Featured Publications

Five books • Three Montgomery History online exhibits • More than 2,500 historic photographs preserved

For more than a decade, I have researched, written, and published books preserving the history of Reed Brothers Dodge, the photography of Lewis Reed, and the people and places that shaped Montgomery County, Maryland.

Together, these publications document nearly a century of local history through historic photographs, archival research, newspaper accounts, family records, and firsthand stories. From the history of a family-owned automobile dealership to one of Montgomery County’s most significant photographic collections, each book contributes to a larger effort to preserve the county’s rich heritage for future generations.

Reed Brothers Dodge: Montgomery County’s Oldest Dodge Dealership

Founded in 1915, Reed Brothers Dodge grew from a small Rockville garage into Maryland’s oldest Dodge dealership under continuous family ownership. For nearly a century, the dealership served generations of Montgomery County families while witnessing the transformation of the automobile from a novelty to an essential part of everyday life.

Inspired by Montgomery History’s online exhibit, this richly illustrated companion volume expands upon the exhibit with additional historic photographs, advertisements, documents, and stories drawn from the Reed Brothers Dodge archives and the Lewis Reed Photograph Collection. More than the history of an automobile dealership, it is the story of a family business whose legacy became woven into the history of Montgomery County.

Explore the Reed Brothers Dodge Online Exhibit

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Coming Soon

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Montgomery County: Then and Now Photography of Lewis Reed and Barry Gartner

This companion volume pairs the historic photography of Lewis Reed with contemporary photographs by his grandson, Barry Gartner, revealing more than a century of change across Montgomery County. Photographed from the same—or nearly the same—vantage points, the paired images highlight the remarkable transformation of familiar roads, buildings, neighborhoods, and landscapes while preserving a visual connection between past and present.

Inspired by the Montgomery History online exhibit of the same name, the book demonstrates how historic photographs can deepen our understanding of the communities we know today.

Explore the Montgomery History Online Exhibit

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Montgomery County Through the Lens of Lewis Reed

This compact softcover companion book introduces readers to a carefully curated selection of Lewis Reed’s most memorable photographs from the early twentieth century.

Traveling first by motorcycle and later by automobile, Reed documented Montgomery County during a period of extraordinary change, capturing its towns, farms, railroads, electric trolleys, waterways, and country roads as the county entered the automobile age.

Created as a companion to the Montgomery History online exhibit Montgomery County, 1900–1930: Through the Lens of Lewis Reed, this affordable edition offers an accessible introduction to Reed’s remarkable photographic legacy.

Explore the Montgomery History Online Exhibit

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Lewis Reed Photograph Collection, 1898–1960, Second Edition

Containing more than 2,500 photographs, this comprehensive volume preserves the life’s work of Lewis Reed, one of Montgomery County’s most prolific early photographers.

Beginning with photographs taken as a young boy in the late 1890s, Reed documented country roads, railroads, canals, schools, churches, farms, businesses, automobiles, and everyday life throughout Montgomery County and beyond. Many of the photographs reproduced in this volume are preserved in the Montgomery History collections and continue to support books, documentaries, museum exhibits, and historical markers throughout the region.

This expanded second edition organizes the collection into thematic chapters with detailed historical captions identifying people, places, and events whenever possible.

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Portrait of an Automobile Dealer, Fourth Edition

Beginning with the opening of Rockville Garage in 1915, Portrait of an Automobile Dealer chronicles the remarkable history of Reed Brothers Dodge and the generations of the Reed and Gartner families who guided the business for nearly a century.

More than the story of an automobile dealership, the book follows the transformation of Rockville and Montgomery County alongside the growth of the American automobile industry. Historic photographs, advertisements, newspaper accounts, dealership records, and family recollections document a business that became an enduring part of the community.

The award-winning third edition received the 2016 Arthur M. Wagman Award for Historic Preservation Communication from Peerless Rockville. The expanded fourth edition includes newly discovered photographs, additional research, and updated historical information.

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Publication History

The books presented here represent more than a decade of continuing research and publication.

• 2012 — Portrait of an Automobile Dealer (First Edition)
• 2013 — Second Edition
• 2016 — Third Edition (Arthur M. Wagman Award)
• 2018 — The Lewis Reed Photograph Collection (First Edition)
• 2025 — Fourth Edition
• 2026 — The Lewis Reed Photograph Collection (Second Edition)
• 2026 — Montgomery County Through the Lens of Lewis Reed
• 2026 — Montgomery County: Then and Now

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Preserving Montgomery County History

Rooted in careful archival research and rare photography, this series offers a lasting visual record of Montgomery County’s evolving landscape. Together, these works honor the legacy of Reed Brothers Dodge, protect one of the area’s premier historical photograph collections, and bring to life the communities that built the region.

All books are self-published and printed on demand via Blurb. For researchers and local historians, several volumes are also accessible at the Jane C. Sween Research Library at Montgomery History.

Jeanne T. Gartner
Author, researcher, and curator
Reed Brothers Dodge History