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“A” is for Anderson Motor Car Company

In 1915 John Gary Anderson, owner of the Rock Hill Buggy Company, realized that the era of horse-drawn transportation was coming to an end. He began converting his buggy factory to the production of automobiles. In 1916, the first models were a six-passenger touring car and a three-passenger roadster. At first demand for Anderson’s automobiles was brisk and orders came in from across the nation. During World War I, sales declined and the company survived by building trailers for the federal government. After the war, Anderson’s vehicles were too expensive for most customers and the company faced fierce competition from Ford and General Motors. Even though Anderson lowered the price and introduced new models, the effort failed and Anderson Motor Car Company ceased manufacturing automobiles in 1924.

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Dr. Walter Edgar has two programs on South Carolina Public Radio: Walter Edgar's Journal, and South Carolina from A to Z. Dr. Edgar received his B.A. degree from Davidson College in 1965 and his Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina in 1969. After two years in the army (including a tour of duty in Vietnam), he returned to USC as a post-doctoral fellow of the National Archives, assigned to the Papers of Henry Laurens.