Our County History
by County Historian Marion W. Coplen

According to our records the automobile made its advent in Warsaw in 1903.

Frank Hafer, of the firm of Hafer and Richardson brought the introductory machine into the city, a Lucomobile, propelled by steam generated in a small boiler heated by a gasoline burner.

R. Gordon Rutter had the second automobile.

John Bond of Winona Lake built his own machine. According to reports Bond's masterpiece resembled a donkey switch engine in backward motion and its approach could be heard for a distance of three blocks.

It would be fine if anyone having photographs of early automobiles in Kosciusko county would make them available for reproduction for our historical files. Any information on early automobiles or automobile dealers in Kosciusko county would be appreciated.

Speaking of automobile dealers we have a record of one L. M. Neher who took the Kosciusko county agency for Ford cards in the fall of 1910. He was at Milford at first, but in 1913 came to Warsaw and established an office in the Polk buggy rooms on West Center street. In 1917 a new Ford garage was built at Market and Detroit streets (now Union Tool).

Warsaw Times-Union Tues. July 15, 1952