October 24, 2012

Willard Bishop's Chrysler-Plymouth Garage: Wordless Wednesday

W. H. Bishop auto dealership, Garrettsville, Ohio

My husband’s grandfather, Willard Hiram Bishop, owned and operated an automobile dealership and garage in Garrettsville, Ohio. He sold and serviced Chrysler and Plymouth vehicles. This snapshot is undated, but it was probably taken in the mid-1930s. I was able to enhance some of the detail from the original photo (below) using the editing tools in iPhoto, and I’m pleased with how well you can see the gas pumps and signage on the revised version.

I wonder what car sales were like in northeastern Ohio during the height of the Great Depression? That would make an interesting family story. Hmmm, another question to ask my father-in-law...

--Shelley

4 comments:

  1. Very nice photo. I can read the "Willard" on the sign, and see the tree sharing space with the pumps. My uncle (by marriage), whom I never knew, owned a Chevrolet dealership, much on this scale, in Fairmont, NC. This picture resembles the small-town North Carolina of the 1940s. It could be "downtown" Fairmont.

    My uncle died in 1943 when I was 5 months old. My mother and I lived with the rest of the family there (his widow and 2 children) for 3 more years, until the end of WW II when my father returned from the Army in Europe. Takes me back.

    Thanks for these pictures.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's neat, Mariann. Do you have any photos of your uncle's Chevrolet dealership? I think small businesses like these are not only family history, but a big part of our country's history, too. Thanks for sharing.

      Delete
  2. How Cool! I drive by that little building at least once a week on my way to IGA for groceries. Now it has new meaning. It's a little auto parts store now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow Trudy, that's so cool! Amazing how that building connects the past with the present. I'll be sure to tell Bob's father about it, and I know he'll be thrilled that you recognize it. The dealership was a big part of his life growing up in Garrettsville.

      And I'm so happy to know you're reading my blog, too! Hope we can get together again soon, and maybe talk about some of our family memories.

      Delete

Thank you for reading my blog! I welcome and appreciate your comments.

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...