The Car That Started It All: Old Betsy and the Dawn of Reed Brothers Dodge

Horace Dodge, left rear, and John Dodge, right rear, seated in the early Dodge automobile known as “Old Betsy,” November 14, 1914. The photograph marks the beginning of the Dodge Brothers automobile story.

On November 14, 1914, John and Horace Dodge marked the introduction of the first automobile bearing their name. Less than a year later, Lewis Reed began selling Dodge Brothers motor cars in Rockville, Maryland, establishing a connection that would shape his family’s business for generations.

The Dodge brothers were already experienced manufacturers. They had supplied components and assemblies to other automobile companies, including Ford, before deciding to build a complete car of their own. By the end of 1914, their factory had produced just 249 automobiles, the beginning of what would become a major American automobile brand.

The first Dodge touring car sold for $785 and featured a four-cylinder engine and a 110-inch wheelbase. A familiar photograph shows the brothers seated in the rear of an early car known as “Old Betsy.” Although November 14 is traditionally recognized as the first-car milestone, historian Charles K. Hyde has suggested that the photographed vehicle may have been an experimental model assembled earlier.

As Dodge was establishing itself in Detroit, a new automobile business was taking shape in Rockville. Rockville Garage opened in July 1915 at the intersection of Rockville Pike and Veirs Mill Road. That October, Lewis Reed secured a franchise to sell Dodge Brothers motor cars. At age 27, he joined the manufacturer’s early dealer network before the first anniversary of its automobile’s introduction.

The original owners of Rockville Garage, 1915. From left: Roy Warfield – Lewis Reed – Griffith Warfield. That October, Lewis Reed secured a franchise to sell Dodge Brothers motor cars, establishing the business’s association with the new automobile manufacturer.

The timing placed Lewis near the beginning of Dodge’s history and within an important period of change in Montgomery County. Automobiles shared local roads with horse-drawn vehicles, and ownership brought a growing need for fuel, repairs, parts, and skilled mechanics. Rockville Garage provided the practical support that helped motor transportation become part of everyday life.

Like many early automobile businesses, the garage represented several makes. Dodge, however, became its enduring association. When Lewis’s brother Edgar joined the business in 1919, Rockville Garage became Reed Brothers Dodge, a name that would remain familiar to generations of local motorists.

Rockville Garage at the intersection of Rockville Pike and Veirs Mill Road, 1916. Here, Lewis Reed sold and serviced automobiles during the earliest years of Dodge Brothers production. The business became Reed Brothers Dodge in 1919. Photograph by Lewis Reed.

What began as an early Dodge agency developed into one of the nation’s oldest Dodge dealerships under continuous family ownership. Through three generations, the family enterprise served the community from 1915 until 2012, continuing as Reed Brothers Automotive after its Dodge franchise ended in 2009.

The first Dodge automobile holds a place in American manufacturing history. For the Reed family, it also marks the beginning of a story with deep local roots. Lewis Reed’s decision to sell the new car in 1915 connected a young automobile manufacturer with a growing Maryland community, beginning nearly a century of family business in Rockville.