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One hundred years ago, Lewis Reed, an enterprising young man from rural Montgomery County, put his future in the fledgling automobile industry. His reasons for this decision are not clear, but the 1910s was a period of exponential growth in the development and societal incorporation of motor cars. With a location on the major east-west route through Rockville, a town that was on its way to becoming a satellite community of Washington, D.C., he was well-positioned for success.
Many early car dealerships grew out of existing garages. The 1910 census indicates that 23-year-old Lewis Reed was working as a machinist. In 1914, he joined Robert L. and C. Griffith Warfield in partnership to operate the Rockville Garage. The Warfield brothers had purchased this building in July 1915 from Leonidas "Lee" Ricketts and Sons who ran the local Overland Agency.
In October of 1915, 27-year-old Lewis Reed received a franchise to sell Dodge Brothers Motor Cars (founded by brothers Horace and John Dodge in Detroit) less than one year after the very first Dodge automobile was invented. Therefore, the Rockville Garage handled the first Dodge cars placed on the market in Montgomery County. George M. Hunter, then-president of the Montgomery County National Bank, purchased the first automobile sold by the Rockville Garage.
Above: Lewis Reed hand-cranking a car. The license plate is MD 10307 dated 1913.
Below: Some of the early Sales & Service staff of Rockville Garage, 1915.
Original Rockville Garage building at the intersection of Veirs Mill Rd and Rockville Pike, 1916.
Original Owners of Rockville Garage, 1916. L-R; Roy Warfield, Lewis Reed, Griffith Warfield
1915: Rockville Garage's first gas pump. View looking west toward Rockville and also showing a trolley car approaching.
Rockville Garage also sold Fisk Tires. St Mary’s Church is in the background (ca. 1915)
A Texaco petroleum truck sits in front of Rockville Garage after delivering its load of fuel.
Early on, Rockville Garage began selling gas from a single pump at the triangle formed by Veirs Mill Road and Rockville Pike. Motorists could stop there to buy Fisk tires and auto supplies, and then fill up with Gulf gas at the curb. They were the first Gulf gas dealer in the Washington, D.C. area. Later, in addition to fuel, they carried a full line of Gulf lubricants, Firestone and Goodyear tires, Willard batteries, complimentary road maps, free air and water, and many other well-known brands of merchandise.
In 1917, the Rockville Garage transitioned to an authorized Texaco Filling Station and sold Texaco gasoline from their pump. However, their contract with Texaco was brief-- by 1920 the garage had resumed selling Gulf brand gasoline.
1917: Rockville Garage after the 2-story addition (see below), and during the time they were contracted with Texaco, evidenced by the signage on the garage and the Texas Company fuel truck refilling the underground tank in front. Also visible are trolley tracks alongside the unpaved dirt road that was Rockville Pike.
In just a few short years, Lewis Reed had expanded his business significantly, constructing a two-story addition to the original building purchased by the Warfields (pictured here).
The first floor housed the Service Department and the upper floor was used for parts storage.
The many windows allowed plenty of natural light for working on cars.
The chimney vented a coal furnace that was used to heat the building.
At the left side of the two-story building was a narrow vehicle entrance that led to the service department in the rear.
A house can be seen behind the addition in the top photograph looking south. Lewis Reed later purchased the remaining residential lots in the triangle to expand his dealership in the back.
In 1918, Lewis Reed bought out all of the Warfield brothers’ interest and continued the business on his own until 1919, when he was joined by his brother, Edgar. Judge Edward C. Peter suggested they change the name of the company to "Reed Brothers" and a local institution was born.
New car display decorated with flags for 4th of July festivities and signs promoting Dodge Brothers Motor Vehicles as sold by Reed Brothers. Edgar Reed, far left ca. 1919.
During these early years, the business represented several franchise nameplates along with Dodge, including the Hudson, Essex, and Oldsmobile brands, sold at the garage from 1917-1923. Signage on the exterior of the building for Firestone Tires seen here replaced the Fisk brand that was sold at Rockville Garage earlier in 1915.
The Work Force
The first auto mechanics of the Rockville Garage (pictured here) consisted of Lewis Reed, Mr. Long (first name unknown) , and Phillip Reed. A mechanical aptitude was necessary to be a dealer in the early 1900’s. When cars were shipped to the dealer from the manufacturer, they arrived partially assembled in railroad box cars. It was the dealer’s responsibility to help unpack and assemble the cars at the railyard and drive them back to the dealership. Mechanics were often needed to repair the new cars if one broke along the way, and breakdowns were fairly common in those days.
Lewis Reed received his automotive training at the Pierce-Arrow factory in Buffalo, New York, the Dodge Hamtramck and Hudson Motor Car factories in Detroit, Michigan, and the Washington Auto College.
Lewis Reed had three brothers who were all eventually involved with the dealership:
Grafton started working as a mechanic at the dealership in 1918 and also served as the Garage Manager.
Phillip worked as a mechanic from 1916-1944.
Edgar was a partner with Lewis for 35 years until the time of his death.
Pictured: Edgar Reed, c. 1917; Grafton Reed, 1921 (Philip Reed pictured above, far right).
Early Employees
Philip Reed (a brother), started in 1916 as a mechanic. Philip was a part of the first shop force and stayed with the company until 1944
Alfred Fraley, Redland, started in 1917 as a mechanic and stayed for more than 30+ years
Benjamin J. Thompson, Colesville, started in 1917 as Salesman and stayed for 30+ years
W. Lester Wilson, Rockville, started in 1918 as Shop Foreman and stayed for 28 years
Grafton Reed (a brother), started as a mechanic in 1918
Raleigh S. Chinn, Rockville, started as Salesman with Reed Brothers in 1920
Leo (Pat) Murray started in 1925 and was the Parts Department Manager. Pat worked at Reed Brothers for more than 21 years
Evelyn Beane, Administrative Secretary
Paul F. Wire, Bookkeeper
Richard C. Burdette, Mechanic
John Burdette, Gas Station Attendant
Mary Anna (Slater) Beall, Bookkeeper
Clyde Souders
The first uniformed gas station attendants appeared at Reed Brothers around 1920. The Gulf station included a manager and four attendants. Attendants worked long hours in all weather, possessed a thorough knowledge of service requirements for various automobile makes and models, improvised quick repairs on the spot, and provided directions to lost travelers. The four men dressed in uniform caps below were Gulf Gasoline Station attendants. Three of the original gas station attendants were Walter (Bud) Beall, Otis Beall, and John Burdette.
Back Row, standing left to right: [unknown], Charles Case Merry, Lester Wilson, Leonard Beall, John William Norris, [unknown], Leo C. Murray. Second Row: [possibly Raleigh Chinn], Otis Beall, Philip Reed, Aubrey Souders, Arthur Souders. Front row, middle: Walter (Bud) Beall.
Lewis Reed’s brother, Philip came to work for Reed Brothers as a mechanic in 1916. The men dressed in uniforms with military-looking caps were Gulf gas station attendants.
Rockville Fair, 1918
"The Rockville Garage Co. invites its friends and patrons to call and see its exhibit at the Rockville Fair of Hudson, Oldsmobile and Dodge Brothers automobiles and accessories." --Montgomery County Sentinel, August 18, 1916
These photos were taken at the 1918 Rockville Fair and show what auto dealer display tents looked like in the early years. Shown above left, is the dealership's new car tent set up with 1918 Hudson Super Six, Oldsmobile, and Dodge Brothers Motor Cars, allowing attendees to get their first glimpse at the latest models the Rockville Garage had to offer and take advantage of on-the-spot demonstrations. Lewis Reed is on the left.
Above right, Lewis Reed is seated in the driver’s seat of the Rockville Garage service truck. The open-cab pickup truck, consisting of a small steel body mounted on a Dodge commercial car chassis, was probably used to carry mechanic’s tools and supplies such as tires and lubricants for repair of vehicles.
The Dealers' Automotive Association of Montgomery County arranged an elaborate automobile show at the annual Rockville Fair in 1920 that would have looked similar to this.
Washington Post articles from July 1920 announcing the Association and the upcoming show.
The Dealers' Automotive Association, 1920
In July 1920, thirty new-car dealers founded the Dealers' Automotive Association of Montgomery County, to represent the interests of Montgomery County's new car and truck dealership franchises. Headquarters were located in Rockville and the territory stretched from Ridgeville to Washington. The group elected Edgar Reed as their first president.
The following month, the Association arranged to hold an automobile show at the annual Rockville Fair. It was to be on a more elaborate scale than ever before attempted in the county and was expected to be one of the most interesting features of the fair. Reed Brothers displayed Essex, Hudson and Dodge motor cars, but automobiles of all kinds were shown by their fellow dealers.
Initially, the association had a membership base in Montgomery County, but through the years it expanded into a statewide trade association. In 1924, the organization of automobile dealers in every county of the state of Maryland was formed into the Maryland Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations.
1921 Remodel
Reed Brothers got a new facelift and remodel in 1921--the white storefront with glass panes replaced the old centered garage door (portions of the side walls of the original building remained). This original part of the garage now served as the new car showroom, while the service operation was moved out into the rear portion of the building.
By this time, gasoline retailers had decided that placing gas pumps on an “island” in front of the station, where drivers could approach from either side (seen on the right), provided the most efficient station layout. Visible pumps like these used a graduated glass cylinder to show customers the quality and quantity of gas being purchased. Glass globes, like Good Gulf, usually topped the pumps and advertised the company’s brand and name.
Below: 1922 photos, after awnings were added over the glass-fronted showroom. Three of the staff are posing with Dodge Commercial cars which would later become trucks.
This Dodge Touring car was sold for $1050.00 to Henry C. Brown and signed for by Edgar Reed. The logos on the invoice are the original Dodge Brothers Motor Cars and Oldsmobile Sales Company logos. The fact that the phone number was just "67" gives a real feeling of how different life was back then.
1927 New Building
The Reed Brothers Gulf Gas Station underwent five alterations over the course of 55 years in compliance with changing corporate design aesthetics. In the late 1920s, the Gulf Refining Co. adopted a brick and tile roof station with canopy supported by four brick columns covering two front driveways. “That Good Gulf” was one of the company’s marketing slogans for a number of years during the twenties and thirties.
In 1927, Reed Brothers erected the modern drive-through Gulf Gas Station seen here, along with a new building and repair shop. A second story was added to the showroom with a glazed front looking out onto Rockville Pike on the right.
Delivering New Stock After a Blizzard
These photos give a good look at how Reed Brothers got its new model cars from the railyard back to Rockville – they drove them caravan-style – even through inclement weather conditions. These new cars, all with dealer license plates, are stopped along a snowbound Goshen Road in rural Gaithersburg on their way back to the dealership. Cars had no heaters at this time, so it was necessary to bundle up!
New Car Showroom
This new car showroom is filled with late 1920s Dodge Brothers new car models. The high ceilings and mezzanine floor gives an air of elegance to the showroom and the expanse of windows on the front extends the full width of the building. The showroom faced the prominent triangle at Veirs Mill Road and Rockville Pike which gave the dealership maximum visibility to a large volume of cross traffic.
In the background under the arched column is the bookkeeper’s desk, who at the time was probably Arthur Watkins. The upper floor mezzanine housed the dealership’s parts department and storage area, where Parts Department Manager Leo (Pat) Murray would have worked. To the right of the stairs is Evelyn Beane’s desk, Reed Brothers’ administrative secretary at this time. To the left of the stairs is the Gulf Gasoline service counter displaying various merchandise.
The showroom led to the service department at the rear of the building which was how new cars were moved in and out of the showroom. There were 2-3 additional offices in the back of the showroom. One belonged to Edgar Reed, who was in charge of the “front end” of the business, new car and truck sales. The other office belonged to Lewis Reed, who was never known to spend a lot of time in his office sitting behind a desk. He could always be found in the “back end” of the business: in the service, parts and body shop.
In 1928, Walter P. Chrysler took over after Horace and John Dodge died and Lewis Reed's dealership became an original member of the Chrysler family.
Reed Brothers salesman Raleigh Chinn drove this 1928 Dodge that featured a rumble seat. He and his new wife Rebecca Nourse Chinn drove this car south for their honeymoon in 1930.
End of the Roaring 20s
The year after the stock market crash that began the Great Depression, no one could afford to buy cars. Like most other businesses, the Great Depression hit hard, and most dealerships had to declare bankruptcy. Reed Brothers had to rely on its Service Department to make ends meet, but the dealership survived through these lean times.
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