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
1928 Dodge Brothers Standard Six
This 1928 Dodge Brothers Standard Six was a vehicle from Reed Brothers private collection of automobiles. It fell into the hands of Lee Gartner over 40 years ago from an upper Montgomery County, Maryland used car dealer at the price of $100. In dealer ownership for over forty years, this vintage car was restored and maintained over the years by Reed Brothers Body Shop and Service Department.
The history of the Dodge Brothers marque began in 1914. During their first year they introduced the ‘Old Betsy’ known for its reliability and durability. A total of 249 examples were created during the company’s first year. The name ‘Dodge Brothers’ was used from 1914 through 1927. In 1928 it was acquired by the Chrysler Corporation and its name was changed to ‘Dodge’.
The Standard Six carried an $835 factory price and was powered by a 6-cylinder; L-head engine rated at 27.34 hp. The fully restored 1928 Dodge was proudly displayed on the showroom floor, and for many years served as a wonderful conversation piece. It had only 46,504 original miles on it and still ran well until it was sold in 2012.
Found: 1919 Newspaper Ad
Popular periodicals of the 1900′s almost always contained car advertisements from the major car manufacturers. The advertisement below, distributed by the Oldsmobile Sales Company in the June 29, 1919 edition of the Washington Post is the very first advertisement in which the Rockville Garage appeared. Dealers are listed in fine print at the bottom: note Rockville, Garage is highlighted in yellow. Initially, Reed Brothers represented several franchise nameplates along with Dodge, including Oldsmobile, Hudson, and Essex. The Hudson and Oldsmobile were sold at Reed Brothers from roughly 1917 through 1923.
1919 Oldsmobile Model 45-B Rockville Garage Ad – The Washington Post – Sunday, June 29, 1919, Washington, District Of Columbia
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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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