ChatGPT Reviews This Blog
Preface: When I set out to ask ChatGPT to read and review the Reed Brothers Dodge History blog, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But what I actually got in return was something far more thoughtful and insightful than I ever imagined. To say I was surprised would be an understatement. Note: It took ChatGPT about 3 seconds to do both read and write!
What follows is the review straight from the AI:
In a quiet corner of the internet, nestled among the usual sea of car reviews and dealership promotions, exists a gem of a blog that tells a story few others can. Reed Brothers Dodge History 1915–2012 isn’t just about cars—it’s about legacy, resilience, and the remarkable transformation of one family’s business over the course of nearly a century.
The blog is the work of Jeanne Gartner, granddaughter of Lewis Reed, the founder of Reed Brothers Dodge in Rockville, Maryland. With every post, Jeanne breathes life into a history that could have easily faded with time. Instead, she has curated a living archive—one that not only honors her family’s deep ties to the community but also reflects a changing America.
From the moment you begin reading, it becomes clear that this is more than a timeline. It’s a chronicle that starts in 1915 when Lewis Reed opened one of the first Dodge dealerships in the state of Maryland. Through two World Wars, the Great Depression, and the dawn of the digital age, the dealership evolved, grew, and weathered every storm. Jeanne captures this journey with a historian’s care and a granddaughter’s heart.
Each post is a window into the past. The blog is richly illustrated with historic photographs, vintage advertisements, Sanborn maps, and newspaper clippings. You’ll find Gulf gas stations with beautifully Art Deco styling, early car wash innovations called “Auto Wash Bowls,” and stories of Reed Brothers selling not just Dodge automobiles but motorcycles, school buses, and even farming equipment. There’s a real joy in seeing the dealership’s evolving showroom floor over the decades and the ways in which the business stayed ahead of the curve.
But what makes this blog stand out is its humanity. Jeanne doesn’t just post facts; she shares memories. She writes about her own experiences, her family’s milestones, and even the emotional goodbye when the dealership closed in 2012 after 97 years. There’s a warmth in her words that invites readers to not only learn but to feel—to understand what it meant to be part of something bigger than just selling cars.
Beyond the walls of the dealership, Jeanne explores the broader story of Rockville, Maryland. She uncovers how a small connector road behind the business, once known as “Cadiz Alley,” was renamed “Dodge Street” in 1941 in honor of Reed Brothers. She documents how women were hired to manage wartime gasoline rations and how a community came together for events sponsored by the dealership. It’s a local history blog as much as it is a business chronicle.
The impact of Reed Brothers Dodge History hasn’t gone unnoticed. In 2016, Jeanne received the Arthur M. Wagman Award for Historic Preservation Communication, a well-earned recognition of her dedication to keeping this story alive for future generations.
Of course, no blog is without room to grow. A built-in search function or an interactive timeline could make navigating the vast content a bit easier. But these are minor considerations compared to the depth and quality of the storytelling.
In the end, Reed Brothers Dodge History 1915–2012 isn’t just for car enthusiasts or historians. It’s for anyone who believes that history lives in the details—that stories matter—and that honoring the past helps shape our understanding of the present.
Whether you’re a longtime Rockville resident, a fan of vintage automobiles, or simply someone who loves a good American story, this blog is well worth a read. It’s not just a tribute to a business—it’s a celebration of a life’s work, a family’s legacy, and the enduring power of memory.
Closing thoughts: Using ChatGPT to review this blog was a leap into the unknown and turned out to be more insightful than I expected. It not only understood the heart of the story, but recognized the legacy behind it. For me, having the story appreciated by both human readers and AI feels like a meaningful tribute to both the past and the present… and that’s pretty amazing.
A Ride Through Time: The History of School Buses in Montgomery County
Shown are the chassis of the first school busses for Montgomery County purchased from Reed Brothers Dodge in 1922.
Before the yellow school buses we know today, getting to school was a very different experience—especially for rural children. In the late 1800s, student transportation began with horse-drawn wagons affectionately called “kid hacks.” These basic, uncovered wagons were far from comfortable, but they served the essential purpose of getting children to and from school, no matter how rough the ride.
A step toward improvement came in 1892 when Wayne Works introduced the first “school car,” a horse-drawn wagon outfitted with wooden bench seating and a protective roof. Still, these early models lacked any of the safety features or durability we now associate with school buses.
As automobiles gained popularity in the early 20th century, the transition to motorized school transportation began. The 1920s marked a pivotal moment when manufacturers started building school buses specifically for that purpose, mounting them on automobile chassis for greater reliability and performance.
In Montgomery County, Maryland, one local business helped usher in this new era: Reed Brothers Dodge. Established in 1915 in Rockville, Reed Brothers Dodge played a key role in modernizing student transportation by providing some of the county’s first motorized school buses. By 1922, they were delivering school buses built on Dodge car chassis—vehicles that represented a significant leap forward in safety, comfort, and efficiency for schoolchildren.
From The Montgomery County Sentinel, May 21, 1959
Today, school buses across Montgomery County are sophisticated, safety-focused vehicles equipped with cutting-edge technology and designed with sustainability in mind. Yet, their legacy can be traced back to the early innovations—both mechanical and community-driven—that made student transportation more reliable. Companies like Reed Brothers Dodge were instrumental in that progress, helping pave the road for the safe and efficient school bus systems we depend on today.
The First Women of Reed Brothers Dodge
Reed Brothers Dodge has a long and proud history of welcoming women into its workforce, going back to the company’s earliest years. At a time when female employees were uncommon in the automotive industry, the dealership recognized the skills, dedication, and reliability women brought to the business.
In the 1920s, Reed Brothers Dodge hired women for important administrative and clerical roles. Among the earliest were:
- Evelyn (Beane) Norris, who worked as an Administrative Secretary. Her service to the company was part of a family tradition—her daughter, Evelyn B. Norris, would later join Reed Brothers as a Clerk in 1944.
- Mary Anna (Slater) Beall, a Rockville native and graduate of Richard Montgomery High School, worked as the Bookkeeper for Reed Brothers Dodge. She later married “Bud” Leonard Beall, an employee in the dealership’s paint shop, creating one of many family ties that helped define the company culture.
As the country transitioned out of wartime in the mid-1940s, women continued to hold essential positions at Reed Brothers.
- Evelyn B. Norris, daughter of Evelyn Beane Norris and wife of fellow employee John W. Norris, worked as a Clerk, continuing both her family’s and her husband’s connection to the business.
- Mildred E. (Fraley) Stang began working at the dealership in 1945 as a Stock Clerk in the Parts Department. She was the daughter of Alfred Lloyd Fraley, one of the first auto mechanics at the original Rockville Garage.
Rose (Gloyd) Finneyfrock: A Name to Remember
Rose (Gloyd) Finneyfrock
Few employees made as lasting an impression as Rose (Gloyd) Finneyfrock, who served as an Administrative Secretary and later as an Officer of the company. Her career at Reed Brothers Dodge spanned more than 30 years—placing her among a select group of employees who worked at both the original location at the triangle of Veirs Mill Road and Rockville Pike, and the later site at 15955 Frederick Road.
According to the Montgomery County Sentinel on August 26, 1954, Rose Marie Gloyd married Dudley Wilson Finneyfrock, the son of I. J. Finneyfrock of Olney, further cementing her place in the company’s extended family history.
A Lasting Legacy
These women were not just employees—they were part of the foundation of Reed Brothers Dodge. Their hard work, loyalty, and professionalism helped shape the character of the business across decades. From bookkeeping and clerical work to parts management and leadership roles, their impact is still remembered today.
Reed Brothers Dodge was always more than a dealership—it was a place where people, including generations of dedicated women, helped build something that stood the test of time.
The MCPD Motor Unit: 103 Years of Law Enforcement on Two Wheels
This is the first known photograph of the entire Montgomery County Police Force Motor Unit. Pictured left to right: Earl Burdine, Lawrence Clagett, Guy Jones, Chief Charles Cooley, Leroy Rodgers, and Oscar Gaither. Photo taken by Lewis Reed on July 4, 1922.
July 4th marks the 103rd anniversary of the beginning of the Montgomery County Police Department. Cattle rustling, bootlegging and stealing poultry were among the most common crimes when Montgomery County hired its first police chief and five officers in July 1922. So widespread was the theft of chickens and turkeys that some residents employed a homespun form of crime prevention by cutting off a specific claw on their birds to identify them. “Officers knew who all the chicken thieves were,” said one historical account of the era put together by the police department, “and upon getting a report of missing Rhode Island Reds, or some other breed, would head straight for the thieves’ hideaway to try to catch them ‘red handed’ before the birds got to the frying pan.”
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. For several years, since there was no police station, the officers would meet for “roll call” on the steps of the Red Brick Courthouse in Rockville at 2:00 p.m. every day to let each other know they were alive and well. Chief Cooley was given the privilege of a Model T Ford. The chief was paid $1,800 a year while the officers got $1,500. 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. Jones patrolled Silver Spring, Rodgers the Bethesda-Chevy Chase area and Burdine, Clagett and Gaither the Upper County areas.
The county’s population in the early 1920s was just 35,000 (it’s now estimated at more than 1M). Much of the county was farmland, which accounted for the thefts of livestock. It also was the Prohibition era, when bootlegging and moonshine still factored routinely on an officer’s shift.
The officers worked 14 hours at night, 10 hours in the day, with two days off every two weeks. But they were on call at all times. Since there was no mobile radio contact (the first one-way radio system was installed in cars in the early 1930s), the officers tended to hang around the courthouse or a local firehouse that had a phone.
One of the officers came up with the idea of placing a flashing red beacon light on a pole atop the Rockville courthouse. When flashing, it would alert police that they had a call or were wanted at the office. In 1927, similar lights were used at district stations in Silver Spring and Bethesda.
Today, more than 1,300 sworn officers assisted by 600 support personnel provide full service to a large suburban county with over one million people.
Congratulations MCPD and thank you for your many years of service!
Then & Now: The Original 1917 Rockville Garage
Reed Brothers Dodge and the surrounding area sure has changed a lot in its almost century-long history. You might not realize how much things have changed until you look back and see what it looked like in the past. For this post, I have used one of Lewis Reed’s original photographs for “then” and a Google Maps street view image from today for “now”.
1917 view of the original Rockville Garage two-story addition. Until 1920, Dodge sported a set of six hexagonal windows in the back of each passenger cabin on their Touring and Roaster models. These were called cathedral lights and became the first trademark feature to make Dodge vehicles stand out from the rest. Parked in front is an early Dodge car with the exclusive Dodge Brothers cathedral-style rear curtain windows.
NOW: The color photograph below, is the dealership’s location today, now known as Veterans Park. In the 1970s the site was known as the Francis Scott Key Memorial Park, and later in 1988, it was permanently rededicated as Veterans Park. In the late 1960s, the state of Maryland acquired the land to widen 355 and donated the remaining sliver to the City. The connector street behind the dealership’s original location was named “Dodge Street” by the State of Maryland following the dealership’s 1941 expansion. Dodge Street today is one of the shortest roads in the State of Maryland, running between the Rockville Pike (at Richard Montgomery High School) and Veirs Mill Road, a distance of only 250 feet.
Rockville Garage (Reed Brothers Dodge) original location at the triangle today. Google Image Capture, 2021
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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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