More From Wayne County

Another unique car on display at the Wayne County Historical Museum is this offering from the Brush Motor Company. Alanson P. Brush was one of many people in the early 20th century building and selling cars. His first car was a very light weight model powered by a single cylinder water cooled engine. It sold for under $200. This 1910 model, fully outfitted with brass, was ahead of the design curve. Unfortunately, Brush, like many early manufacturers, fell victim to Henry Ford's Model T.

A Richmond, IN based farm implement firm, Wayne Works, had been around since the 1870s. Shortly after the turn of the century the company's president asked his chief engineer to build an automobile simply because everyone else seemed to be doing it. From 1904 through 1917 Wayne Works manufactured a Touring Car but stopped when the firm's emphasis switched to manufacturing school buses. They're still one of the major bus manufacturers in the country.

Westcott is one of the better known cars manufactured in Richmond. Originally a carriage company, Westcott, like others in their industry, switched to making cars in 1907. Though they only manufactured automobiles until 1925, the luxury machines they turned out, such as this 1915 U-50 were highly regarded and examples can often be found in Concours events across the country.

This 1926 Dodge is in the museum as much for sentimental purposes as historical. Richmond native Catherine Esther Hill Berry purchased this car new in 1926 and drove it around town for 56 years. Having paid $1050 for it she soon began calling it "Dodgie." In 1982 she donated "Dodgie" to the museum so that others could enjoy it.

Also on display is a 1914 Ford Model T. This four cylinder model has local roots, being in Wayne County most of its time. In fact, in the 1930s this car was raced at a local track. I'm not sure how it did but I'd like to think it held its own.