The Car That Started It All: Old Betsy and the Dawn of Reed Brothers Dodge
Horace Dodge, left rear, and John Dodge, right rear, seated in the early Dodge automobile known as “Old Betsy,” November 14, 1914. The photograph marks the beginning of the Dodge Brothers automobile story.
On November 14, 1914, John and Horace Dodge marked the introduction of the first automobile bearing their name. Less than a year later, Lewis Reed began selling Dodge Brothers motor cars in Rockville, Maryland, establishing a connection that would shape his family’s business for generations.
The Dodge brothers were already experienced manufacturers. They had supplied components and assemblies to other automobile companies, including Ford, before deciding to build a complete car of their own. By the end of 1914, their factory had produced just 249 automobiles, the beginning of what would become a major American automobile brand.
The first Dodge touring car sold for $785 and featured a four-cylinder engine and a 110-inch wheelbase. A familiar photograph shows the brothers seated in the rear of an early car known as “Old Betsy.” Although November 14 is traditionally recognized as the first-car milestone, historian Charles K. Hyde has suggested that the photographed vehicle may have been an experimental model assembled earlier.
As Dodge was establishing itself in Detroit, a new automobile business was taking shape in Rockville. Rockville Garage opened in July 1915 at the intersection of Rockville Pike and Veirs Mill Road. That October, Lewis Reed secured a franchise to sell Dodge Brothers motor cars. At age 27, he joined the manufacturer’s early dealer network before the first anniversary of its automobile’s introduction.
The original owners of Rockville Garage, 1915. From left: Roy Warfield – Lewis Reed – Griffith Warfield. That October, Lewis Reed secured a franchise to sell Dodge Brothers motor cars, establishing the business’s association with the new automobile manufacturer.
The timing placed Lewis near the beginning of Dodge’s history and within an important period of change in Montgomery County. Automobiles shared local roads with horse-drawn vehicles, and ownership brought a growing need for fuel, repairs, parts, and skilled mechanics. Rockville Garage provided the practical support that helped motor transportation become part of everyday life.
Like many early automobile businesses, the garage represented several makes. Dodge, however, became its enduring association. When Lewis’s brother Edgar joined the business in 1919, Rockville Garage became Reed Brothers Dodge, a name that would remain familiar to generations of local motorists.
Rockville Garage at the intersection of Rockville Pike and Veirs Mill Road, 1916. Here, Lewis Reed sold and serviced automobiles during the earliest years of Dodge Brothers production. The business became Reed Brothers Dodge in 1919. Photograph by Lewis Reed.
What began as an early Dodge agency developed into one of the nation’s oldest Dodge dealerships under continuous family ownership. Through three generations, the family enterprise served the community from 1915 until 2012, continuing as Reed Brothers Automotive after its Dodge franchise ended in 2009.
The first Dodge automobile holds a place in American manufacturing history. For the Reed family, it also marks the beginning of a story with deep local roots. Lewis Reed’s decision to sell the new car in 1915 connected a young automobile manufacturer with a growing Maryland community, beginning nearly a century of family business in Rockville.
Before Reed Brothers: The Crossroads Where Rockville Garage Began
Long before the name Reed Brothers Dodge became synonymous with automobiles in Montgomery County, the triangular piece of land at the intersection of Rockville Pike and Veirs Mill Road was already emerging as an important crossroads in Rockville’s transportation history.
Today, thousands of vehicles pass through what locals know as the “Mixing Bowl,” but more than a century ago this busy intersection was a rural gateway into town. Dirt roads, trolley tracks, horse-drawn wagons, and a handful of early automobiles shared the landscape. It was here that the story of Reed Brothers Dodge would begin.
The August 1908 Sanborn map below shows the junction of Rockville & Georgetown Turnpike and Washington Road before the Rockville Garage existed. (The future site would be the empty “point” of the triangle formed by the intersecting roads). The map reveals three two-story dwellings further back in the triangle. Letters A, B, and C in front of the dwellings are arbitrary identifications supplied by the Sanborn Map Company, as house numbers were not commonly assigned until later in the century. The fairgrounds of the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair Association (a.k.a. “Rockville Fair”) was located directly across the Rockville & Georgetown Turnpike.
This August 1908 Rockville Sanborn Map (zoomed in) shows the junction of Rockville & Georgetown Turnpike and Washington Road before the Rockville Garage existed.
The arrival of the automobile would soon change everything.
Origins of the Rockville Garage from The Montgomery County Sentinel. May 20, 1914:
Mr. Alva Ricketts has purchased the vacant lot opposite the fair grounds, in this town, from Mr. Benjamin Haney and will in the course of a few days erect upon it a garage, in which will be kept his autos for the accommodation of the traveling public.
By 1914, local businessman Alva Ricketts recognized the growing demand for automobile sales and repair services and constructed a small garage at this important junction near the Montgomery County Fairgrounds. The new business became known as Rockville Garage and initially operated as an agency for Overland automobiles. Leonidas “Lee” Ricketts and sons (Raymond, Emory, and Alva) ran the local Overland Agency at the Veirs Mill Road/Rockville Pike location from 1914-1915. The Overland Agency was short-lived: by July of 1915, Lewis Reed and brothers Robert L. and Griffith Warfield established Rockville Garage after acquiring the building from the Ricketts family. An employee of Rockville Garage in 1915, Lewis Reed purchased a one-third interest from the Warfield brothers in January 1916. Three years later, the Warfield’s conveyed the balance of the property and Lewis became the sole owner. In August of 1919, Lewis Reed’s brother Edgar joined the business, and the name of the company was changed to Reed Brothers Dodge.
Original Rockville Garage building at the intersection of Veirs Mill Rd and Rockville Pike, 1916.
Lewis Reed Enters the Picture
In 1915, 25-year-old Lewis Reed joined Robert L. and Griffith Warfield in acquiring Rockville Garage from Lee Ricketts and Sons. Reed had been working as a machinist and saw opportunity in the rapidly expanding automobile industry. The partnership continued under the Rockville Garage name, but the seeds of a much larger enterprise had been planted.
Only three years later, Lewis Reed purchased the Warfields’ interest in the business. Shortly afterward, the operation became known as Reed Brothers Dodge following the arrival of his brother, Edgar Reed. What began as a modest garage at a rural crossroads would grow into one of the oldest continuously operated Dodge dealerships in the United States.
The original owners of Rockville Garage. L-R: Roy Warfield, Lewis Reed, Griffith Warfield, 1916.
The Crossroads That Shaped A Century
Looking at historic photographs taken by Lewis Reed, it is difficult to imagine that the bustling intersection of today was once little more than a dirt road with a single gasoline pump standing in front of a small garage. Yet that humble location provided the foundation for nearly a century of automotive history.
Then & Now Comparison From Quiet Crossroads to “Mixing Bowl”. The once‑quiet junction has evolved into what locals now refer to as “the mixing bowl,” a complex web of roads, traffic signals, and near‑constant traffic.
Before there was Reed Brothers Dodge, there was Rockville Garage. And before there was Rockville Garage, there was simply a vacant lot at a crossroads where a handful of visionaries saw the future arriving on four wheels.
The story of Reed Brothers Dodge did not begin with a dealership. It began with a garage, a strategic location, and a belief that the automobile was about to change everything.
From Horsepower to Headlines: Reed Brothers’ Early Auto Ads
Advertisements do more than just simply pitch a product, they capture a moment in history. The following early auto ads placed in local newspapers by Rockville Garage/Reed Brothers Dodge do more than mirror the evolution of automotive technology and related advertisement, they present a snapshot of the motoring experience.
Auto ads at the end of the 19th century were similar to the printing technology at that time. Especially at the start of the century, the vintage car prints didn’t have any vehicle image on them and most used black and white paper. But as soon as the 20th century started, vehicles started to appear on the ads with a lot of font style variation. The history of branding begun at the start of the century. However, they used a uniform approach of black and white images, and more focus was on the safety and speed of the car.
The first ever car advertisement in 1898 featured the headline “Dispense With a Horse” and simply sold the benefits of the Winton Motor Carriage. The ad showed that it’s not costly to maintain, its speed is 20 mph, and it had no odor. In the end, the ad compared it with the horse saying that a horse would never be able to do these tasks.
The first ever car advertisement by the Rockville Garage was placed in The Washington Herald less than 20 years later. During the early years, 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. Through the years the ads have definitely improved from a timeless, artistic aspect; however the older ads definitely transport you back to a simpler time, both in the car world and in American history.
The Washington Herald, Monday, March 5, 1917
The Montgomery County Sentinel. May 02, 1919
The Montgomery County Sentinel. June 20, 1919
World War I, and the food shortage that came along with it, was a defining moment in history and a direct cause of the rise of the lightweight tractor. — Rick Mannen, editor, Antique Power.
The Montgomery County Sentinel, April 18, 1919
A demonstration of The Bates Steel Mule Tractor will be given on the farm of J.B. Diamond, Jr., near Gaithersburg, on December 3rd and 4th by the Rockville Garage.
Upside Down to Prove Its Strength
We make this test at our store to show the strong, rigid body construction of the Hudson and Essex Coaches. In this position it is supporting a crushing load of 2700 pounds. Come see it. Test the doors and windows, which operate with ease, showing a total absence of body strain.
Rockville Garage Hudson-Essex Advertisement: The Evening Star, Washington DC, March 1, 1923
Dependability, The Dependables (1920s-1967)
Capitalizing on their reputation, the Dodge Brothers used their name, “Dodge Brothers” followed by “Reliable, Dependable, Sound” to market their products. Devoted Dodge customers raved about the rugged construction, quality, and power of their vehicles. Buyers consistently commented that this was a car that could be depended upon. In a Dodge marketing stroke of genius, Theodore MacManus coined the word “dependability.” Dodge was using the term in advertising from around 1914, and by the 1930’s, the word was appearing in dictionaries, and soon found its way into common, everyday usage.
Montgomery County Sentinel. Feb 25, 1927
Dodge “Punishment Pit” – Torture Makes Them SAFER!
Rather than trying to compete with other manufactures with claims of mechanical prowess, Dodge tried a different approach in 1933 with their “Show Down” Plan.
Did you know that Dodge Brothers corporation had a “punishment pit”? This pit was a new type of automobile proving ground that was regarded as the quickest and most satisfactory way of finding out how an automobile can stand up under treatment of the most severely abnormal sort. Before Dodge introduced its latest models, some of the test cars were tortured in the punishment pit for as long as 600 hours.
The Montgomery County Sentinel. August 24, 1933
The 1930s seemed to be the last great age of the publicity stunt for automobiles. Radio had already made inroads, and within a decade or two television would become the next great medium to reach the masses, but in the 1930s promoting new cars to a nationwide audience still took some creativity, something that Dodge had plenty of.
The Dodge Boys White Hat Specials (late 1960s)
In the late ’60’s, The Dodge Boys “White Hat Specials” were part of Dodge’s marketing and advertising campaigns. In these ads, the Dodge sales people, “the Dodge Boys,” were referred to as “good guys in white hats” and portrayed as friendly, helpful, and customer-oriented, as well as able to “beat the competition to the draw.”
Here are clips from a two-page ad that Reed Brothers ran in The Gaithersburg Gazette on Thursday, August 26, 1965 to promote their 50th anniversary. The title of the ad reads: “The Dodge Boys and Reed Brothers celebrate a 50 Year Success, 1915 to 1965! If you need a New or Used Car, come in today and cut yourself a “Slice of Savings…”
The Gaithersburg Gazette. Thursday, August 26, 1965
The Gaithersburg Gazette. Thursday, August 26, 1965
Ricketts Garage “Auto Hire” Billhead, May 7, 1914
Ricketts’ Garage “Auto Hire” Billhead, May 7, 1914
Many early car dealerships grew out of existing garages. Reed Brothers Dodge evolved out of the Rockville Garage. Shown above is Ricketts’ Rockville Garage “Automobiles for Hire” and “New & Second Hand Cars for Sale” billhead receipt recently found on eBay. The receipt, dated May 7, 1914 is made out to W.W. Welsh (William Wallace Welsh) and is signed for by Lee Ricketts. Leonidas “Lee” Ricketts and sons, Raymond, Emory, and Thomas Alva (who went by “Alva”) ran the local Overland Agency at the Veirs Mill Road/Rockville Pike location from 1914-1915.
Original Rockville Garage building at the intersection of Veirs Mill Rd and Rockville Pike, 1916.
Origins of the Rockville Garage from The Montgomery County Sentinel. May 20, 1914:
Mr. Alva Ricketts has purchased the vacant lot opposite the fair grounds, in this town, from Mr. Benjamin Haney and will in the course of a few days erect upon it a garage, in which will be kept his autos for the accommodation of the traveling public.
The Overland Agency was short-lived: by July of 1915, Lewis Reed and brothers Robert L. and Griffith Warfield established Rockville Garage after acquiring the building from the Ricketts family. An employee of Rockville Garage in 1915, Lewis Reed purchased a one-third interest from the Warfield brothers in January 1916. Three years later, the Warfield’s conveyed the balance of the property and Lewis became sole owner. In August of 1919, Lewis Reed’s brother Edgar joined the business, and the name of the company was changed to Reed Brothers Dodge.
Rockville Garage Dealer of Bates Steel Mules
Montgomery County Sentinel, June 20, 1919
To survive the early days in the automobile business, most dealerships sold several makes of cars. During the early years, 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 1916 through 1923. In addition to automobiles, the Rockville Garage also sold Bates Steel Mules, “the most efficient tractor in America.”
The Bates Steel Mule Tractor, sold in 1919 by Lewis Reed’s Rockville Garage, was designed at the dawn of the steel-wheeled tractor era to pull any horse-drawn implement the farmer owned. I had never even heard of such a thing until I came across this advertisement from the Montgomery County Sentinel.
So, I did some digging online and found the Steel Mule was a product of the Joliet Oil Tractor Company of Joliet, Illinois. First produced about 1913 the Bates Steel Mule was an odd looking tractor with two wheels set wide in front but only a single, low, crawler track centered under the rear. It was promoted as a powerful replacement for a team of horses when used to draw conventional horse-drawn farm machinery. Joliet was one of dozens of small companies vying for a spot in the lucrative small tractor market between 1910 and 1920. Its first tractor debuted in 1913. One of its key selling features was that a farmer could use it to pull his horse-drawn equipment. The Bates Steel Mule originally sold for $1,500, the equivalent of more than $27,000 today.
Montgomery County Sentinel, April 18, 1919
World War I, and the food shortage that came along with it, was a defining moment in history and a direct cause of the rise of the lightweight tractor. — Rick Mannen, editor, Antique Power.
Today’s tractors have come a long way in the past 100 years. Current models are equipped with revolutionary technology, including self-driving models, GPS, luxury cabs, Dolby sound systems, and increased horsepower and versatility.
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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.
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