July 8, 2018  

Meet Grafton Reed

Grafton Reed 1921

Grafton Reed, Mechanic

Lewis Reed’s Rockville Garage started Sales and Service operations in 1915 with a handful of key employees. The original Rockville Garage, located at the intersection of Veirs Mill Road and Rockville Pike, had a 15-car capacity as well as a single gas pump. Grafton Reed was a brother of Lewis Reed and a part of the dealership’s first work force. Grafton started working  as a mechanic at the dealership in ca. 1918. According to his U.S. World War I Draft Registration Card, 1917-1918, his occupation at the time was listed as Garage Manager, Rockville Garage.

Grafton Reed

Grafton Reed (1885-1939)

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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.

3 responses to “Meet Grafton Reed”

  1. Jonathan B. Richards II says :

    Can any viewer identify the car , on whose front bumper Grafton Reed is sitting, in the first photo?? Stutz ? , Studebaker ?, Not a Hudson. Anybody???

    Reply
    • Reed Brothers says :

      Jonathan, I love solving mystery’s so I had to “google” this one. You are right. It’s a Stutz! Nice guess! 🙂

      Classic Stutz Hood Ornament

      Reply
      • Jonathan B. Richards II says :

        Hello Jeanne Gartner , Thanks for your quick response. The cloisonne emblem on the front face of the radiator appeared to my unaided eye to be that of a STUTZ. I wasn’t able to enlarge the photo image you posted to be absolutely sure. Studebaker’s radiator emblem was of similar size and shape but was blue and white with an automobile wheel as the motif. I would put a time frame on this STUTZ at the late teens or early 20s. If I could decipher the license plate on the front of the car we could be more certain. Automotive archaeology is my true love. Keep up the wonderful posts, Jonathan Richards in Chesterfield, Missouri.

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