According to Ridgeway: Then and Now, the first automotive garage in Ridgeway was the Ford Garage built by Charley Donelson in 1917 and expanded in 1920. He sold both the Ford cars and the Fordson Tractor and provided service with the capacity of 100 cars. He had two mechanics: Arthur Shepard and Jack Andrick. Jack went on to build his own garage in Ridgeway (located behind Scott’s Grocery store). He sold Ford and Chevrolet automobiles and ran the garage until 1947 when he retired.
Donelson frequently advertised in the Ridgeway Journal. In the February 9, 1921 issue of the Journal, Donelson showed off the Fordson Tractor and talked about all the wonderful things farmers could do with the machine. Another ad discussed how much better Ford parts were over imitation parts because they were made of better materials. In 1914, the Ridgeway Auto Company advertised the Hupmobile, a car guaranteed to be cheaper to run with better gas, oil and tire mileage than its competitors and still have a good resale value. If you weren’t ready to commit to your own automobile yet, you could still buy a new buggy and harness from C. O. Buzzard’s hardware store, along with an oil stove if you needed one.
