Memories of old cars

 ... Margery goes for a ride

by Margery Carter

In the early 1900s cars had been more or less just invented. Imagine going for a ride in one! No more horse and buggy taking you to places. Cars had four wheels under the frame, a steering wheel, some seats and, of course, an engine and other mechanics. Looking at the old first cars I'm surprised they ran. But they did and what an invention! You had to be courageous to drive one! My grandfather was that. Read on to see how courageous he was, plus my grandmother too. I know all this because of all the pictures taken with a brownie camera and stuck in an old album that I've been looking through. Now the first picture is my mother holding me. I was 10 months old according to the caption written under the picture. My mother was taking me on an outing. How do you like the car we were going in? My dad took the picture as he was going to be the driver. What a classy car for a 10-month old young lady to go on an outing in.   And don't forget the Stanley Steamer my grandfather had before 1900! A picture of it was published previously in the August, 2003 issue of the Melrose Mirror. Picture of Margery Carter's grandfather A. A. Dority in his Stanley Steamer Back to the album and the picture of my grandfather whose car was stuck in a snow bank. Right beside it in the album was a picture of the same car under a palm tree in Florida. When I was about 6 or 7 I asked him about the Florida picture. He proceeded to tell about his first trip driving to Florida with my grandmother. That car in the picture gave them a lot of trouble and he was crazy to think it was a good idea. They took that picture as a memento as he wasn't going to drive it back to Melrose. He had it shipped back. He bought another car for the trip home, a brand new Chandler Sedan, an enclosed car with front and back seats. The next year they drove it down to Florida, no trouble. Now it took them four days each way but they broke up the trips by over-nighting it, staying at small hotels and in the same ones every time they were going or coming. I couldn't find any pictures of that new car in the albums. Ho hum! Hope it had windows that opened and closed! I love the last picture I found. All of us in the touring car. There I am too. My grandfather is driving, my grandmother is in back of me and I assume one of those other two ladies must be my mother. It looks like a cold spring ride around Melrose. The picture that Margery refers to is the large one at the top of the page. March 5, 2004

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