Object Record
Images
Metadata
Catalog Number |
2004.071.001 |
Object Name |
Automobile |
Date |
1918 |
Description |
Tulsa Four automobile manufactured in 1918 by the Tulsa Automobile Company of Tulsa, OK. The automobile is an oilfield special, used during the oil boom by oilfield workers. Tulsa Four automobiles were built between 1917 and 1922. The company manufactured three types of automobiles: the oil-field special, a five-passenger touring car, and a two-passenger roadster. Tulsa Automobile Company manufactured about 1,000 Tulsa Four automobiles, so called because they had four-cylinder engines. Felix Graves found the rusted body of this automobile in a field south of Drumright, OK about the year 1975. He sold it to James C. Leake of Muskogee, who along with his father, began the long process of restoration. In the late 1980s, Leake sold the restored Tulsa Four to Delray "Mac" McGlumphy, Sr. After McGlumphy's death in 2004, the automobile was listed for auction. Donald Walker, the president of Arvest Bank at 5th Street and South Main in Tulsa, OK, organized a group of donors interested in purchasing the Tulsa Four and donating to a local museum. Walker brought together the Greater Tulsa Automobile and Truck Show, Florence L. J. "Bisser" Barnett, and the Walton Family. They purchased the automobile for $37,800 and donated it to the Tulsa Historical Society & Museum. The Tulsa Automobile Corporation incorporated on December 18, 1916. Several Tulsa businessmen formed the company with $2 million dollars in capital stock. The officers included the following: T. J. Hartman (president), John O. Mitchell (vice-president), Mark E. Carr (treasurer), G. E. Darland (secretary and general manager), and Grant C. Stebbins (director). The company located its business office at 14 West Brady Street, the corner of Brady Street and North Boulder Avenue. The company acquired the site of a former automobile company, the Tulsa Automobile and Manufacturing Company, which incorporated on March 17, 1910 and established a plant a mile northeast of Tulsa in Auto Heights. The site included a one-story, brick building containing 20,000 square feet. The site was located at 501 North Wheeling Avenue, at Wheeling's intersection with the railroad tracks of the Saint Louis & San Francisco "Frisco" Railway. At its inception, the Tulsa Automobile Corporation advertised the production of only a four-cylinder car, with plans to also produce a six-cylinder model. As early as December 31, 1916, local newspapers carried advertisements for the company's new car, named the "Tulsa Four." The Tulsa Automobile Corporation built and assembled its automobiles entirely in Tulsa. By early 1917, the company produced the first "Tulsa Four," and on January 12-14, the company displayed the first car in the lobby of the Hotel Tulsa. During a dedication ceremony, Miss Tulsa christened the new automobile with a bottle of Tulsa-made gasoline. By 1918, the Tulsa Automobile Corporation advertised its 35-horsepower Tulsa Four at the price of $995. The automobile featured a streamlined maroon body, upholstery, 117-inch wheel base, semi-elliptic springs, Lycoming four-cylinder motor, extra-heavy frame with full floating Salisbury axle, Delco ignition and lighting, and Dyneto starting system with Willard battery. The company marketed the automobile as "well-adapted to southwestern road conditions." The Tulsa Automobile Corporation also maintained a full staff of skilled mechanics at the plant to make repairs on Tulsa Four automobiles, as well as all other cars. The plant also offered automobile painting and sold accessories such as lamps, batteries, spark plugs, automobile gloves, and goggles. By 1918, the officers and directors of the company changed to include the following: T. J. Hartman (president), John O. Mitchell (vice-president), Mark E. Carr (secretary & treasurer), Grant C. Stebbins (director), and W. I. Shaw (vice-president and general manager). Other employees included the following: J. T. Sandwich (purchasing and advertising manager), E. P. Kirchhofer (production manager), and J. L. Larson (service manager.) By this time, the company marketed its Tulsa Four automobile for $1,040. On July 28, 1919, the Tulsa Auto Manufacturing Company purchased the company and incorporated with $500,000 in capital stock. The incorporators were as follows: Harry H. Rogers, R. M. McFarlin, T. J. Hartman, R. O. Holleron, and Floyd Thompson. The new company set a goal of producing twelve cars per day, including both a roadster and touring car. After establishing the new incorporation, the following men served as officers of the Tulsa Auto Manufacturing Company: R. M. McFarlin (president), Harry H. Rogers (vice-president), H. A. McPhaill (secretary), J. Rogers (assistant secretary & treasurer). By October 1919, the company already advertised its 1920 model Tulsa Four touring car. By January 1920, the company produced a roadster, a touring car, and an oil field special, each for $1,335. A month later, the company offered a five-passenger touring car, an oil field special, and a roadster, each for $1,445. Tulsa dealers included Fred Shaw Motor Corporation and Chamberlain & Curtis. On Sunday afternoon, November 12, 1922, a fire completely destroyed the automobile manufacturing plant of the Tulsa Auto Manufacturing Company. The blaze began in a paint vat and destroyed all the company's machinery, automobile parts, and materials. The brick building, measuring 100 feet by 50 feet, was gutted leaving only the exterior walls. A month later, the Tulsa 4 Manufacturing Company, formerly the Tulsa Auto Manufacturing Company, published a legal notice stating that company would pay cash to anyone holding a claim of any kind against the company. The company did not rebuilt the manufacturing plant at 501 North Wheeling Avenue. Later in the year, Witt Thompson Motor Company occupied the location. A year later, that company moved to 2nd Street. |
Search Terms |
automobiles oilfields petroleum Industry trucks Tulsa Four Tulsa Automobile Corporation |