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Rock Hill Body Co. Rock Hill, South Carolina 1920s? -
present – beverage trucks, bus bodies, van bodies, furniture bodies, tank
trucks, bookmobiles (1940s-1950s)
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Started originally in 1889 as the Holler & Anderson Buggy Co., a division of
the A.D. Holler's Furniture Store. By 1892 its was renamed the Rock Hill
Buggy Co.
ANDERSON - Rock Hill, South Carolina - (1916-1925) - "A
Little Bit Higher in Price, but Made in Dixie!" was a slogan of the company
and a succinct summation of the marque. The Anderson was among the best
built, and the most successful and long-lived, of all the cars built in the
South. Its origins dated back to 1889 when the Holler and Anderson Buggy
Company was established in the back of a furniture store in Rock Hill. The
furniture store belonged to the Holler family, and John Gary Anderson had
married one of the Holler girls. Initially repair and rebuilding of
carriages and wagons occupied the firm but by the turn of the century, the
Rock Hill Buggy Company was founded for the manufacture of horse drawn
vehicles. And Rock Hill was the name given to the company's first
automotive effort, a toy tonneau produced in 1910 that was not successful,
the company returning exclusively to its horsedrawn business for the next
two years. In 1913, however, a line of commercial bodies for horseless
vehicles (adaptable especially to the Model T Ford) was introduced and by
1916 John Gary Anderson believed himself ready to give the automobile
industry another try. He imported Joseph Anglada from New York City as his
chief engineer. Anglada was available because the cyclecar he had designed
in 1914 called the Liberty had failed within a year. He would be much more
successful with the Anderson, which he designee as a typical assembled car
(Continental six-cylinder engine) but an especial) good one. What Anderson
added was the coachwork, and it was exemplary in quality of finish and the
quite unusual array of color combinations offered during this generally drab
era in the industry. The Anderson automobile was announced in March of 1916,
and the Anderson Motor Company was incorporated that December. Initial
acceptance of the car was excellent, and profitable government contracts
helped the company ride out the difficult war years. In 1920 Anderson had
its best year thus far, 1,180 units produced; in 1923 it surpassed that will
an output of 1,875 cars. A new offering during the latter year was the Model
41 "Coachbilt (sic) Anderson Aluminum Six," base priced at $1,195, which the
company advertised as the world's lowest-priced aluminum-bodied car.
Anderson faltered thereafter. Too many special or gimmicky bodies during the
firm's later years were among the problems. Engine failures in the Model 41
and the oppressive competition being dealt out by the Model T were further
contributing factors. A factory fire in 1924 resulted in $40,000 in damages
and 2 damaging production shutdown. In September 1925, after a lifetime
production of 10,000+ cars, the company breathed its last.
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Rock Hill Body Co Date:1930 Factory Letter, Shows Bus (also seen 1930s part
color catalog)
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Builder's Name: Rock Hill Body Company
Category: Commercial truck bodies
Dates:
Location: Rock Hill Body Company
Source of Info: RHBC 8x10 photo
Website:
Your Name: Tom Gibson
Description:
I'll also be able to provide much more info on RHBC, as I'm about to
acquire a Chevy Bookmobile bodied by them.
Their slogan was "Built to Endure"
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