Sunday, May 17, 2015

The oldest car museum?


The list of cars (including 2 Tuckers) is at http://www.swigartmuseum.com/cars.html



Around 1920 there was a Pennsylvania insurance businessman named William Swigart, that realized the car industry was rapidly evolving, and that many early car makers had already disappeared, so he began saving some for posterity.

Because he had a car insurance business, his employees were on the front line of cars getting sent to the junkyards, etc, and they collected for him an enormous variety of hood ornaments and radiator badges.

He also collected woodwork and mantels from 18th century Philadelphia buildings, and in 1935 bought a building to set his business and collections in.

Passing on in 1949, his son took over the 12 car collection, and tens of thousands of badges, license plates, and hood ornaments... and continued to grow the collection, which needed a larger building in 1957. His son passed on in 2000 and the car collection was now about 200 cars. About 60 have been sold , and only about 40 are on display.

A gallery of about 50 photos is at http://www.thesportscoupe.com/tsc_pictures/details/?picture_ID=27#

Tucker photo from http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/tag/swigart-museum/

http://www.swigartmuseum.com/

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