is said to have happened just west of the village of Seneca Falls and
“illustrates one of the drawbacks to automobiling through the country.” It was also reported just
a few years later that the village of Waterloo was “known from coast to coast” as having some of
the worst streets over which automobiles had to pass in crossing the continent.3
Becker’s History also reports that seventy-six automobiles came through Waterloo on
July 11, 1906, as part of the 1906 Glidden Tour. This was the third annual run of the American
Auto Association, covering a distance of 4135 miles in sixteen days. The object of the race was
to see which make of machines would last the longest and perform the best work as to endurance
and keeping in repair. Becker reported that “Main Street was lined with sightseers who were well
repaid for ‘looking.’ It took the entire afternoon for the passage of the ‘Cars’ through the village.
Late in the forenoon came the pilot cars and finely cut strips of paper (called confetti) were
thrown from them to mark the route, which through the business section was on the south side of
the street. There were about 300 passengers in the whole number, of whom fifteen were ladies.
The latter wore the customary veiling, while the men were generally clad in long brown linen
dusters with the regulation caps and goggles.”4
According to a 1967 Reveille article written by June Callahan, what is today the Peter
Koch car dealership at 221-229 Fall Street in Seneca Falls was the scene of the manufacture of
the Iroquois automobile. The Iroquois Type D car was a 35 horsepower touring car, with a 100
inch wheelbase and was sold F.O.B. Seneca Falls for $2,500. The Iroquois Type E was a 40
horsepower, 7 passenger car with 4.5 by 32 inch tires and platform springs on the rear, with a
selling price of $3,000 F.O.B. Seneca Falls. 2
John Kaiser was the President of the Iroquois Motor Car Company between 1903 and
1909. Only thirteen cars were actually built but
they were a good car. The small number of
vehicles produced was largely because Mr.
Kaiser’s approach to building an automobile
was considerably different from today’s
procedures. He took his technique from the
carriage makers—he built his cars to last. He
considered a $3,000 automobile to be a very
serious investment and he expected his
customers to drive his cars for twenty years or
more. Because he wanted to build durability into
his cars, he inspected and re-inspected every part and he and his employees assembled the entire
automobile. In 1909, the company dissolved because of lack of business. Ms. Callahan
speculated in her article that “had Mr. Kaiser thought the same way as Henry Ford, maybe the
Iroquois Motor would be a booming industry in Seneca Falls today….”5
In that same article, Callahan reported that “the streets of Seneca Falls were traveled in
the years that followed by many makes that are no longer in production.” These include the
American Under-Slung that Norman Gould owned; Fred Fisher owned a Winton; Walter Ward,
Sr. owned a Mora; Dr. Horton had an Overland; Charlie Fegley had a Reo; Harry Fredenburg
had a Franklin; Paul Perkins, Sr. had a Savon; W.E. Dickey had a Page; and Mrs. Partridge had a
Pearce Arrow.
The May 30, 1913, issue of the Seneca Falls Reveille noted that people in Seneca Falls
had auto fever. There were 89 Model Ts, plus a number of other car makes in the village. In
January 1921, there were 2,073 autos and trucks in the county and by September of that same
year the number had increased to 2,945. On October 27, 1922, Fred L. Huntington leased a
building at Fall and Mynderse Streets for auto
sales.6
Getting an early automobile started,
especially once it stalled out, was not an easy
task. Virtually everyone knows of the necessity
of “cranking” the motor. Not everyone knows,
however, of the “runaway automobile” incident
on September 17, 1917, in Waterloo. Just as the
crowd was dispersing from the New York Central
Railroad Station after seeing off a large
picture of a car in Seneca Falls about 1915 contingent of Seneca County young men entering
the army for war duty, William Redfield’s big Studebaker car became stalled at the main village
intersection. When it wouldn’t start, a number of helping hands gave it a push. The car was still
in gear and there was no driver in the seat. The runaway car struck another car and then took to
the sidewalk where it tore down awnings along the street. In front of Semtner’s tailor shop the
car struck and killed H. Eugene Van Buren who was repairing the sidewalk. The auto then struck
two little girls and then a tree in front of John C. Shanks’ residence on the corner of Church and
Main Streets. The runaway car then bounded across the street and crashed into the house of
Edward Conant just east of the Presbyterian Church. Becker summarized the incident with the
comment, “Every part of the auto’s driverless trip down the street was a freak occurrence.”73
If you want to see this wellpreserved 1903 Ford Model A car, you
simply have to go to the N.R. Boyce car
dealership in Ovid. They have had this
car on display since about 1949. To
clarify why it is called a 1903 Ford
Model A, early Ford cars were simply
lettered model A, then model B, etc. until the Model
T proved so popular that Ford kept producing that
Model T for several years. Then Ford went back to
producing a new Model A. As the picture at right
shows, the 1903 Ford Model A was chain-driven. The
car often had the problem of mud, etc. clogging up the operation.8
As automobiles were increasing in number, our villages were changing as well. Waterloo,
for example, erected its first street signs in late 1910.9
In June 1913, a five year contract was
made with Central New York and Electric Co, providing for all night street lighting in Waterloo.
This lighting consisted of five ornamental cluster lamps of 60 candlepower each to be placed on
each side of Main Street, 100 feet apart.10 Also in 1913, the village of Waterloo designated street
numbers for houses and business places so that free postal delivery could be instituted in the
village of Waterloo on September 1, 1913.11 The Waterloo village board on May 6, 1914,
resolved to have East Main, Washington, and River Streets, paved as part of the new state
Highway Law, by which the state, the county, the village and adjoining property owners would
pay for the improvement.12
The rapid increase in the number of automobiles led to the development of many autorelated businesses such as gas stations and tourist cabins. One of the most interesting examples in
Seneca County was the Windmill Tourist Camp just west of Seneca Falls. The windmill itself
was built in 1929. The Camp had a total of 15 cabins, as many as nine gas pumps, and a
restaurant and gift shop. It should also be
noted that the rise of the automobile helps
to explain the demise of streetcars and
railroads in our county and nationwide.13
In 2007 there were 28,143
registered automobiles in Seneca County
for a population of about 33,000, and a
total of 24,758 driver’s licenses.14 Seeing a
really old car like a Tin Lizzie while
driving along on a highway today prompts
strong reaction and for good reason.
Maybe it’s simply because cars today are
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