Matheson (automobile)
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
manufactured from 1903 to 1912. The President of the company was Charles Walter Matheson , born Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...
, March 22, 1876. His brother, Frank F. Matheson served as company secretary.
Grand Rapids, Michigan from 1903
The first production of the Matheson Motor Car Company was shipped from Grand Rapids in July, 1903.Holyoke, Massachusetts, 1903-1905
In 1903 Matheson acquired the assets of the Holyoke Automobile CompanyHolyoke Automobile Company
Holyoke was an American automobile company started in Holyoke, Massachusetts in 1899. The cars were designed by Charles Robert Greuter, born Philadelphia, PA, March 26, 1861, and educated St. Gallen and Winterthur, Switzerland. In 1900 the Springfield Republican reported: "The president of the...
, and relocated production to Holyoke, Massachusetts
Holyoke, Massachusetts
Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range of mountains. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a population of 39,880...
.
Forty Fort, Pennsylvania from 1906
The business community in Wilkes-Barre, PennsylvaniaWilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Wilkes-Barre is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, the county seat of Luzerne County. It is at the center of the Wyoming Valley area and is one of the principal cities in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area, which had a population of 563,631 as of the 2010 Census...
, was keen to attract and invest in manufacturing. In 1906 a new Matheson factory was opened in Forty Fort, Pennsylvania
Forty Fort, Pennsylvania
Forty Fort is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 4,579 at the 2000 census. It neighbors the boroughs of Kingston, Wyoming, and Swoyersville...
. Some 35 skilled employees transferred from the old works in Holyoke, Massachusetts. In the spring of 1913 heavily discounted cars were being sold off by the receiver.
In 1919 the Owen Magnetic Motor Car Company
Owen Magnetic
The Owen Magnetic was a brand of hybrid electric luxury automobiles manufactured between 1915 and 1922. Car models of the brand were notable for their use of an electromagnetic transmission and were early examples of a electric series hybrid drivetrain. The manufacture of the car was sponsored by...
occupied the old Matheson works and in 1920 resumed production of the Owen Magnetic car.
Legacy
The sprawling building that housed the manufacturing plant still exists, although heavily modified into a series of commercial business locations. The Matheson building is quite long, taking up more than a block of space on Welles Street in Forty Fort. The anchor business is Matheson Warehouse, an agent of North American Van Lines and operated by several generations of the Hinchey Family.Recently it was announced that funding for the Welles Street Gateway Project has been awarded as part of the proceeds from state profits garnered from the Mohegan Sun Casino in nearby Plains Township. The Welles Street Gateway Project was the brainchild of former Forty Fort Council President Andy Tuzinski and current Borough Engineer Chris Borton. This project will introduce a "Main Street" USA motif with retail shops, sidewalks and period lighting.
See also
- Brass Era carBrass Era carThe automotive Brass Era is the first period of automotive manufacturing, named for the prominent brass fittings used during this time for such things as lights and radiators. It extends from the first commercial automobiles marketed in the 1890s until about World War I...
- Giants Despair HillclimbGiants Despair HillclimbThe Giants Despair Hillclimb is a hillclimb established in 1906 just outside Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania in Laurel Run, Pennsylvania, United States. The contest was first run in conjunction with Wilkes-Barre's centennial celebration. It is the oldest continuing motorsport event in Pennsylvania...
- Holyoke Automobile CompanyHolyoke Automobile CompanyHolyoke was an American automobile company started in Holyoke, Massachusetts in 1899. The cars were designed by Charles Robert Greuter, born Philadelphia, PA, March 26, 1861, and educated St. Gallen and Winterthur, Switzerland. In 1900 the Springfield Republican reported: "The president of the...
- List of defunct United States automobile manufacturers
- Owen MagneticOwen MagneticThe Owen Magnetic was a brand of hybrid electric luxury automobiles manufactured between 1915 and 1922. Car models of the brand were notable for their use of an electromagnetic transmission and were early examples of a electric series hybrid drivetrain. The manufacture of the car was sponsored by...
- 1906 Vanderbilt Elimination Race1906 Vanderbilt Elimination RaceThe 1906 Vanderbilt Elimination Race was a motor race run to decide which five cars would represent the United States in the 1906 Vanderbilt Cup. The race was run on September 22, 1906, over ten laps on a 29-mile course near Westbury, Long Island, New York...