Object Details
maker
Duryea, Charles E.
Duryea, J. Frank
Description
This experimental vehicle is one of the earliest American-made automobiles. On September 21, 1893, Frank Duryea road-tested the vehicle – a second-hand carriage with a gasoline engine – in Springfield, Massachusetts. In 1896, Frank, his brother Charles, and financial backers founded the Duryea Motor Wagon Company, the first American company that manufactured and sold automobiles. Thirteen production models were made; the only surviving example is in the collection of the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. This forerunner was donated to the Smithsonian in 1920 and was restored in 1958.
Location
Currently not on view
Credit Line
Gift of Inglis M. Uppercu
date made
1893-1894
ID Number
TR.307199
accession number
65715
catalog number
307199
Object Name
automobile
Physical Description
steel (overall material)
rubber (overall material)
Measurements
overall: 81 in x 64 in x 97 in; 205.74 cm x 162.56 cm x 246.38 cm
Associated Place
United States: Massachusetts
See more items in
Work and Industry: Transportation, Road
Automobiles
America on the Move
Transportation
Road Transportation
Data Source
National Museum of American History
Link to Original Record
Record ID
nmah_694756