1972 Washington Auto Show
Gathering around the Charger Topper on display at the Washington meeting are (from left) Lee Gartner, Dealer President/Principal and Phil Vetter (at wheel), Service Manager of Reed Brothers Dodge.
The 1972 Dodge Charger “Topper Special” was a custom-equipped economy Charger specially equipped with the canopy vinyl roof, hidden headlights, side paint stripe, contour moldings, bumper guards, Rallye instrumentation, security inside hood release, whitewalls, wheel covers, left remote control mirror, extra chrome, and fender mounted turn signals.
And for adding these beautiful touches, your dealer can offer you a vinyl roof. Free. Want power steering and power brakes? See your Dodge Dealer about his offer on the specially equipped Charger Topper X. Dodge, Depend on it.
1972 Dodge Charger Topper Ad ~ Free Vinyl Roof
Montgomery County Police Department Marks 90-Year Anniversary Today
This blog entry was posted today to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the Montgomery County Police Department. It was 90 years ago today that the MCPD was first established. Posing in front of Reed Brothers Dodge on July 4, 1922 Chief Charles Cooley, center, and his men of the first mounted unit of the Montgomery County Police Force, were on their first day of duty.
The Montgomery County Police Department was established on July 4, 1922, consisting of five officers and a Chief. Each of the officers was issued a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, a .38 Smith & Wesson handgun, a black jack, law book and was allotted $300.00 a year for the upkeep of their motorcycle.
The Montgomery County Police Department has produced a commemorative book as they celebrate 90 years of service. This exciting new book will contain the history of MCP from 1922-2012, exciting historic accounts and stories, full-color portrait photos of current officers, personnel and retirees, division and unit awards, an In Memoriam Tribute to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice, and more, with hundreds of historic and full-color photographs.
You can order the “Montgomery County Police Department 90th Anniversary Commemorative Book” on the Acclaim Press website.
50th Anniversary with Dodge
In 1965, Reed Brothers Dodge celebrated its 50th Anniversary. A double ceremony at the Washington Hilton Hotel, Washington, D.C., was part of a special 50th Anniversary celebration honoring two Dodge dealers: C.C. Wine, founder of Wine Brothers, Harrisonburg, Va., and Lewis Reed, founder of Reed Brothers, Inc., of Rockville, Maryland. Both men, who received their franchises in 1915 from the Dodge Brothers – John and Horace Dodge – were awarded gold plaques for “a half-century of dependability in sales and service.” Presentation was made by Ray Cox, Washington regional sales manager.
Lewis Reed Accepts 50th Anniversary Gold Plaque presented by Ray Cox, Washington regional manager for the division.
Lewis Reed As Chauffeur
To be a successful motorist in the early 1900s, you needed to have mechanical skills. Alternatively, you simply hired someone who did. Rather than learn to do it themselves, wealthy people employed private chauffeurs not only to drive, but also maintain and repair their large, expensive automobiles. Chauffeurs would be in charge of everything to do with the owner’s motor vehicle including repairs, maintenance and cleaning: this meant that early personal chauffeurs had to be skilled mechanics. Lewis Reed worked as a chauffeur early in his life, receiving some of his training at the Pierce-Arrow factory in Buffalo, New York, whose cars he is pictured with below.
Pierce-Arrow was one of the most prestigious makers of luxury automobiles in the early 20th century. Their models could easily cost ten times the price of a standard touring car.
Chauffeur Lewis Reed (left) in the 1914 photo above poses with an unidentified family and their Pierce-Arrow Model 48.
Two ladies with parasols are sitting in the landaulet section of an early Pierce-Arrow limousine, while chauffeur Lewis Reed tends to the motor. The rear portion of the limousine is partitioned from the driver with a glass shield, and covered by a convertible top, which you can see is currently in the lowered position behind the ladies.
Rockville Garage First Car Invoice
June 22, 1921 was no doubt an exciting day for Mr Henry C. Brown, as that was the day he purchased a brand new 1921 DODGE BROTHERS TOURING CAR from Lewis Reed’s Rockville Garage. The car was sold for $1050.00 and signed for by Edgar Reed. The logos on the invoice are the original Dodge Brothers Motor Cars and Oldsmobile Sales Company logos. Initially, Reed Brothers sold Oldsmobile and Hudson, along with Dodge. The fact that the phone number was just ’67’ gives a real feeling of how different life was back then. (click images to enlarge)
Reed Brothers was franchised as a Dodge dealership and service facility in 1915; less than one year after the first Dodge automobile was made. In 1919, Lewis Reed’s brother Edgar joined him in the business. Reed Brothers Dodge was the first to sell Dodge cars in Montgomery County, Maryland.
1st Car Invoice
The 1921 Dodge Brothers Touring was born one year after the death of both Horace and John Dodge, who had teamed up to run a successful Detroit engine and transmission building venture before turning to car building in 1914. The new company almost immediately established a reputation for building solid, sturdy machines that were reliable and built to last.
Picture of a 1921 Dodge Brothers Touring Car
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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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