Buying A New Car in Ellwood City
28 October 2011
It was reported back in 1917, if you were wealthy enough, you could order a Maxwell Roadster for $795, or the Town Car for $1,095 FOB Detroit, delivered to Badger Brothers in Ellwood City, PA. The Maxwell Roadster was considered a mechanically sound car as it was reported to average 27.15 to 29.04 miles per gallon.
The Ellwood City Ledger photograph to the right is a picture of James Shallenberger showing off his brand new 1919 Chalmer that he purchased from John Badger. The picture is taken in front of the front gate of the US Steel mill. Today the gate was later remodeled into a pizza shop and today houses Nico Luciano’s.
Hear is a good one naybody remember the Dodge Dealership and the Plymouth and DeSota car lots I do hint they closed in early 1960 I helped my dad detail cars at night at the dealership. I remember it was a very big deal when the new year modles came out I got to see them before anybody in my class at BVM my dad would tell my mom for me to come to the garage and he would let me look at them hidden away, nobody at school would belive me even the nuns thats haw garded the new cars was till the release day, then people would be lined up to see them… almost like a big party at the showroom. if nobody gets the name and location i will post in a few days
I think in the early 1950′s there were dealers in town for all major brands except: Cadillac, Lincoln, Mercury, and Hudson. There were even dealers for such orphan brands as: Nash, Kaiser, Frazer, Studebaker, and Packard.
I agree with the post above, the introduction of a new model was a BIG deal.
you could buy a Lincoln or Mercury in the 1950′s to dealership was on Main Stree (Lawarence ave. right across the street from the state Liquer store and my dad’s old gas station
Remember my father buying a new 1956 Ford at Lero Ford?
To Danny John Yes, King Lincoln Mercury came in 1954. The building had previously been Ellwood City Garage selling Chryslers and Plymouths.
To elaborate a bit more on dealers. This is the lineup from the early 50′s as I remember it 60 years later. Western Lawrence Av was definitely auto row. Starting at 728 was Ellwood City Garage selling Chrysler-Plymouth (later King L-M) At 9th st was Runyon Buick (later Freeman) On the north side was Henry’s Garage selling Kaiser-Frazer. At 10th st was the Ford dealer. Somewhere along there, both on the north side was Johnson DeSoto-Plymouth and the Nash dealer. On Beaver Av neat 8th st was Nard Oldsmobile ( now McElwains) and at 9th st was Bauer Dodge-Plymouth( later site of a grocery store). Other locations were Arnold Young Pontiac at 6th st and Cresent, Economy Chev. at the south end of the 5th st bridge, and Beakley Studebaker- Packard on Wampum av.
I remember the first car I purchased in January 1965. It was a black 1959 Ford with very little chrome. It was big and roomy. The perfect car to commute to Geneva College. It served as transportation, dinning room, study, meeting room, waiting room and sometimes I took a nap before an evening class. It had very few options, a radio and a heater and had no rug on the floor. The gray vinyl was easy to clean and I waxed it once in a while. Sometimes I wish tme modern vehicles were not so complicated and had more of the simple efficiency of that old Ford. By the way, It cost $695 and my payment was $35 or $36 a month.
Hey Jim you are not going to belive me but I remember that old ford of yours and to Tom the Dodge dealership was bought out in the mid 50′s by Miller and it was Miller Motors till the A & P bought it out and tore that old building down it was so neet you could drive cars up to the 2 nd floor.. and he built a place out on the Ellwood New Castle Road then he sold it to a dealer John Paul out of Youngstown my dad worked for them both for several years till it went out of business and briefly went back into business for a short time after that. after that i was not around much
auctiondj@yahoo.com
Class of ’64 car buffs…I wish someone who remembers Bobby Latiano’s dad as a salesman at the Dodge dealership on Lawrence Avenue would make a comment. Jim, wasn’t Bobby a football hero at Lincoln High?
I do recall that a heater was an option on a car “in the old days.” I had a 1954 Dodge panel truck that had windshield wipers that varied in speed, due to a “vacuum motor,” as I recall the phenomenon was called. Caused some hairy rides in a downpour. I also owned a 1979 4×4 Dodge pickup that I sold to pay for constant drum-brake work on the old panel truck.
I have a vivid memory of the 1959 Ford. Not Jim’s in particular, but the “multiple bullet” grille work and the beginning of the “boxey” Ford look. I had a friend at Shenango HS who left the emergency brake on one time on his 1959 Ford. He would consistently and neurotically check that it wasn’t on while driving along by pulling on the hand brake handle every two minutes. His nervous action has imbedded the 1959 Ford image in my mind. I owned many Fords over the years. The only full size car left in 2011 is the Lincoln Town Car.
My funiest car story: was on the Old Pittsburgh road with a friend driving his 1953 Chevy convertible. The brakes went out on a hill. He quickly reached under the dash and pulled the handbrake handle. Ops! The handle came straight up to the top of the dash! No brakes of any kind. We almost died …laughing!
Although there were Studebaker’s, Packard’s, Willis Jeeps and other non-big-three brands, a kid from the 50′s knew his GM, Ford and Chrysler cars. My wife is amazed how I spot a piece of a car on a TV show and call out the make, model and year. It’s what got us boys’ attention. We’re lucky. We got more than the small, gray flying cheese wedge cars of today to color our memory.
Happy Father’s Day,
Dave
I am glad I am connecting with other old car nuts. Even though I have been Tom Mantel for lmost 60 years, people in Ellwood will remember me as Tom Scheidemantel. My dad ran the Chrysler-Plymouth dealership on Lawrence Ave from 1947 to 1953. (the dealership was on Todd Ave from 1937 to 1947) I worked at the dealership from 1951 to 1953 when he closed down. I remember the new model introduction in 1951 when Chrysler came out with the Hemi V8 engine. What a stir that caused. After that I worked for Joe and Tony Scala at their Mobil gas station in Ewing Park (right beside Nick’s Snack Bar) till I graduated LHS Class of 56. Would appreciate hearing from anyone who remembers those days. tlmantel@yahoo.com
OK Dave Bob Latiano lived 4 houses up from my family on 4th street I do remember his Dad well he worked with my dad for quite a while even when the dodge dealership went out of business in the 60′s him and len wolf and my dad went to New Castle and worked at the Dodge dealership know as Palmer Motor company I even worked there for a summer job in 1963 my dad left the groupe in nov of 63 to go to work for the federal goverment. that was the last time i remember Latiano forgot his first name come on Bob Stevenson you should remember that
auctiondj@yahoo.com
Danny, thanks. Story for you. Bobby Latiano worked me over one day and I went crying inside the house to my dad. He told me to man up and take care of my own fights. I went back outside and Bobby was already walking down the alley towards his house. I shouted some obsenities at him, he turned around and shouted a few back, so I picked up a rock and threw it a good 50 feet and hit Bobby smack on the head. I walked him home because he was all bloody. His mom patched him up and we never fought again. He was one grade ahead of me and I lost touch with him when I moved to New Castle in 1959. Thanks for your reply. Dave
Danny
His first name was Tony
Tony Latiano, that’s it! That was his dad’s name. Thanks Bob. Thanks Danny.
Who remembers Parillos in Park Gate? Dad almost bought a ’61 Pontiac 2 door hardtop, the engine had 3 2 bbls on it but the insurance for my sister and I was more than the payments. Also remember the Chrysler Turbine car that came to Ellwood, Wow ! what a beaut!!!!