Car Dealerships of YesterYear

Vintage car dealerships have left a lasting impact on today's automotive culture by preserving and celebrating classic automobiles.  They've contributed to the appreciation of craftsmanship, design and engineering from different eras, influencing modern car enthusiasts and collectors.  Additionally, they've helped maintain the value and heritage of vintage cars which continue to inspire new generations of car enthusiasts. 

Henderson Volkswagen

Charlotte NC

Circa 1982

Schreffler Cadillac

 

Ruff Motors Oldsmobile, Chevrolet, Buick

Broken Bow Nebraska

 Race Edsel Sales & Service

Woodward Avenue

Ferndale, Michigan,

Circa 1958

Kelly Chevrolet Cadillac

Butler, PA

Circa 1955

Corner of Main and Brady

J.A. Herzog Pontiac

"BEST DEAL IN TOWN"

George Daniels Pontiac Palace

San Francisco, California 

Circa 1938

VanArnem Ford

Northville NY

Circa 1942

W. Harold Northrup, Inc.

Lincoln Mercury

Munch Sales & Service

Studebaker

Cox-Fitz Motors, Inc.

Circa 1963

Collian Chevrolet

Select New Car Trade-Ins

Herb Gould Ford

Medford-Malden Motors

Sales & Service

with 

FORD V8 Blade Sign

Lancaster Lincoln Mercury

Lancaster, Pennsylvania 

Quick Service

Sehon Cooksey Motors, Inc.

Delhi, Louisiana

Circa 1965

S.L. Shank Ford Dealership

Waynesboro, Pennsylvania 

Dealerships 

and 

Their Salesmen and Customers

and 

Unique Signs

Tocoma Motor Co. 

Now On Display 

New Chevrolet for '50

Arthur L. Fields Chevrolet Co.

CHEVROLET DEALERS SINCE 1916

Fraser Buick Motor Co. 

Circa 1933

Mr. Norm, the High Performance King

says

Performance is our Business! 

3300 West Grand Avenue

Chicago, Illinois

Phone CApitol 7-3300

Don Sanderson Ford

3 Year Warranty Available with All New Cars

Nielsen Chevrolet

146 E. 147th Street

Harvey, Illinois

Circa 1967

Joe Madden Ford

Boyles Used Cars

Nance Chevrolet

Asheboro, North Carolina

Jack Freese Inc.

Hazel Park, Michigan

Circa 1952

Grand Opening Sept. 25-26

Duval Motor Co.

Sales FORD Service

Jacksonville, Florida 

Circa 1949

King & Ace Used Auto Saltes

900-940 S. 3rd Street

Louisville, Kentucky

Photo taken March 23rd

Circa 1954

Gene Hamilton Chevrolet 

Warren, Michigan 

Near GM Tech Center

Hamburg, New York

Circa 1960s

Salesmen, Harold Jackson & Bill Teague

Jack L. Hunt Chrysler Plymouth

Harry B. Wade Hudson Essex

Bogda Motor Sales Kaiser-Frazer

Indianapolis, Indiana

Circa 1940s

Auto Service Company

Dodge-Plymouth

San Francisco, California

Circa 1950s

Dwight Green Chevrolet

Bronson, Michigan

Circa 1961

Bradshaw Chevrolet Buick

Cedar City, Ohio

Circa 1956

Buick Special and Chevy Normad Pictured

Bob Frensley Ford

Nashville, Tennessee

Circa 1981

Anderson Motor Company Oldmobile

Marietta, Georgia

Circa 1960s

Claborn AMC

Detroit, Michigan

Circa 1970s

Horn Motor Company Kaiser-Frazer

El Paso, Texas

Circa 1951

Jim Burke Buick Used Car Lot

5th Avenue

Birmingham, Alabama

Circa Mid 1950s

James Edsel Sales

Lancaster, Ohio

Circa 1950s

Wayne, West Virginia

Circa 1972

Love the Chevrolet blade sign!

Sim Hudson Motor Co. 

Crystal Motors

Brooklyn, New York

CL 9 - 4000 

Dowell-Messer Volkswagen

Amarillo, Texas

Circa 1960s

Happy Motoring!

 

Labor Day is on Monday, September 2.  The holiday marks the unofficial end of summer 2024.  As students begin to head back to school, many Americans enjoy one last long weekend to host a summer barbecue or enjoy a trip to the beach.

The first Monday in September commemorates the American labor movement.  The federal holiday celebrates "the social and economic achievements of American workers" and is rooted in the late nineteenth century when labor activists pushed for a federal holiday "to recognize the many contributions workers have made to America's strength, prosperity and well-being".  We commemorate the struggles these labor movement activists undertook to provide all workers across our nation with a more fair, just and equitable workplace.  

Matthew Maquire, a representative from the Machinists Union actually was the founder of Labor Day.  Maquire, the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, New Jersey proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York. 

"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing."

Theodore Roosevelt 

"The miracle is not that we do the work, but that we are happy to do it."

Mother Teresa

.. SO ..

Enjoy a well-deserved break on this Labor Day as we acknowledge the value of hard work.

Ghost Signs Across America

These faded signs are an important part of the historic fabric of our country seen in most communities.

Signs on buildings are often referred to as ghost signs, fading ads or brickads.  They are typically historic hand-painted advertising signs preserved on buildings which have since changed use.  Old painteed advertisements are occasionally discovered upon demolition of latre-built adjoining structures or exposed when they are discovered on exterior walls mostly made of brick.  

There's something bold about a ghost sign, even when it's so faded you can barely read it.  Companies painted entire walls of buildings so they coud advertise their wares from the 1800s through the mid-1900s.  Entire generations of sign artists were trained in hand-lettering techniques, practicing a trade that blurred the line between art and craft.  As other forms of advertising grew more popular, the market for wall paintings shrank and today their delicate remains grace the sides of older brick buildings in most major cities.

Mooresville NC and Their Restored Ghost Signs

One of the more unique features of downtown Mooresville are the healthy amount of ghost sign advertisements that are either restored or remain in their original state.  A walk through downtown on Main and Broad Streets can fill your camera with numerous old advertisements.  

The Iredell County town of Mooresville is a growing community.  Best known for being the modern home of Lowe's Home Improvement and numerous NASCAR and Indy Car teams.  The town began when John Moore donated his land to construct a railroad depot known as Moore's Siding.  Moore's Siding would continue to grow and by 1873 the name was changed to Mooresville.  The former depot now serves as an art gallery.

Other Ghost Signs Around the Country