Vintage Car Stuffing?
Photo by Lewis Reed
Ever want to see how sausage is made? Well, okay – maybe not… but this interesting photo taken by Lewis Reed some 100 plus years ago allows you to see how 18 men managed to cram themselves into a 1910-1911 Pierce Arrow Model 48 7-Passenger Touring. Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company in Buffalo, New York, produced some of the finest automobiles made and was one of the most popular high-quality cars of the time.
Unfortunately, no other details about the photograph or the location is known, though the architecture looks like textbook Washington, D.C. neoclassical. If anyone can identify the building in the background, please leave me a comment.
Circa 1920s: Rockville Fairground Ferris Wheel
Ferris Wheel at Rockville Fairground, circa 1920s. Photo by Lewis Reed
Forget Valentine’s, Happy Ferris Wheel Day!
Did you know that February 14th is not only Valentine’s Day, but also Ferris Wheel Day? This unofficial national holiday is held on this day to honor the birth of the inventor of the Ferris Wheel, George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr. What better way to celebrate Ferris Wheel Day than enjoying this old photograph of the Ferris Wheel taken at the Rockville Fairgrounds, courtesy of Lewis Reed. The fairgrounds were just outside Rockville, about where Richard Montgomery High School is today. The Fair lasted four days, from August 21st to the 24th, and drew visitors from local counties, Washington, and Baltimore.
For the singles and the “enough already with the Valentines”, here is your perfect alternative excuse. Go wish all your friends and family a Happy Ferris Wheel Day!
Rockville 1912: Vinson’s Drug Store
1912 – Vinson’s Drug Store, Rockville, Maryland. Photo by Lewis Reed
This 1912 photograph taken by Lewis Reed depicts Vinson’s Drug Store in downtown Rockville. This post is a part of the blog feature called, “Rockville’s Past Through the Lens of Lewis Reed”. Lewis Reed was a well-known photographer in the county and many of his early photographs are now part of the Montgomery County Historical Society photo archives. I wanted to share this photograph, because it offers a visual history of a part of Rockville’s past taken more than 100 years ago.
Previous to Edgar Reed’s enlistment in World War I, he had been employed as a clerk by R.W. Vinson Drug Store for eight years. In 1919, Edgar became a partner with his brother, Lewis Reed, in the firm Reed Brothers Dodge.
The drugstore was built in the 1880s and was run by Robert William “Doc” Vinson from 1900 until his death in 1958. A document on the Rockville website says the drugstore was also a popular gathering place for city politicians, and that President Woodrow Wilson once personally traveled there to buy Wolfhound tablets. The building was torn down in 1962, and replaced with an office building during Rockville’s “urban renewal”.
Source: County Seat to Satellite City of the Nations’ Capital: 1931
Derailed Trolley: Montrose Rd & Rt 355
Derailed trolley at Montrose Road and Rockville Pike. Photo by Lewis Reed
In the early years of the 20th century, when electric trolleys were a lifeline for Montgomery County, a derailment near Montrose Road (today’s Rt 355) brought travel to a sudden halt.
In populated urban areas, trolley cars kept speeds to 12 mph (6 mph at intersections), but in open country they could get up to 40 mph. Traveling in snow was additionally hazardous, as evidenced by the trolley pictured in these photos, which derailed and plowed into a telephone pole at Montrose Road and Rockville Pike.
Lewis Reed was there to capture the accident from two different perspectives using a five-by-four box camera which produced images on a glass plate.
Viewed from a distance, the derailed trolley lies off the tracks as Lewis Reed records the scene.
Early 1900s Frederick Fair Parking Lot
Frederick Fair Parking Lot, circa 1914. Photo by Lewis Reed
This fascinating scene of hundreds of vintage cars parked in the Frederick Fair parking lot was taken by Lewis Reed. What is fascinating to me is, with all of these early cars painted in black, how on earth would you find your car in the parking lot?
The Frederick County Fair is one of the oldest agricultural fairs in the state of Maryland dating back to 1822 when it was known as the Cattle Show and Fair. Over the years the fair has changed names several times. Today, the Frederick County Fair is officially named the Great Frederick Fair. The GREAT Frederick Fair is celebrating 154 years in 2016 (Sept. 16-24).
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Copyright Notice
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 
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