|
(Unrelated to
Samuel
Levinson’s Anchor Buggy and Carriage Company, Inc. founded in 1958, a
manufacturer of miniature replicas who licensed the trade name from the
estate)
The Anchor Buggy Co. was founded in 1886 by
Alfred F
Klausmeyer (Oct. 18, 1860-d. Mar. 28, 1927) and Anthony G. Brunsman (b.
May 6,
1866-d. Mar. 16, 1911) - two former employees of Cincinnati’s Anderson,
Harris
& Co. (aka Anderson & Harris Carriage Co.).
Alfred Frederick Klausmeyer was born on
October 18, 1860 in
Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio, the youngest child of two German
immigrants:
William and Emilie (Strobel) Klausmeyer. His father was a well-known
Cincinnati
piano dealer and instructor and to the blessed union was born 5
children; Emma
(b. Aug. 30,1855); Oscar (b.Jul. 3, 1856); Alfred (b. Oct. 18, 1860);
Emelia
(b. 1862); and William (b. Sep. 28, 1863) Klausmeyer.
Alfred attended the Cincinnati public
schools and embarked
upon a career as a bookkeeper with Anderson,
Harris & Co. a well-known Cincinnati vehicle
constructor founded
by James R. Anderson and Henry A. Harris and located at the corner of
Liberty
& Baymiller Sts., Cincinnati. Anderson, Harris & Co.’s
stock-keeper, Anthony
G. Brunsman, would soon become his business partner.
Anthony G. Brunsman was born on May 6, 1866
in Cincinnati
Hamilton County, Ohio to Anthony and Mary E. (Campbell) Brunsman.
Siblings
included Katie (b. 1861), Frederick (b. 1871), Edward (b.1875),
Genvieve (aka
Geneva b.1876), Walter J. (b.1880), and Joseph A. Brunsman.
The firm’s early history is undocumented,
but they eventually
developed a local reputation for building sturdy, lightweight, yet
reasonably-priced buggies. The 1887 Cincinnati directory states the
firm’s
first factory was located at 245 Freeman Ave., Cincinnati; Alfred F.
Klausmeyer
was listed as president; Anthony G. Brunsman, secretary-treasurer.
By 1890 Cincinnati was the center of US
Buggy manufacturing,
with more than 60 companies engaged in some aspect of the carriage
trade,
albeit turning out complete carriages, bodies-in-the-white or vehicle
parts.
Located in Southwest Cincinnati in what is now called Lower Price Hill,
Anchor eventually
became one of its largest. Edward and Walter J. Brunsman (Anthony’s
younger brothers)
joined the firm during the 1890s, and later became active in its
management.
Klausmeyer married Carolene Stokes (b. Jul.
10, 1865-d. Sep.
6, 1933) on November 21, 1889 and to the blessed union was born a son,
Oscar
Alfred Klausmeyer. Brunsman married Harriett Gentry (b. Mar. 1870) in
1892. She
passed away sometime after the 1900 US Census and he remarried in 1904
to
Caroline Banning, daughter of the late Colonel J. M. Banning, who
served in the
Federal army during the Civil war.
A number of Cincinnati manufacturers went
out of business
during the panic of 1893 (Standard Wagon Co.,
Emerson & Fisher,
T.T. Haydock & Co. and Hiram W.
Davis & Co.) but
Klausmeyer’s financial acumen helped Anchor survive the turmoil.
An 1892 issue of Modern Mechanism described a new
fifth wheel recently introudced by the firm:
“The Anchor Buggy Co., of
Cincinnati, has
successfully applied a new principle in fifth wheels and attachments,
both to
double and single perch vehicles. The gear is known to the trade as the
‘patent
anchor fifth wheel and king-bolt.’ Its chief features are a full-circle
top and
bottom wheel, with the kingbolt forming a part of five different
attachments
bolted together in rear of the axle by a double-head bolt, so that all
wear can
be taken up. Should any part break, this gear will not drop the body by
the
pulling apart of the front wheels and axle from the spring-bearing; but
it is
claimed that four breakages must occur before the body can drop
sufficiently to
endanger the occupant of the vehicle.”
They were amongst the first buggy
manufacturers to operate a
production line and were also credited with being the first to paint
and
varnish wheels using centrifugal force. Up until that time carriages
were built
by a single craftsman of in larger firms by a group of craftsmen under
the
direction of a journeyman. Anchor established a production line where
the vehicles
travelled from one station to another, each employee completing the
same job on
each carriage, after which it passed to the next worker who completed
an
entirely different task.
Business increased exponentially throughout
the 1890s and at its peak (1897) Anchor manufactured 125 buggies,
surreys and phaetons a
day. By that time an associated firm, the Lion Buggy Company,
manufactured an
additional 90 vehicles per day – the two firms constructing a combined
25,000
vehicles during their banner year of 1897. Shortly after the formation
of Lion Buggy, Anchor established a satellite factory in the southwest
Cincinnati suburb of Storrs to help meet demand, although information
on the facility is scarce.
Lion had been formed in the mid-1890s by
Henry R. Liebman
and Edward Brunsman (Anthony’s brother) to handle the increased demand
for
buggies and carriages. Its listing in the 1899 Cincinnati directory
follows:
“Lion Buggy Co. (Henry R. Liebman &
Edward Brunsman)
Wholesale Carriage Manufacturers for the Trade, W. 8th and
C.H.
& D.R.R.; Telephone 7117.”
The firm’s Manhattan export office did a
brisk trade in the
Caribbean and South and Central America, although the bulk of the
firm’s
business was in the mid-west.
In the late 1890s Anchor constructed an
oversized buggy that
helped advertise the firm’s buggies at various fair and expositions
across the
mid-west. The ‘Largest Buggy Ever Built’ was exactly twice the size of
a standard
buggy and featured massive 80” (82”?) front and 88” (90”?) rear wheels.
The
15-foot high buggy also made the rounds of Anchor Buggy dealers who
insured
that the event was well publicized by the local press. A typical visit
was
included in the January 4, 1901 issue of the Des Moines Daily News:
“BIGGEST BUGGY IN TOWN.
“Top of Vehicle Fifteen Feet High With Eight
Foot Wheels, On
Street.
“The largest top buggy ever seen in Des
Moines is being
shown the streets daily. It was made by the Anchor Buggy company of
Cincinnati
and is to be taken from here to Omaha for exhibition. The wheels of the
rig are
ninety, and eighty-two inches and it is fifteen feet high.”
Little is knonw about Anchor's subsidiary save
fro the following item in the April 1904 issue of Carriage Monthly:
“The Lion Buggy Co.
“The Lion Buggy Co., Cincinnati, Ohio, were
originally established in 1896, and subsequently incorporated in 1902.
Their capacity is 25,000 vehicles annually. The officers are A. G.
Brunsman. president; H. H. Goodall, vice-president.”
By the end of the decade plans were being made
for the manufacture of an Anchor automobile,
the project progressing to the point where the firm was formally
incorporated
as a stock company, the October 27, 1910 American Machinist reporting:
“Anchor Buggy Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, has
been
incorporated to manufacture and sell vehicles of every
description, including motor cars. Incorporators. Anthony G. Brunsman,
Alfred F.
Klausmeyer. Earle M. Galbraith, W.J. Brunsman and O.E. Schroth.
Capital, $400,000.”
Anchor constructed a reported 50 demonstrators
which
were shown to and
driven by the firm’s leading distributors in late 1910/early 1911.
Photographs and
a prospectus of the attractive $1,850 35 h.p. 4-cylinder touring car
were sent
out to several hundred Anchor Buggy vendors and a reported 5,000 orders
were
received.
Plans for the automobile were put on hold in
mid-March after
one of the firm’s two
principals passed away unexpectedly, the April 1911 issue of The Hub
reporting:
“ANTHONY G. BRUNSMAN.
“The quite unanticipated demise of Mr.
Brunsman, president
of the Anchor Buggy Company, on March 16, at his home in
Cincinnati
will be a great shock to his hosts of friends. Literally hosts of
friends, as
there was no man in the vehicle building industry so widely popular.
“Mr. Brunsman had been for some time a
semi-invalid, but it was
nothing that rest and abstinence from business could not mend, it was
thought,
and even very shortly before his demise he was up and about the house,
acting
more like one in a sanatorium than in the invalid state, hence, as
said, the
end came with the unexpectedness of a shock.
“Mr. Brunsman was in his prime, being only
forty-five. He
had fought the business fight, won out handsomely and was preparing to
enjoy
the fruits of victory. He had been a strenuous worker from the day he
organized
the Anchor Buggy Company in 1886.
“His business career had all the monotony of
success, it
might be written, which is the best testimony to 'his ability. With it
all he
was public spirited and broad-gauged to the highest limit. He loved his
native
city which had afforded him the stage for his life's action, and he was
ever
full of sympathy for every broad movement of his trade.
“As president of the Carriage Builders'
National
Association, and as president of the local Carriage Makers' Club he was
distinguished among his business associates. He was also prominent in
social
matters, being a member of the Business Men's, Queen City, Avondale and
Hamilton County Golf Clubs, and was affiliated with the Elks.
“Mr. Brunsman is survived by a widow, two
brothers. W.J.
Brunsman, and two sisters, Miss Genevieve Brunsman and Mrs. A.
Schnitter.”
Cincinnati bankers got cold feet after the
loss of Brunsman,
and series production of the Anchor Automobile was shelved and the
demonstrators
liquidated through Anchor’s New York distributor, Herbert G. Woodrough,
256 Broadway, Room 610.
The October 21, 1911 issue of Implement Age
provided a
preview of the firm’s upcoming exhibit at the Tri-State Vehicle and
Implement
Dealers' Association annual convention:
“The Anchor Buggy Company
“Located at the corner of the C. H. & D.
R. E., Eighth
and Gest streets, will be found by the visitor to the Tri-State Show
who
desires to inspect the leading carriage factories of Cincinnati the
plant of
the Anchor “Buggy Company, one of Cincinnati's large
wholesale
carriage manufacturing concerns. The business was founded in 1887 by A.
Klausmeyer and A. G. Brunsman, who are still at the helm in the
company's affairs.
Incorporated in 1910, the business of this concern has grown with the
growth of
the carriage industry in Cincinnati, and it is now in the forefront of
the
business in this carriage-making center.
“In capacity, the producing
capabilities of
the Anchor Buggy Company rank very favorably with those of
the
leading manufacturers in similar lines in the United States, being
about
forty-five thousand vehicles per annum. The plant covers almost two
acres and
the factory is one of the largest in the Queen City, if not the
largest. It
requires two large factory buildings to produce the vehicles sold
annually, and
a force of three hundred and fifty men is employed in the plant. In all
respects this plant is a model one, the cut herewith printed showing
its general
character and extent.
“Light pleasure vehicles are the main output
of
the Anchor Buggy Company. These are made in all styles and
varieties,
and adapted to the needs of the general public. Members of the
Tri-State
Vehicle and Implement Dealers' Association, and others who may be in
attendance
at the Cincinnati Exposition, will see a very fine exhibit of vehicles
made by
this concern, and those who wish to visit the factory will have the
opportunity
of seeing just how these vehicles are made, and of forming an idea of
the carp
that is taken in order that the product of the plant may reach the
highest
point of excellence in both material and construction.
“A very handsome catalogue is issued by
this company, which will be gladly sent to dealers upon
application.
The company's trade extends from coast to coast, a large export
trade
being also carried on.”
The October 1911 edition of the Hub included
the following
tribute given by J.F. Taylor at the annual convention of the CBNA
(Carriage
Builder’s National Association):
“Mr. J.F. Taylor: It has devolved on me to
endeavor to
express regrets for the departure of our friend Anthony G. Brunsman. I
speak of
a man who was known to every member of the association, respected by
all, loved
by many, and loved most by those who knew him best.
“‘I had known Mr. Brunsman for twenty years.
Some of you
remember him thirty years ago. You knew him in his youth, when as a lad
he
worked for Anderson, Harris & Co., in Cincinnati,
Ohio,
sweeping out the office and building the fire; a few years thereafter,
when he
had gathered together a small capital, and without much experience,
stepped
forth in the great arena of life to contend for trade and success; at a
time
when such prominent firms as The Standard Wagon Co.,
Emerson & Fisher,
T. T. Haydock & Co. and Hiram W.
Davis & Co., were
the prominent factors in the line. During the panic period of 1893. all
these
went down in the storm, but our friend's enterprise weathered the storm
and
sailed on into smoother waters. He established a business that was
known from
the Atlantic to the Pacific; and at the time of his death he stood as
one of
the representative carriage manufacturers of the United States,
known in
all our country, whose trade reached into foreign lands. He was indeed
a
success, and it can be said of him that he was not only a success in a
business
way but in all the noble qualities which go to make up a manly life.
“‘In the height of his success, when his sun
was at its
zenith, everything seemed to him ready for the enjoyment of the harvest
from
the seed he had sown—he had built himself one of the finest residences
in Cincinnati, and was now ready, as he told me one day, just
before
he changed from a partnership to a corporation—to retire from active
management
of his business affairs, he says, ‘I want to close this up and get
away. I have
worked hard and worked long, and I want to travel and go to Europe,’
and just
as he was getting ready to enjoy life the sudden call came and he
passed into
the Great Beyond. We have our great men—men who remain whom we honor,
and we
wish they could remain with us many years more, and the longer they
stay with
us, the dearer they become; I think it was some such sad event as this,
which
caused the poet to write those words: ‘The good die first, and those
whose
hearts are dry as summer dust burn to the socket.’
“‘I would honor the genius of a man like
Anthony G. Brunsman
down among men, simple in all his ways, even when he had gained a
fortune; the
same plain fellow, ready with his hand-shake, always gentle and kind,
with a
smile upon his face, even while his vitality was being preyed upon by
an
insidious disease. Unselfish and loving, he sowed the seeds of
kindness;
high-minded; and of generous spirit; a delicate sense of honor,
truthful and
faithful to all trusts and duties; doing bravely and cheerfully day by
day,
those things which fell to his hands; submitting to the sorrows of life
because
of his belief in a wisdom above his own.
“‘There come moments when some intimate
experience is
confided to us and then in the pause of talk we become aware that we
are in the
presence of a human soul behind the familiar face of our friend, and
that we
are on holy ground. One day in New York, one Sunday evening, as we
passed along
the street above Forty-second, we heard music, and as we stopped we
looked up
and saw a church, and we walked in and for a half an hour we listened
to the
grandest music than it has been my pleasure to hear. As we came out of
the
church there was a feeling in his heart and in mine that made us open
in our
communications, and wc talked of things then that we had never talked
of
before, he spoke of dark nights that he had passed through. He spoke of
the
deep waters that he had crossed.
“‘It showed me there was a depth to his
nature like the
depth of the ocean, and underneath it all there was a place where
the
storm of life came not, which made me think of the caves beneath the
ocean. In
the ocean are caves deep and silent and lone, while above roll the
waves,
beneath these are none.’
“‘Gentlemen, in conclusion I would further
say in respect to
his memory, let it remain with us as an incentive for more earnest
efforts and
nobler life, and as he sleeps in his last resting place "may the grass
be
green above him, the friend of our bygone days. None knew thee but to
love
thee; none named thee but to praise.’”
Anchor’s new president, Earl M. Galbraith,
provided the
following review of the firm’s activities during the preceding year in
the January
1912 issue of The Hub:
“Looking Backward Looking Forward Trade
Opinions and
Forecasts by Vehicle Builders of Distinction Men Who Feel the Pulse and
Diagnose With Skill
“An Eminently Satisfactory Year
“E.M. Galbraith Anchor Buggy Co.,
Cincinnati, O. When we
glance over the past year we are compelled to smile as we think of the
predictions for an unusually poor business in the vehicle line made
prior to
the opening of the season. It is true that after the first of May the
volume of
orders was not as great as in the year previous but the year taken as a
whole
was we believe an eminently satisfactory one to those manufacturers who
are
conducting their business along business lines. As for the future this
we
believe depends entirely upon seasonable weather. An early winter and
good
roads in March and April would make the coming year one of the best
that we
have ever experienced. A late winter and an overabundance of rain and
snow in
March and April would make the season a backward and undoubtedly a
discouraging
one to both the dealers and the manufacturers. First orders for
shipment in
January and February are now on file to a number to insure the full
operation
of our plant for those months. We also feel that we are not over
stating
conditions when we say that the carriage trade manufacturer and dealer
will
enjoy a business as large in proportion as does the manufacturer or
dealer in
any other line.”
Galbraith made an appearance on the CNBA
convention which was covered in the November 1913 issue of Carriage
Monthly:
“President Hull: This magnificent address
will be responded
to by Mr. E.M. Galbraith, president of the Anchor Buggy Company,
Cincinnati.
“Mr. Galbraith:
“Your Honor, Mr. President, Ladies and
Gentlemen. We
sincerely appreciate this most cordial invitation extended us on behalf
of the
great city of St Louis. When we remember that it is but one hundred and
ten
years since the ground on which we are standing was purchased by our
Government
from a foreign power and today we see this wonderful city with her
beautiful bridges
and buildings boulevards and parks we realize that her founders and
those who
came after them were possessed of the wonderful spirit of progress
which is
typical of these United States. So I say we appreciate this your
welcome I
esteem it a great honor to represent the Carriage Builders National
Association
for this industry has played a vital part in the development of the
civilization in which we glory. In the day when the railroad train was
a dream
of the future and the steamboat a phantom of the imagination the
Conestoga
wagon and the prairie schooner were dragging the paths for the future
commerce
of the nation.
“Carriage building is a man's job. In a
peculiar sense
carriage building is an assembling industry. Metals from the mines,
wood from
the forests, leather cloth and a hundred other things must be brought
together
and the iron worker, and the wood worker, and the tanner, and the
draftsman,
the upholsterer, and the painter must mold them into the finished
product. The
world is our market and we are an important link in the economic
changes. While
we have not reached that state of perfection of the wonderful One Hoss
Shay of
sacred memory, progress is always our watchword and as long as Dan
Cupid smiles
upon us, the manufacture of buggies will not perish from the earth. We
are glad
that you are glad, Mr. Mayor, that we are here and we trust that you
will be
equally sorry to see us depart. I thank you.”
Anchor's lsiting in the 1915 Cincinnati directory
follows:
“Alfred F. Klausmeyer, president; Earl M.
Galbraith,
vice-president and treasurer; W.J. Brunsman, Secretary, Buggy
Manufacturers,
C.H. & D. Ry. B. 8th and Gest; Telephone West 2188.”
Shortly thereafter, Alfred’s son, Oscar
Alfred Klausmeyer
(b. November 22, 1890-d. May 11, 1969), joined the firm, eventually
becoming
its secretary.
As their carriage business floundered, Anchor
turend to the manufactur of automobile windshields and enclsoed
tops for roadsters and touring cars, the November 10, 1916 issue of The
Automobile
Journal announced the firm's latest offerings for Ford and Oakland
automobiles:
“The Anchor Buggy Company,
Cincinnati, O., makes
the Anchor sedan glass enclosed top for Ford touring cars and the
Anchor coupe
glass enclosed top for the two rear doors, equipped with improved
anti-rattling
attachments, are furnished for $5 extra. For similar equipment in both
front
and rear doors, which is called the Anchor sedan (style C), the price
is $87.
The price of the Anchor coupe for Ford roadsters is $62.50 without
ventilating
windows and $67.50 with. Additional equipment may be had for both
types,
including a frosted dome electric light wired complete to attach to
batteries
for $5; storm curtains made of water proofed rubber, with mica lights,
to be
used when side windows and doors are taken out, $10; storm curtains for
runabout top, $7.50.
“Top for Oakland 32.
“The Anchor glass enclosed top for a regular
Oakland 32 body
is a regular coach construction of pressed steel and wood, with solid
deck
roof, covered with water proof upholstering material. The doors and top
of car
open together and the hardware throughout is of neat design. Whipcord
lining is
used on the interior of the top, which is also equipped with electric
dome
light. The price of this type is $125. For the same model Oakland
roadster
Anchor tops are made of similar design and material at a price of $100.
All
prices are f. o. b. Cincinnati.”
The Anchor Top for Fords was pictured in
theDecember 1916 issue of The American
Chauffeur with the following caption:
“A neat sedan top for
Ford touring cars is being
placed on the market by The Anchor Buggy Company, Cincinnati,
Ohio.
It is made of pressed steel and wood, with large windows in the sides
and a
large oval window in the rear, which are set in in a way so as to cause
no
rattle or squeak. The roof is a solid deck panel, padded and covered
with waterproof
material. The doors open wide, giving easy entrance and exit. The
inside of the
top is lined with whipcord cloth. The front posts are made of polished
wood.
For warm weather driving, the side panels can be detached.
“The Anchor Buggy Company will
send further
particulars to the readers of The AMERICAN CHAUFFEUR who write for
same.”
The same picture appeared in the January 15, 1917
issue of the Horseless Age:
“Anchor Sedan Tops
“The Anchor Buggy Co., Cincinnati, Ohio,
manufacture glass
enclosed tops for Ford cars. The side panels are so constructed that by
removing
a few bolts, they can be easily detached, making an open top for warm
weather
use. If preferred, the entire top can be demounted without marring the
upholstery or finish of the car. The price of this top is $77.50. The
weight of
the complete top is 150 pounds or about 75 pounds more than regular
Ford top.”
Anchor's new Buick Tops were introduced in the
Feb. 15, 1917 issue of the Horseless Age:
“Anchor Glass Enclosed Tops
“The Anchor Buggy Co., Cincinnati, Ohio,
Demountable glass
enclosed tops for D 44 and D 45 Buick cars. Side panels are so
constructed that
windows may be easily detached, side curtains can be furnished and tops
are
constructed of pressed steel and wood. Doors in top and body open as
one and
dome lights are furnished. The top fits on the regular body irons, the
outside
is covered with weatherproof material and interior is lined with light
whipcord
cloth.”
The November 1917 issue of Automobile Dealer and
Repairer revelaed the firm was now offering tops for Oakland
automobiles:
“The Anchor Top & Body Co., 541 south
Street,
Cincinnati, O. is offering a complete line of the Anchor glass enclosed
tops.
These are made in both the sedan and coupe latest styles, as well as
for
standard makes of cars, such as the Overland model 85-B four and six,
the
Country Club model 90, Buick models D-34, D-35, D-44, D-45 and E-45.
Tops are
made for the Oakland models 32, 34 and 50. The tops fit on the regular
body
irons, have no overhang and are stated not to rattle or squeak. The
windows are
of bevel glass, of the drop and ventilating type, and the doors open as
one.
The interiors are attractively lined with light whipcord cloth and each
is
equipped with dome electric light. The finish outside is high grade in
every
respect. The Anchor tops are shipped completely set up, and it is
claimed that
they can be readily installed on any car for which they are designed.
The
prices vary from $62.50 to $165, according to the car and model.”
Withint the year the firm added Oldsmobile and
Overland to its list of custom-made tops, the October 3, 1918 issue of
Motor Age reporting:
“Anchor Body Tops
“A transformation from an open car into a
sedan or coupe is
effected through the installation of Anchor tops which are made by the
Anchor
Top & Body Co., Cincinnati, Ohio. These tops are made of pressed
steel and
wood with large glass windows rigidly set in the sides and back.
Water-proof
upholstering material covers the roof, which is of solid deck panel,
heavily
padded. The front posts of the top are made of highly polished wood and
fit
snugly around the windshield. The doors correspond exactly with the
doors of
the car or model for which the top is designed, whether it is Ford,
Overland,
Oakland, Oldsmobile or Buick. The interior is finished in whipcord and
every
top includes a dome light. Thirty years of experience in fine carriage
making
preceded the perfection of these tops.”
Within the month aline for Dodge Bros.
automobiles became availaible, the December 5, 1918 issue of Motor Age
reporting:
“The Anchor
Top & Body Co.,
Cincinnati, Ohio, manufactures demountable glass-inclosed tops for
Buick,
Overland, Oakland, Ford, Dodge Brothers and Oldsmobile cars. Prices
range from
$77.50 to $250. Tops are installed by both consumers and dealers, and
the
average length of time required for installing is 4 or 5 hr. The tops
are so arranged
that doors open with regular body doors, except on Fords, and are
equipped with
ventilating windows on all four doors. An electric dome light is
furnished on
all models except the Ford. Anchor tops are made of hard wood,
reinforced with
pressed steel, and a rigid deck is covered with a weatherproof material
while
the sides including window and door sections are highly finished wood.
The
windows are arranged so that the upper or outer panes slide in felt
channels.
Special. fasteners hold this glass in any position. Installation is
easily
made, as the top comes ready to be replaced on the car body. The top
irons to
which the regular extension top is attached are used as the foundation
for
Anchor tops. Each iron is marked where it is to be used and how it is
to be
fastened.”
The August 1919 issue of Automobile Dealer and
Repairer revelaed that Anchor was now building complete limousine and
landaulette bodies for the Ford Model T:
“The New Anchor Limousine and
Landaulet Bodies for
the Ford. Not the least of the successful
phases of last
Winter's automobile show was the many valuable ideas which exhibitors
obtained
and have since developed. One of the best of these,
at
least for Ford dealers and taxi-cab companies, has materialized in a
handsome new town car body made for the Ford
chassis, which
is now being delivered in quantities by George W. Copp Co., Inc., who
have
recently taken over the showroom at 236
West 54th Street, just west of Broadway.
“It is almost enough in itself to say that
the
manufacturer of this body is
the Anchor Top &
Body Co., of Cincinnati, Ohio.
This company is one of the oldest of the coach
and
carriage builders in this country, who, during the
past four years,
have turned the skill of their splendid organization to the
building of automobile tops and bodies. This new
body is a
beautiful example of the coach builders' art and has
been made solid and sturdy to stand up in all
kinds of service.
“Every
detail of this body has been
worked out with a view not only to beauty but service. For instance,
heavy
imitation brown Spanish leather has been chosen for the upholstery,
which gives
the interior a clean and really luxurious appearance.
The body is
very roomy, there being ample room for five average sized people in the
rear
compartment, and it is made with either a two passenger front
seat
and doors on each side of the front seat or with the right
front door
cut away and slats for baggage. In either of these styles it can
be had
with solid or folding back.
“George W. Copp Co., Inc., have long
been distributors
of the well-known Anchor Demountable Glass Enclosed Tops
for
many popular cars, and this enterprising concern have just been
appointed distributors also of the new Ustus
Limousette for Ford cars. These bodies and tops are on display at the
Copp
Company's new showroom and form an interesting exhibit.”
Withint the year a Taxicab was added to the list
of Model T bodies, a 1920 issue of the American Exporter reporting:
“New tops and bodies for the Ford chassis
were announced
recently by the Anchor Top & Body Company, Cincinnati,
Ohio, Geo.
W. Copp Company, Inc., 236 West Fifty-fourth street, New York,
distributors.
The new Anchor town car FORD LIMOUSINE BODY. One Of four
styles
made by Anchor Top & Body Company, Others are : taxicab,
landaulet and
landaulet with two-passenger front seat. Body is larger than the town
car
formerly sold by the Ford concern, thus giving the Ford a more
comfortable…”
The firm's listing in the 1921 Cincinnati
Directory follows:
“Anchor Top & Body Co. (The) Alfred F.
Klausmeyer,
pres.; E.M. Galbraith, v. pres. and gen. mgr.; O.A. Klausmeyer, secy.;
Jos. W.
Kroeger, treas.; B & O RR b. 8th and Gest.”
The
firm remained in business at least into 1922, but disappeared soon
after. I've found reference to a Dodge Bros. funeral car that was
constructed by the firm, but could located no photographic evidence of same.
©2013 Mark Theobald for
Coachbuilt.com
Appendix of
US Patents issued to Anchor Buggy/Anchor Top & Body:
Fifth Wheel
For Vehicles - US435988 - Grant
- Filed Apr 27,
1889 - Issued Sep 9, 1890 to Herman H. Uckotter and assigned to Anchor
Buggy
Co.
Lazy Back For Vehicle-Seats - US481745 -
Grant - Filed Dec
26, 1891 - Issued Aug 30, 1892 to Anthony G. Brunsman & Herman H.
Uckotter and
assigned to Anchor Buggy Co.
Vehicle Seat - US584971 - Grant - Filed Feb
26, 1896 -
Issued Jun 22, 1897 to Herman H. Uckotter and assigned to Anchor Buggy
Co.
Vehicle Spring Coupling - US589876 - Grant -
Filed Jan 9,
1897 - Issued Sep 14, 1897 to Herman H. Uckotter and assigned to Anchor
Buggy
Co.
Thill Reinforce - US645995 - Grant - Filed
May 27, 1899 -
Issued Mar 27, 1900 to Anthony G. Brunsman and assigned to Anchor Buggy
Co.
Vehicle Body - US761816 - Grant - Filed Dec
10, 1903 -
Issued Jun 7, 1904 to Anthony G. Brunsman and assigned to Anchor Buggy
Co.
Shaft Brace - US799970 - Grant - Filed Nov
28, 1904 - Issued
Sep 19, 1905 to Anthony G. Brunsman and assigned to Anchor Buggy Co.
Vehicle Reach - US847548 - Grant - Filed Oct
19, 1906 -
Issued Mar 19, 1907 to Anthony G. Brunsman and assigned to Anchor Buggy
Co.
Automobile Curtain - US1482458 - Grant -
Filed Jan 3, 1921 -
Issued Feb 5, 1924 to Walter J. Brunsman
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