February 6, 2016  

Lewis Reed Photo: Old Car Wreck

1920s Car Wreck

Photo by Lewis Reed

This photo taken by Lewis Reed in the early 1920s was not picked for its shock value, but for the history it contains of an era long since gone. During the 1920s a drivers license wasn’t needed in most states. It was the wild west when it came to driving. Poorly maintained roads, uneducated drivers, and speeds approaching 40 mph was the perfect combination for some really bad accidents. The photograph sure hits home with just how fragile those early cars were.

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Unknown's avatar

About Reed Brothers

I am a co-owner of the former Reed Brothers Dodge in Rockville, Maryland. Lewis Reed, the founder of Reed Brothers Dodge was my grandfather. We were a family-owned and operated car dealership in Rockville for almost a century. I served in the United States Air Force for 30 years before retiring in the top enlisted grade of Chief Master Sergeant in July 2006. In 2016, I received the Arthur M. Wagman Award for Historic Preservation Communication from Peerless Rockville for documenting the history of Reed Brothers Dodge in both blog and book format. This distinguished honor recognizes outstanding achievement by writers, educators, and historians whose work has heightened public awareness of Rockville’s architectural and cultural heritage, growth and development.

2 responses to “Lewis Reed Photo: Old Car Wreck”

  1. Bradley Teets's avatar
    Bradley Teets says :

    Even for that era, the passenger compartment looks to be relatively intact. That picture seems to imply the car ran in to a ditch and tore its wheels and suspension loose.

    Reply
    • Reed Brothers's avatar
      Reed Brothers says :

      That is very possible, Bradley. The majority of my grandfather’s photos are more than 100 years old and, unfortunately, are lacking labels which requires quite a bit of research and sometimes guesswork on my part. Thanks for taking the time to visit and leaving your comment!

      Reply

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