Tri-Counties Genealogy & History by Joyce M. Tice Articles About Our Area Bradford County PA Chemung County NY Tioga County PA

Tri Counties Home Page Warnings & Disclaimer Online Research Library No Commercial Use Troy Township & Borough Section Say Hello to Joyce Formatted & Published by Joyce M. Tice Submitted by Joyce from the Mable HILFIGER "Benson" Scrapbook It’s No Laughing Matter, Now PERHAPS THE NEXT STEP after obtaining gas rationing cards might well be the one demonstrated here by Henry B. Van Dyne, Troy, president of the Van Dyne Oil Company. Hay rationing would be a blow, Mr. Van Dyne admits.

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1922 - The Rev. A. G. Cameron is Presented With Latest Model Ford Touring Car – ca 1922
The heavenly ban on rich men will shortly have to be lifted if the well to do Trojans and former Trojans do not stop doing nice things for their less fortunate neighbors.  We have in mind the visiting nurse and endowment, the fine civic building, the village green now in the making, the fine band stand that is to be, and at the moment of writing, the latest expression of brotherhood – the gift of a new Ford touring car of latest pattern, with starter, by Mr. Everett VanDyne to the Rev. A. G. Cameron whose long years of faithful service at Sylvania coupled with his engaging personality have won for him so abiding a place in the social and religious life of Western Bradford.

Caption:  Troy's First Custom-built Car Constructed in the winter of 1914 by Linn Slingerland on a 1910 Ford chassis in the old Troy Fireproof Garage at the order of indulgent parent Frank Ballard for his wayward son. (Note:  The laws of libel are circumvented because said son wrote the above caption. -Editor)

In My Merrie Oldsmobile

"In My Merrie Oldsmobile…" by Pat Ballard As a preamble to the swell plans for making Troy known as an Antique Car-Show Center, we recall the zeal we have had for this hobby dating back from 1930 when the late Edsel Ford showed us his father’s wonderful Antique Car collection, in company with maestro Fred Waring and his band, in Dearborn, Michigan.

Then Bill Sweet’s navy-blue Mitchell and later his red Matheson with large brass monogram "W.S.S." on each door, which our dad painstakingly etched out of solid brass…Dr. Boyer had a Hup roadster along with Herbert Rolison – these cars were cute as a bug. The late Hal Carpenter and our dad had "Kline-Kars" with four cylinders the size of beer bottles and hardly enough power to get over a dead rooster. We all had loud melodious exhaust whistle-horns that would wake the dead.
 

The late Ben Mitchell had the most spectacular car in town, a gorgeous red Pierce-Arrow, uniformed chauffeur and all, which was a real dream boat. The late Mrs. Bigelow, for whom we chauffeured until fired for after-hours chauffeuring our girl, had both a Pierce-Arrow and a tiny 4-cylinder Franklin that could make 20 miles per hour going down hill. Earl Bloom had a fast Jackson, which he drove fast, and in a previous story we mentioned Merritt Smith’s Reo, the steam buggy of the late Jesse Williams (Troy’s first car) [shown at left] and Effie Beardsley’s little red Olds.

Charlie Tate had a "Little Car", along with the late Carson Blackwell. Both lived on Paine’s Hill and getting up it was a problem. Harry Mitchell, an early automobile enthusiast and the greatest automobile salesman Troy ever had (and one of our idols) had dozens of cars and became the first Ford agent in Troy, contributing greatly to the growth of cheap transportation in this locality. One of his first cars was a red Mora roadster – then, seeing the first Ford Roadster in this section, owned by the late Emory Andrus, Harry championed the Model T and sold hundreds of ‘em.

The best way to get this nation-wide hobby bug is to bur the current magazines devoted to Antique Cars and watch the section in the Sunday New York times wherein restored and unrestored cars of yesteryear are offered for sale. If we didn’t already have an old, old car we’d buy one!

Personally, we feel very comfortable in an old car – they’re so gentle, so free and easy on the draw, and rattle so nice. They also smell kinda good, if you’ve got antiquities-automobilitis, a fascinating and soothing antidote for these tense, speed-crazy days.

Over 200 entry blanks, inviting antique and sports car enthusiasts and owners to participate in Troy’s third annual Antique and Sports Car show on June 5 have been sent out by the committee during the past week.

The programs have been printed and circulated, calling attention to the sport car gymkhana that will be one of the features of the show. The sports cars will participate in the gymkhana at the Troy high school field on Saturday, between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., according to the committee in charge of the special event.

The parade of sports and antique cars will start at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday from the Fair Grounds entrance and after parading though Troy streets, the automobiles will be placed on display on Center Street for general public inspection.

Henry Van Dyne is general chairman of the committee, which is composed of representatives of the entire community. The event is sponsored this year by the Chamber of Commerce of Troy, the Rotary and the Lions Clubs of Troy.

It is expected that the show this year will be larger and more colorful than the two previous shows.

The special sports car gymkhana will draw considerable attention as the drivers of the sports cars will perform in skillful maneuvers on the field.

Plans are under way to obtain the Troy High School Band to play during the height of the morning activities, to be stationed in the band stand at Davison Green.

1914 Troy Gazette Ads

Bradford County PA Chemung County NY Tioga County PA

Published On Tri-Counties Site On 20 JAN 2005 By Joyce M. Tice Email: Joyce M. Tice You are the visitor since the counter was installed on 20 JAN 2005