First Shop Force
1916 – The first shop force of Rockville Garage (from left: Lewis Reed, (first name unknown) Long and Phillip Reed. A third brother, Phillip Reed, came to work for them in 1916 as a mechanic until 1944. 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 boxcars. It was the dealer’s responsibility to unpack and assemble the cars at the rail yard and drive them back to the dealership. Mechanics were often needed to repair the new cars if they broke down along the way. 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, (first name unknown) Long and Phillip Reed
1921 – Grafton Reed, mechanic
1921 – Alfred Fraley, mechanic
1921 – Lester Wilson, mechanic (and first Service Manager)
Early work force – name unknown
Early work force – name unknown
Early work force – name unknown
Lewis Reed hand cranking an old car. The license plate is MD 10307 dated 1913.
2 responses to “First Shop Force”
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Reed Brothers Dodge History (1915-2012) by Jeanne Gartner is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.
Reed Brothers Dodge History 1915 – 2012 
Earlier you told me that you had made correction to your book to add dad’s name to the picture of the men who worked there. Has that edition been published yet? I would like to get a copy of the book where you made the changes? Please let me knmow how to ordrr one. Thanks – Mary Ann Buhrman
Hi Mary Ann,
I have edited the book and added your dads name to the picture. The 3rd and final edition of the book “Portrait of an Automobile Dealer” is currently in progress and will be available (hopefully) later this year. After its finished, I will post information on how to get a copy on our blog >> https://reedbrothersdodgehistory.wordpress.com/about-2/book/ and also on Reed Brothers Facebook page >> https://www.facebook.com/ReedBrothersDodgeHistory
My Best Regards,
Jeanne