Winter’s Harvest: Ice-Cutting in 1910 Montgomery County
Men harvest ice with pitchforks and hand saws on a frozen pond in Darnestown, circa 1910. Stacked blocks line the shoreline, ready for storage in nearby ice houses. Photo by Lewis Reed.
Most people wouldn’t consider the winter months of December through February a season of harvest in Montgomery County. But in our not so distant past, this was harvest time for—ICE. Rivers, lakes and ponds were generally frozen and ice was harvested like a winter crop to keep food cold all summer long.
Much of what we know visually about this era survives thanks to Lewis Reed, founder of Reed Brothers Dodge, and one of the county’s most prolific early photographers. Among his many surviving images is a striking photograph of men harvesting ice on a Darnestown pond around 1910. In it, workers stand poised with their tools, the frozen surface carved into neat glistening blocks ready for transport.
Ice harvesting wasn’t merely a winter job; it was a community effort that tied households, farms, and businesses together. Timing was everything. Too early in the season, the ice was fragile and dangerous; too late, and the freezing window had passed. Because the work involved standing on frozen water with sharp tools and heavy loads, it carried genuine risk. Yet despite the hazards, these annual harvests were essential to community well-being. The ice collected in the winter months might be keeping milk or meat cold on farms well into August.
The same pond once used for ice harvesting, seen here ice-free. Photo by Lewis Reed, 1910.
From The Evening Star, Washington, D.C. December 22, 1904
ROCKVILLE AND VICINITY GENERAL NEWS
The cold weather of the past ten days has frozen the ponds and creeks throughout this county to a thickness of six or seven inches, and the ice harvesting is now the order of the day. The quality of the ice is not regarded as first-class, however, and for this reason many persons will defer filling their houses until later in the winter.
Summertime view of the same pond, seen from a different vantage point. Photo by Lewis Reed, 1910.
As we look back more than a century later, these images invite us to appreciate not only the hard labor that made year-round food storage possible, but also the photographers like Lewis Reed who understood the importance of documenting everyday life. Thanks to his lens, we can still witness this fleeting moment of Montgomery County’s past; a time when winter’s cold was not an inconvenience, but a resource to be harvested, stored, and relied upon long after the ice had melted.
Celebrating a Visionary: Lewis Reed’s Enduring Legacy on His 138th Birthday
Lewis Reed in the showroom of Reed Brothers Dodge, 1965 – a rare glimpse of the founder near the close of his long career in the automobile business.
Rockville’s story is deeply intertwined with the life and dedication of Lewis Reed, whose vision and community spirit transformed local life. Born on November 25, 1887, Reed left an indelible mark not just as a pioneering businessman but as a devoted citizen whose legacy endures in Rockville’s culture and landscape today.
Lewis Reed laid the foundation for Reed Brothers Dodge, one of the nation’s oldest Dodge dealerships. After acquiring his initial interest in the Rockville Garage in January 1916, Reed gradually expanded his ownership until 1919, when he became the sole proprietor. He soon welcomed his brother Edgar, giving rise to a new chapter as Reed Brothers Dodge. What started as a simple garage quickly became a center for innovation, where early Rockville motorists found not just fuel and repairs but a gathering place at the dawn of the automobile.
The legacy of Reed Brothers Dodge in Rockville is reflected in enduring landmarks and recent changes throughout the community. “Dodge Street” remains a tribute to the dealership’s historic impact, named for its association with Reed Brothers Dodge and its essential role in Rockville’s automotive and civic landscape. The site at 15955 Frederick Road, once branded as “Bainbridge Shady Grove Metro Apartments,” has recently undergone significant rebranding in both name and appearance. The apartment complex that opened over a decade ago is now called “The Reed,” a choice that honors the dealership’s longstanding history in the area. This rebranding reflects an appreciation of local heritage, ensuring that the Reed name continues to be woven into the fabric of Rockville life.
Lewis Reed’s impact extended into local heritage and visual history. He was also a passionate amateur photographer, leaving behind a vivid pictorial history of both Rockville and Montgomery County’s transformation. Lewis Reed’s photographs are preserved and showcased through three significant historical online exhibits on Montgomery History’s website. These exhibits feature hundreds of images capturing iconic structures, streetscapes, homes, and towns across Montgomery County, including Rockville, Gaithersburg, and Germantown. They pair Reed’s early 20th-century photographs with modern recreations by his grandson, Barry Gartner, providing historical context and illustrating both timeless constancy and dramatic changes in the region. The exhibits include “Reed Brothers Dodge,” highlighting the dealership’s long history; “Montgomery County, Then and Now,” focusing on paired historic and current images; and “Montgomery County, 1900-1930: Through the Lens of Lewis Reed,” emphasizing his extensive photographic documentation of rural life and local landmarks.
As we celebrate the birthday of Lewis Reed, we honor not only the founder of Reed Brothers Dodge, but also a visionary whose dedication and spirit greatly shaped Rockville and Montgomery County. His legacy lives on through the enduring Reed name, cherished historical photographs, and the lasting impact of his entrepreneurial and community contributions. Today, Lewis Reed remains an inspiring example of how one individual’s passion and commitment can leave a profound mark on a community’s history and future. On this special day, we remember and celebrate his remarkable life and the heritage he created for generations to come.
The Reed Sisters and the Spirit of Early Motorcycling
Eleanora Reed with Lewis Reed’s sisters, Geneva and Eva, posing on Excelsior motorcycles. Photo by Lewis Reed, ca. 1912.
At the dawn of the 20th century, motorcycles symbolized the spirit of innovation sweeping the modern age. Adapted from bicycles and powered by the new internal combustion engine, these machines represented freedom, ingenuity, and progress. Before cars dominated the roads, motorcycles often outnumbered automobiles, and it wasn’t uncommon to see riders as young as fourteen traveling the open road.
Photographer Lewis Reed captured this transformative era through his lens, preserving scenes of both relatives and acquaintances astride their machines between the 1900s and early 1920s. His collection offers a rare glimpse into an age when motorcycling was as much a bold adventure as it was a social pastime. Among his most memorable subjects were sisters Eleanora, Geneva, and Eva Reed, who embodied the daring enthusiasm of the time, embracing both the excitement and modernity that early motorcycling so vividly represented.
In the photograph below, a woman and a young child are seated on an Excelsior motorcycle, one of America’s premier machines of the early twentieth century. The child’s cap and goggles, likely intended as playful props rather than functional equipment, evoke the novelty and adventure associated with motorcycling during this era. The woman’s practical riding skirt, tailored jacket, and matching cap and goggles, however, suggest that she was an experienced rider with a genuine familiarity with the motorcycle.
Woman and toddler on an Excelsior motorcycle. Photo by Lewis Reed.
The Excelsior itself showcased early 20th-century innovation, featuring a headlamp for night riding, a handlebar-mounted Klaxon horn with its famous “Ahoo-ga!” sound, and a padded passenger seat for a brave companion. In the early 1900s, many women rode motorcycles before they were even widely allowed to drive cars… while wearing military-style riding gear that shocked more than a few bystanders along the way.
Adding to this story of early American motorcycling is another remarkable photograph below; one featuring a woman and toddler posed on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Images like this one remind us how quickly motorcycles captured the public imagination in the years before World War I. They were not only practical for travel over rough roads but also symbols of progress and personal freedom. For women, especially, posing on, or even simply near, a motorcycle was a subtle act of empowerment at a time when societal expectations were still very traditional.
Woman and toddler on Harley Davidson motorcycle, ca. 1912. That slightly timid look says it all; not quite ready to ride, but definitely ready for her close-up! Photo by Lewis Reed.
Preserved through Lewis Reed’s remarkable photography collection, these images remain both a family heirloom and a glimpse into a transformative era. Through his lens, we see not only the evolution of transportation but also the growing independence and confidence of women at the dawn of modern motorcycling.
The Dodge Brothers’ First Car and the Birth of Reed Brothers Dodge
Horace (left, rear) and John Dodge (right, rear) shown in the first Dodge Model 30-35 on November 14, 1914 marking the beginning of the Dodge Brothers automobile legacy.
In 1914, the Dodge Brothers, John and Horace, made automotive history when they introduced their first automobile: the Dodge Model 30-35. What began as a bold move from building parts for Henry Ford’s Model T to designing a car of their own would forever change the American automobile industry, and soon after, shape the legacy of a small family dealership in Rockville, Maryland known as Reed Brothers Dodge.
The Car That Started It All
Before the Dodge Brothers built their own car, they were already well-known in Detroit as trusted machinists and suppliers of quality automobile parts. Their reputation for precision and durability earned them a major role in producing engines, transmissions, and axles for the Ford Motor Company. But by 1913, the brothers were ready to make their mark under their own name.
Interestingly, Lewis Reed shared that same mechanical foundation. The 1910 U.S. Census lists a 23-year-old Lewis Reed working as a machinist in Montgomery County, Maryland, developing the same kind of technical skill and hands-on craftsmanship that defined the Dodge Brothers’ early success. Like John and Horace Dodge, Reed’s mechanical aptitude and curiosity about the emerging world of automobiles would soon set him on an entrepreneurial path of his own.
When the Dodge Brothers Model 30-35 debuted in November 1914, it was a sensation. Unlike the bare-bones Ford Model T, the Dodge offered steel body construction instead of wood, an electric starter and lights, a 12-volt electrical system (twice the voltage of most competitors), and a powerful 35-horsepower engine. It was marketed as “the dependable Dodge,” and it lived up to that promise: rugged, reliable, and beautifully built.
Priced slightly higher than the Model T, the Dodge appealed to middle-class buyers who wanted quality and innovation without extravagance. Within a year, Dodge was the fourth-largest car manufacturer in the United States.
A New Dealership Takes Root in Rockville
That same year, in 1915, Lewis Reed, a young man from Rockville, Maryland, saw an opportunity in the rapidly growing automobile market. He became one of the nation’s first Dodge Brothers dealers, founding what would become Reed Brothers Dodge.
Operating out of a modest garage at the intersection of Veirs Mill Road and Rockville Pike, Lewis Reed began selling and servicing the new Dodge automobiles. His timing could not have been better: America was embracing the automobile, and the Dodge Brothers’ new car was among the most sought-after models on the road.
Lewis’s brother Edgar Reed joined the business a few years later, in 1919, helping expand operations as the dealership grew. Together, the Reed brothers built a family business grounded in service, honesty, and the same “dependable” spirit that defined the Dodge brand.
Lewis Reed, an early automobile enthusiast and skilled photographer, documented much of those early years. His images of the original Dodge touring cars, early showrooms, and Rockville’s unpaved roads offer a rare and fascinating glimpse into the dawn of motoring in Montgomery County.
A Legacy of Dependability
From that first 1914 Dodge to the final vehicles sold under the Reed Brothers Dodge name nearly a century later, the same spirit of innovation and reliability endured. Both the Dodge Brothers and the Reed Brothers shared a philosophy rooted in craftsmanship, honesty, and community, a partnership that would last through generations.
Today, the story of the Dodge Brothers’ first car and the birth of Reed Brothers Dodge stands as a testament to American ingenuity and small-town enterprise: two brothers in Detroit who built a car that made history, and two brothers in Rockville who helped keep that history alive.
Honoring Sergeant Edgar Reed: A Veterans Day Remembrance
This photo of Edgar was taken around 1918 by Lewis Reed.
Veterans Day, observed annually on November 11th, is a time to honor all who have served in the United States Armed Forces. It is a day to reflect on the sacrifices made by these brave individuals and to express gratitude for their dedication to protecting our nation’s freedoms. This special tribute commemorates the dedication and contributions of Sergeant Edgar Reed, who served his nation with honor during World War I.
Military Service in World War I
The United States initiated a draft for World War I on September 28, 1917. On this day, the first 40 draftees from Montgomery County reported for duty at the Montgomery County Court House in Rockville, Maryland. Following speeches, dinner, and a parade, these recruits, including Rockville resident Edgar Reed, departed by train for Camp Meade, Maryland. Approximately 160 men from Rockville served in the eighteen-month war.
Edgar Reed enlisted in the U.S. Army as a Private on February 26, 1918, at the age of 27. At the time, he resided on Montgomery Avenue in Rockville and had been employed for eight years by R.W. Vinson, a Rockville druggist. His military career saw rapid advancement; he was promoted to Private First Class on April 27, 1918, and subsequently to Sergeant on February 14, 1919.
According to “Maryland Military Men, 1917-1918,” Edgar Reed served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps from February 1918 to August 1919. During his service, he was posted to General Hospital No. 16 in New Haven, Connecticut, and later to General Hospital No. 11 in Cape May, New Jersey.
Edgar at Hotel Cape May, New Jersey. Photo by Lewis Reed, 1918
General Hospital No. 11, Cape May, New Jersey
The establishment of military hospitals during World War I often involved converting existing structures. The War Department, upon the recommendation of the Surgeon General, leased the Hotel Cape May in New Jersey for use as a general hospital on December 18, 1917. Initially designated as General Hospital No. 16, its name was changed to General Hospital No. 11 on March 14, 1918. This facility, located on Ocean Drive near the Atlantic Ocean, quartered enlisted personnel in tents behind the main building.
Post-War Life and Legacy
World War I officially concluded with an armistice between Germany and the Allied nations on November 11, 1918, at 11:00 AM. Edgar Reed was transferred to the Demobilization Center at Camp Lee, Virginia, on August 4, 1919, and received an honorable discharge on August 6, 1919.
Edgar Reed and friends returning home on the train after the war ended wearing the World War I “Victory Medal” on their lapels. Photo taken by Lewis Reed.
After returning from the war, Edgar joined his brother, Lewis, in the automobile business and became an active member of the Henderson-Smith-Edmonds American Legion Post 86 in Rockville. Through this organization, he continued his commitment to service by supporting fellow veterans, participating in community events, and helping preserve the legacy of those who served. This engagement not only reinforced his personal sense of duty but also strengthened the ties between his family’s business and the local community.
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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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