MTFCA Forum

That's a delightful photo. Automobiles and Motorcycles. What could be better?
Thanks
Rich

It's hard to find much on them. They were selling Overlands in Bluffton, Ohio in 1915. In later years an outfit by that same name was involved in ventures other than automobiles.:

Look at how nice all the tops fit.

Still horse manure on the street.....a time of transition.

These encounters take us on many side trips. There were the "Benroth brothers - Albert, Jule and Ferdinand - had a turn of the century foundry in Bluffton" (Ohio)
Jule is known as one of the first Bluffton men to put electric lights on an auto by means of a magneto, which he developed. Until that time auto lights were mostly the carbide type. He was also one of the first in Bluffton to operate an auto with an electric starter. He left Bluffton to make his home in Arizona.
Albert later went into the automobile business and operated one of the earliest Ford agencies with Menno Bixel in the building where Bob Williams now operates his Chevrolet agency. (Most recently Groves Bear building on North Main Street.)
http://www.blufftonicon.com/news/2017/0 ... y-bluffton

Here it is today. A bit heavily reworked but still there in spirit:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/100+N ... 83.8917768

This is a picture of ZINK Motor Co. in Appleton City, Mo. ZINK began business in 1916 in this very building which was built by the FORD Motor Company. The company is still a FORD Dealer and works from this same location today. (The Fords shown were a part of Zink's annual early Ford show held in July) Also pictured is a 1919 TT bought new from ZINK. The truck still runs very well and has it's original iron pistons.

Did anyone notice that the first Torpedo has a door bell instead of a squeeze bulb and what looks like an electric horn instead of a triple twist?

. A friend collects very early vacuum sweepers and they have a switch with a round thick base. Our house had an old original toggle light switch with a similar base. Looks sort of like this

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=ho ... ORM=VDRVSR