BeeLines - August 22, 2018
By Marybelle Beigh, Westfield Town & Village Historian
Remembering Wilson Auto (1st BeeLines – 2007) – “Do You Remember When…”
“…you could pull in at the sign of the Flying Red Horse, and for a dollar (that’s right, $1.00!) you got over five (5) gallons of gas? In addition to the gas, you would have your car windshield washed, the oil and water checked, and even a whisk broom applied to the interior front floor and seat – ALL without even asking! Now THAT was “Full Service!” And if you were a stranded motorist, you could call Willis Wilson’s Auto Wreckers, Gas Station, Garage, and Parts Store ANY time of day, ANY day, even Sunday, and Willis or one of his sons, Ralph or Dick, would come to the rescue.”
During the past month or so, your Westfield Historian has “run into” Ralph Wilson several times, in various venues, and exchanged greetings. And most recently, we chatted about photos of Willis Wilson for the Mayor’s “Rogue’s” Gallery of Westfield’s Mayors and Village Presidents, as Willis R. Wilson was Mayor of Westfield from 1957 to 1961. What a great idea, we thought, it would be to recall the very first BeeLines history article written by yours truly! So please enjoy a summary of the highlights of that article as well as some of the photos located or taken during the research and interviews for it.
Ralph Wilson, Ralph’s wife, Janice, Ralph’s brother Dick Wilson and Dick’s wife, Brenda, were all interviewed by your Westfield Historian, Marybelle Beigh, and her late mother, Frances Blackburn Anderson, to learn the history of the Wilson Auto Parts store on South Portage Street.
“Born in 1902, about the time the first car came to Westfield, Willis Ralph Wilson developed a lifelong interest in autos. Wilson first worked as a traveling salesman, setting a record of 25,550 cigars sold in one day to retail stores in Western New York and Pennsylvania, in 1927. But cigars were not what really excited him. Shortly, he left for Detroit to work in the growing auto industry. He ended up on a production line assembly for a major auto manufacturer.
“Production line assembly, however, was definitely not Willis’ “cup of tea”. So, in 1932, he came back home to Westfield and started his own business – Wilson Auto Parts and Service – on South Portage Street. Combining his former sales experience with his love of autos, not only did he sell new and used auto parts, but he built up a full-service garage, selling gas and oil, repairing cars. Soon he added a Ford Model-A wrecker/tow truck and junkyard.”
The old store is still there, maintained as a mini museum with shelves displaying many Model-A Ford parts, old oil cans, ephemera returned from old-time customers such as an Otto Benz blow torch sold to Willard Campbell in the 1950s that was donated back to the “Station” in 2003 by Gale Campbell, widow of Willard’s late son Lynn Campbell. Also, there are old auto horns including the hand-squeeze bulb type, a Model T “oogah” horn, and two on the 1931 Model A car in the building – one of which operates off compression while running – the “wolf whistle!”
Ralph located a 1937 photo of the store when it was called Wilson & Benson, which shows four gas pumps, one kerosene hand pump, a SOCONY sign with flying red horse, a couple of old cars parked out front, a PENZBEST MOTOR OIL KENDALL sign, and what appears to be a roadside fruit stand. The Wilsons noted that the Mobil gas company had a series of other names: SOCONY stands for Standard Oil Company of New York; ESSO stands for Standard Oil.
“Much reminiscing unfolded as we sat or walked about the store and house – stories about the fruit orchards and gardens, and growing produce in the middle of the grape rows, and selling produce at a roadside stand next to the store. The grape vineyard out behind the old auto place is one of the originals in the area – the roots must be close to 150 years old according to Ralph.
“Dick Wilson told a story of his “most embarrassing moment” in first or second grade. The teacher, Miss Carpenter, had asked her class if anyone knew how to spell the word, “gas”. None of the other students knew how, but Dick raised his hand and said he knew how to spell “gas”. He very clearly spelled, “E, S, S, O!” “Now that would be a great advertisement”, quipped Jan.
“As Wilson’s sons became teens, they worked in the family business, Ralph pumping gas, and Dick working behind the counter starting in the eighth grade through high school in the 1950’s. Dick shared another funny experience from this time. His dad had the old Model-A Wrecker, so young teen Dick hooked it onto a car to move it. But, unbeknownst to Dick, this car was hooked onto another. So, he kept trying to make the wrecker pull the car out – he was DETERMINED – when the front of the wrecker started tilting up until it was upended about 45 degrees! Dick winked and grinned as he wondered why he didn’t stop; but he “thinks” that finally his dad came out and got the situation under control.
“In the late 1950’s both sons headed off for college and new careers. But when his dad had a stroke in 1963, Dick came back to help his mother, Jessie (Campbell) Wilson, run the store. The store employed a number of other people to work at the counter, while Dick delivered parts and materials to the various garages around the area. Fay Schimmel was another outside salesman. Hardy (Elias Hardinger) carried a tool box everywhere; according to Dick, he was “ancient”! But when he asked Dick to go get his tool box (Dick was a strapping young man of about 20) he couldn’t even lift it! A lady named Lucille Whitney did the bookkeeping. Other employees remembered include Henry De Rider, Ed Franz, Joe La Porte, and Bill Benson. Ralph explained that “Little Joe” La Porte got his start in the auto wrecking business at Wilson’s, and later started his own “Joe’s Auto Wrecking” down on North Portage Street.
“After his father died, Dick chose to go into teaching rather than run the store, so the business was sold to Charles Acker, who leased the store and gas station in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Chuck Acker became affiliated with CMK Auto parts out of Jamestown. Later Fred Roberts took over CMK and Wilson’s, but then Roberts moved out east of town, and CMK and Wilson Auto Parts closed about 1998.
“Back at the old homestead, Ralph purchased the family home, farm and property from his mother in the late 1960’s. He went on to become a civil engineer, doing jobs all over the country, while maintaining his residence on Bliss Street in Westfield. In 2001 Ralph and Jan decided to build their beautiful retirement home on the back of the old Garage/Store, and sold the homestead to their son. Ralph and an associate, Dick Felton, now operate Felton & Wilson Model-A Ford Sales & Service out of the old store building, selling pre-WW2 auto parts. Ralph chuckled when I asked how much business they have - maybe a couple sales a year.”