There’s a reason we describe an engine’s power as horsepower. The transition from the animal to the engine brought enormous practical benefits to the most rural parts of Dutchess County. Like today, a car also reflects the values and priorities of the owner.
Above: Fortunately for horses, gasoline powered engines replaced them just as “cars,” trolley cars, and busses were getting heavier. Main Street Poughkeepsie, 1880s.Above: The Wing family new how to add a few finishing touches to a car to suit the high style of a family wedding in Millbrook.Above: Myron Puff was proud of his military service in World War One and always participated in patriotic parades in his hometown of Millerton.Above: Frederick Peck Wilcox, a single man, heir to the International Silver Company fortune, arrived at his new farm in Milan in 1915 ready to meet the right lady. Shown out on a date, Wilcox’s mother finds a special seat that allows her to keep an eye on potential developments from behind.Above: The emergency that was World War One in 1917 allowed women to do unthinkable things like drive an automobile as these women did in Pine Plains.Above: 1909 outside Morgan House, Main and Catherine Streets Poughkeepsie.Above: The Meyers family of Lafayetteville proudly display their new automobile.Above: Franklin Roosevelt liked to tell the story of his first run for political office in Dutchess County in 1910 in which he toured in a Red Maxwell, that despite being described as luxurious in advertising, had no windsheild.
