MTFCA Forum

Has anyone ever compiled a list of the Ford Agencies by address, from the 1910-1930 period? I know that at the end of the Model T period, Ford lost about 50% of their dealers, some voluntarily gave them up, and others were simply fired for complaining about the Model T's unsalability. There are good descriptions of what happened in the Ford trilogy part 2, "Expansion and Challenge", but they only mention a few dealers by city, and never mention their actual address location. I plan to travel over the summer, and would love to have a list by addresses, so I could stop and see them as they are now (Assuming they are not now just vacant lots) I just finished traveling through Texas on my way to Chickasha, and in many of the small towns I found buildings I strongly suspect were Ford Agencies, but usually with no markings to confirm the truth or suspicion. I have read that some places had 5 different Ford agents operating at the same time, but now they have been replaced by a single Ford dealership that is still operating now.

As an aside, I recently read the story of the very last Cal Worthington Ford dealership being sold off by the family. I was in California in the 70's, and Cal Worthington, with his constant barrage of car commercials, (With his dog "Spot") (That was NEVER EVER a dog, but might be a tiger, or a bear, or a moose, or even an alligator!) was an institution. I had thought it would be there forever, like some of the other long term dealerships of various makes that have lasted since before WWII. His remaining family has apparently moved on to other pursuits now.

The "Ford House" in Breckenridge, Texas still stands. It's now a furniture store. It's a yellowish brick structure on corner about 4 blocks east of the center of town. It used to have a gas pump out front. You can still see "Gas 14 cents" on the brickwork. It was Daniel Motor Company for many years, and later King-Brown Ford. I thnk it was built in the 1920s. Most every other substantial structure in town was. (Oil, ya know... those robber barons.....)

I remember those Cal Worthington commercials!!

"Go see Cal, go see Cal!"

Jennifer
aka ModelTGal

The original Ford dealership building erected in 1927 in Lockhart, Texas is still standing and still being used as a Ford dealership. I think, by the same original family, but George House in Lockhart can correct me on that if I'm wrong.

My model A phaeton was sold new at Canal Motors in the town of Fremont Washington now a Seattle neighborhood. The building still stands and has been many different things over the years. It was a wholesale doughnut bakery for many years, now a storage building. Canal Motors was a sub dealer since the model t days the carrying over to model A's They went out of business around 1932.

Ford built an assembly factory in Seattle around 1916. A typical Ford styled building 3 stories lots of brick and facade. The building still stands and on the white marble belt line at the top floor you can still see the faintly Ford Motor Company script outline long after the letters have disappeared. Ford built a new assembly plant opening in 1928 on east Marginal way, north of Boeing plant 1. This facility only lasted 3 years then Ford closed it. My 1930 phaeton was assembled there.

The Ford factory is on Eastlake ave in the 300 block. Canal Motors is on 3 ave west in Seattle

just sayin,

frontyboy

Terry,
The original Ford dealership in Lockhart opened in 1926 but sold to a manufacturing concern 6 or 7 years ago when the original family -Clark’s- built a new dealership south of town. I bought a new F 250 there and they want to display some of my Model Ts for their 100th in a few years

George House wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 03, 2023 8:05 am

Terry,
The original Ford dealership in Lockhart opened in 1926 but sold to a manufacturing concern 6 or 7 years ago when the original family -Clark’s- built a new dealership south of town. I bought a new F 250 there and they want to display some of my Model Ts for their 100th in a few years

Darn, That's too bad. I saw the building when the dealer still used it, and, again when it was being remodeled. I thought the dealer moved back into it after it was remodeled, but haven't been back since. I used to have a photo of the front of the building, but didn't save it to my computer. Next time you're driving by, maybe you could snap a shot and post it.

Here ‘tis....The Ford script is cast in 3 blocks. They’ve placed reflective materials on the showroom windows so you cannot look inside..

I recall that Ford Motor Company, during the 100th Anniversary Celebration, 2003, make up booklets for certain dealerships which were some of the very first. The Jacksonville FL Ford dealer, Duval Ford, opened in 1916, and was part of the local celebration by donating, to the local museum, a 1917 that had been owned by them for years. During that presentation on the riverfront, a factory rep from Ford handed the family such booklet. Think that booklet, if you could find one from a participating dealer to the 100th party, likely has a listing or some info on early dealerships.

Otherwise, The Benson Ford Research Center, has records somewhere that could be searched if you want to know your area dealers, but no listing is available on line from them.


Click on attachment to enlarge

Compiling a list would be a huge task, with almost every town/city, big and small having one. Some of those small towns are not even a spot on a map anymore. Then there are those that were located all over the world.

SAMES FORD, originally established in Laredo in 1910 is the oldest Ford dealer in Texas. The Sames family, also own other Ford and Honda dealerships in other Texas cities as far from Laredo as Austin and Bastrop. A Fifth generation member of the Sames family is now in charge.

Graham Ford, Cisco, Texas. Roofless, 2 story building still standing last time I looked.

Compiling a list would be a huge task, with almost every town/city, big and small having one.

Yes. Retail trade has consolidated steadily and greatly over the last century. A town of 12,000 that had a dozen grocery stores a hundred years ago now has a Walmart and a Kroger. As recently as thirty years ago many little towns under 5000 had car dealerships. One of my uncles was the Chevrolet dealer in Cottonwood Falls, population under 1000. Now the residents there have to go to another county to buy a new car.

A good start would be the cover page for each issue of the Ford Service Bulletins. Just about every issue had the name and address of a Ford dealer that had done something to impress Ford Corporate. Each was a story about the dealer.
One of our local dealers made the cover for building Fordson into tractors for the iron ore mines here. Dan