Forney History (not sports)

[3afan]

from texashighways.com

Three Automobile Firsts

by Bill R. Cannon, Irving

The first gasoline-engine automobile in Texas belonged to Colonel E.H.R. “Ned” Green of Terrell. The auto, a phaeton runabout built by the St. Louis Gas Car Company, had a two-cylinder engine, a tiller, and a buggy top. The 1899 model cost Colonel Green $1,260. As the son of Hetty Green, the so-called “Witch of Wall Street,” said to be the richest woman in the world, Green could well afford his “horseless carriage.” The car, called a St. Louis, was shipped to the colonel by its designer, George P. Dorris. Dorris came with the car to Fort Worth and accompanied Green on the first automobile trip in Texas, which took place October 5, 1899.

The 30-mile trip from Green’s home in Terrell to Dallas, where he maintained an apartment, took the men five hours. They spent one hour of that time in the small town of Forney, where the state’s first automobile accident occurred. According to an article in The Dallas Morning News, the car’s water tank sustained damage when a farm wagon crowded it off the road and into a gully. The article further reported that “A stop at a blacksmith shop operated by Reeves Henry, an African-American who [ran] shops in Forney from the turn of the century until the 1920s, resulted in Henry’s becoming the first automobile repairman in Texas.”

With repairs complete, Green and Dorris proceeded to Dallas at less than breakneck speeds. Colonel Green was quoted as saying, “We did not put on full power on the country roads, [and] when we struck the asphalt streets [of Dallas], we dared not do so because the thoroughfare was so crowded it would have been dangerous to human life.” Thus it was that three Texas “firsts” happened in one day.

[vfunk]

lived there 18 years and never knew that! thats kinda cool.

[Phil C]

Interesting information in history 3A! Thank you.

[kaorder1999]

i didnt know that either

[aamove]

Good info 3Afan.

[Old Tiger]

that's really cool and interesting

[BullFrog Dad]

What was his deductible?