First Cars in Washington

At the beginning of the 20th century, cars were practically non-existent in Illinois. They were reserved for wealthy Chicagoans, while the other 99.9% of the state traveled in their familiar horse-drawn carriages.

The first documented car purchased by a Springfield, Illinois resident occurred in 1900, and they had to travel to Chicago to purchase it.

Around these parts, automobiles were still non-existent. In fact, in 1902, the newspaper commented that no automobiles had been seen in the city, and the closest they had come were "carriages being drawn by Shetland ponies."

That would not last long.  Two weeks after the newspaper quip, in mid-1902, it was reported that an automobile was first sighted in town driven by visitors from Gibson City.

1903 witnessed the first automobile purchased by a Washington resident.  Elmer Lamphear, a C & A railroad engineer, acquired what the newspaper called an auto "of 5 horsepower, capable of a speed of 60 miles per hour."

Well into 1904, automobile sightings still made the news, including Washington's first auto "accident."  On June 12, 1904, Lamphear was heading into Washington while the George Kennel family was heading out in a horse-drawn carriage.  The horses got spooked and bolted off the road and over a hedge fence, causing them to be separated from the carriage.

The next automobiles purchased by Washingtonians (in 1904) were by Dr. Harley Zinser, Lewis Harms, and George Meyers.  Zinser and Meyers definitely bought Glide models.

The Glide was an automobile made in Peoria by the Bartholemew Company. Only 75 Glide vehicles were sold in 1903 and 1904. The 1904 models ran on 8 horsepower. The two options the company sold were $750 or $850 in 1904, which would be over $27,000 in today's money.

Automobiles were met with derision from a large portion of the population, although obviously, everyone eventually came around.  The witty newspaper, in describing the first automobile ordinance passed by Washington in 1905, states:

An automobile ordinance, regulating the use of automobiles in the city, was read and passed.  The ordinance requires resident auto drivers to secure a license and leave a description of their machines with the city clerk.  Numbers must be used for identification purposes.  These numbers are required to be fastened to the rear of the puffing monsters, so that victims can turn over on the second or third roll and see the number of the particular "devil wagon" that hit them.

That paragraph becomes even more humorous when you see the second part of the ordinance:

The ordinance further provides that no auto shall exceed a speed of eight miles per hour within the corporation limits, and that in passing churches, schools, or in turning at streets or alley intersections they shall not exceed a speed of four miles per hour.  Auto drivers, upon signal from drivers of horses, must come to a full stop and wait for horse or horses to pass.  Lights must be carried after hours of darkness.

Within a few years, the implement businesses incorporated automobile repair into their repertoire.  One of the first was the Knauel & Dingledine Garage on South Main St., located in what is currently the Heartland Bank parking lot.  Bob Dingledine bought out Knauel shortly after their merger, renaming the business Washington Garage, and eventually moved the garage to 126 N Main St, the location of the parking lot by Brunk's.

Around the same time, Peter Garber and Al Gundy purchased the property near Lindy's current location in 1912 for their garage, leading to many other auto businesses opening in the 1920s and beyond.