I have seen several different accounts of who owned the first automobile in Columbus. I decided to delve into old Columbus newspapers and take a look for surely it would have been big news at the time. I was not disappointed, for in The Columbus Weekly Dispatch of Oct. 6, 1904, was the following article:
“The first automobile ever seen in Columbus made its appearance here last Sunday, and attracted considerable attention as it sped along the streets guided by the skilled hand of its owner, Mr. Al Rand, who lives in the Mayhew neighborhood, and who came to the city to spend the day with his friend, Mr. Felix Chapman. Mr. Rand is an expert machinist and constructed the automobile with his own hands at his little shop on his father’s plantation. Of course the machine contains some parts which Mr. Rand did not have the tools to make, and these were ordered from different machine shops, Mr. F. M. Jacob, of this city, having made some of the castings. The automobile is an eight horse power machine and has a speed capacity of from twelve to fifteen miles an hour. It is neat and trim looking and runs as rapidly and as smoothly over country roads as it does over city streets.”
The early accounts of Automobiles in Columbus newspapers told a fascinating story. The next locally owned automobile mentioned was Anthony Bell’s “Oldmobile touring runabout.” In December 1904 the Columbus Weekly Dispatch reported that “Messrs Anthony Bell and Joe Mahon took a trip to Aberdeen last Sunday in Mr Bell’s automobile. The machine dashed over the road at a rapid rate, affording pleasure to its occupants and exciting comments” from those along the road who had never seen an automobile before.
In her research Carolyn Kaye came across an account by Paul B. Jacob in “I Remember When” by Pauline Brandon. “Many people are remembering about the old street cars that once played an important role in the life of Columbus. We read that the coming of the automobile meant the death of the street cars. The event that made the most profound impression on my mind as a boy was this “coming of the automobile. … We had a pony — not a Shetland —that we used to ride. One morning I was riding down the street when around a corner came the most amazing sight my eyes had ever beheld. It was a real automobile driven by Mr. Joe Bell. I immediately turned my pony around and went in pursuit. Mr. Bell seemed to have no particular destination in mind as he drove around and around the town. My only thought was to keep this marvelous contraption from losing me. This was not very difficult as my pony could easily have outrun the automobile.”
Charles Beverley Hopkins also wrote of early automobiles in Columbus. “I remember one, especially, among the first automobiles in Columbus. It was a two cylinder Oldsmobile, hand-cranked from the side with a long handled Z-shaped crank, through and opening between the seats. It stood much higher than the present models and had a folding type top much like old-fashioned buggies and carriages. Needless to say, it was rather noisy in operation and when running created some commotion among horses and mules.”
And did they ever cause a stir among horses and mules. On Sept. 17, 1907, the Columbus Commercial carried the headline, “Exciting runaway on Main Street.” Accounts of the incident told how a team of mules on Main Street became frightened by an automobile and “madly tore through the crowded streets colliding with a carriage occupied by Mesdames S.E. Whitfield and Beverly Matthews.” Mrs. Whitfield and Mrs. Matthews were slightly injured, but the mule driver was seriously hurt.
On Feb. 27, 1909, there was a runaway team of horses on Main Street that had been frightened by an automobile. They ran down Market Street knocking over a wagon owned by J.E. Slaughter. The Lowndes County Board of Supervisors took action at their August 1909 meeting. They passed a county Automobile Ordnance. Its provisions included a county wide 10 mph speed limit and a requirement that an automobile must sound a signal before approaching people, horses or other animals or another automobile. If the driver of an automobile observed his vehicle was frightening horses or mules he was to stop and cut off his engine until the animals calmed down.
These accounts reminded me of a college excursion of my grandfather in 1910. It’s one of my favorite family stories and is about a college road trip party by my grandfather T.C. Billups. It all began with a 60th anniversary party for the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity chapter at Ole Miss in April of 1910. There was a grand “German Banquet in Oxford” with at least one side trip adventure.
The story of that side trip is found on two different pages of what was an April 1910, Senatobia newspaper. One account appeared on the society page. It stated that, “Winston Smith, Roger Montgomery, Cham Conner and T.C. Billups, students at Oxford” had been visiting in Senatobia. The article went on to say that “the young gentlemen came in automobiles and during their stay had many enjoyable rides with young ladies and friends.”
It sounded like a most pleasant and relaxing visit, until you see the headlines in the local news: “Citizens Call Upon Mayor to Take Action Upon Automobiles.” The article told how “Senatobia does not boast of any automobile of its own but during the past few days there have been quite a number of visiting ones which have caused considerable commotion among the horses and incidentally among those who drive them.”
The report continued to say how some of the “leading citizens in town called upon the Mayor Monday afternoon requesting that the board of mayor and alderman take some action looking to the protection of the citizens of the town from accidents caused by the unrestrictive use of automobiles in the town. It was desired that a law be passed prohibiting the use of automobiles on the streets of the town.” The changes automobiles brought caused quite a stir. Thanks to Carolyn Kaye for helping with research.
Rufus Ward is a Columbus native a local historian. E-mail your questions about local history to Rufus at [email protected].
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
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