A Piece of North Carolina History
The 1900 Pinedale
The History of How I learned of the Cars Existence
In the early 70's, while I was still in high school, I became obsessed with finding an early car to restore after a trip to Stone Mountain, Georgia. Stone Mountain had an amusement park with a ride that consisted of scaled down models of early cars being pulled along by a chain in the pavement. I returned from that trip determined to find one of my own to restore. After asking around, one of my good friends told me his dad had an old car out in the woods. I promptly went over to his house to see the car, which was a 1915 Chevrolet, Baby Grand, touring. It had set out under an oak tree so long the wheels had rotted off on one side. One half of the hood was missing and the head had been removed and was sitting to one side. There were deep pits in the cylinder walls, but I decided I would buy the car and restore it. Needless to say, the car was way beyond my abilities at that time and it sat for another twenty years while I pursued other projects.
I moved to Greensboro, N.C. in 1986 and shortly afterward began looking for someone who could help me restore the motor for the Chevrolet. I was given the contact info for Johnny Ingold, who lived in Julian, just outside of Greensboro. Johnny loved the model T Ford, but had no interest in working on any other brands. Although the motor was not a project Johnny was willing to take on, we became fast friends and periodically, I would venture out to see him. After I had been friends with Johnny for some time, one day we were sitting at the kitchen table drinking a Pepsi and talking cars, when his wife asked if I had ever seen a picture of the car Johnny's dad had made. This was around 1999. I was shocked! A car that was made right here in North Carolina around the turn of the century!!! Now a lot of people may not know, but North Carolina was not at the heart of the industrial revolution. I have later learned that there have been several attempts to manufacture a car in this state, but at the time, this was huge. I said no, and she produced a picture of a true horseless buggy. I asked if I could take it to make a copy for myself. She graciously said yes, which I did.
In the process of time I also became friends with Johnny's brother, J. Van. J. Van's wife grew up in the same little community outside Pinehurst, N.C. that I did. We had lots to talk about. Later on I discovered that J.Van had some of the parts of the car, some had been lost to time, but I decided that if at all possible the car should be put back together. I was allowed to purchase the parts. I spent a long time evaluating what I had. I had the picture enlarged and enhanced to show as much detail of the car as was possible, and then I restored what I had. The frame consisted of a piece of 1" galvanized pipe for the front and rear axle, with 1/2" pipe connecting the two. Two pieces of metal formed by a blacksmith fashioned the steering yoke. These were brazed into the ends of the pipe making the front axle. The other piece of pipe had a rifle barrel placed inside for strength and brazed making the rear axle. The head piece (holds the handle bars) from a bike was slid inside the 1/2" pipe and the front and rear axle was slid inside the clamp for the handle bars. The body was missing but since I had the picture, I knew what it should look like. With the help of some friends, I reconstructed a correct body and placed it on the frame. The wheels had rotted but I located four 1890's bicycle hubs to rebuild the wheels. I have not finished the project yet, but it's just a matter of time until this little car will move again under its own power, "a piece of North Carolina history saved". Johnny and J.Van have both passed on.
I moved to Greensboro, N.C. in 1986 and shortly afterward began looking for someone who could help me restore the motor for the Chevrolet. I was given the contact info for Johnny Ingold, who lived in Julian, just outside of Greensboro. Johnny loved the model T Ford, but had no interest in working on any other brands. Although the motor was not a project Johnny was willing to take on, we became fast friends and periodically, I would venture out to see him. After I had been friends with Johnny for some time, one day we were sitting at the kitchen table drinking a Pepsi and talking cars, when his wife asked if I had ever seen a picture of the car Johnny's dad had made. This was around 1999. I was shocked! A car that was made right here in North Carolina around the turn of the century!!! Now a lot of people may not know, but North Carolina was not at the heart of the industrial revolution. I have later learned that there have been several attempts to manufacture a car in this state, but at the time, this was huge. I said no, and she produced a picture of a true horseless buggy. I asked if I could take it to make a copy for myself. She graciously said yes, which I did.
In the process of time I also became friends with Johnny's brother, J. Van. J. Van's wife grew up in the same little community outside Pinehurst, N.C. that I did. We had lots to talk about. Later on I discovered that J.Van had some of the parts of the car, some had been lost to time, but I decided that if at all possible the car should be put back together. I was allowed to purchase the parts. I spent a long time evaluating what I had. I had the picture enlarged and enhanced to show as much detail of the car as was possible, and then I restored what I had. The frame consisted of a piece of 1" galvanized pipe for the front and rear axle, with 1/2" pipe connecting the two. Two pieces of metal formed by a blacksmith fashioned the steering yoke. These were brazed into the ends of the pipe making the front axle. The other piece of pipe had a rifle barrel placed inside for strength and brazed making the rear axle. The head piece (holds the handle bars) from a bike was slid inside the 1/2" pipe and the front and rear axle was slid inside the clamp for the handle bars. The body was missing but since I had the picture, I knew what it should look like. With the help of some friends, I reconstructed a correct body and placed it on the frame. The wheels had rotted but I located four 1890's bicycle hubs to rebuild the wheels. I have not finished the project yet, but it's just a matter of time until this little car will move again under its own power, "a piece of North Carolina history saved". Johnny and J.Van have both passed on.
Who Built the Car
Eldo Bridget Ingold was born on February 19, 1881 on the east edge of the community of Julian, between Greensboro and Burlington, close to the end of Mt Hope Church Rd. His father was William A. Ingold, a farmer in the community. Even though his father's vocation is listed as farmer, he was most likely an accomplished Blacksmith. The 1910 census shows Eldo living with his father, 29 yrs old, his vocation is listed as Blacksmith. In 1917 he registered for WW1 and his vocation is Machinist. By his death in 1947, Eldo had become a jeweler and watchmaker. Eldo was married to Etta Nancy Bishop in 1908 and had four children.
I have a picture of the car that I got from one of Eldo's sons. The picture was taken in front of William A. Ingold's house, the father of Eldo. Eldo lived in his father's house until he died in 1947. The house was located at 3701 Alamance Church Road in Guilford county, N.C. The house fell into disrepair and was torn down, sometime after Eldo's death. A smaller house was built back in the same location. The front left corner stone of the original house still sits in its original location. It is believed that the car was constructed at this location.
Eldo was just a boy when he started the cars construction, but boys grew up quickly in those days. He was one of those guys who could do most anything with his hands. He would have made the car during the 1890's finishing it up around 1900 making him about 20yrs old. This would have been an amazing achievement and most likely he received some help from his dad and or uncle. There is a lot of engineering that goes into designing and building an automobile. Of course it is not impossible that he did all the work himself, with maybe some financial help. If you look at the hubs for the wheels, you can see that they have a nice shine. The wheels are from an1890's bicycle and were nickel plated. Nickel plating does not hold up well left out in the weather, this is the reason I date the car as a 1900.
I have not been able to verify any of the history of the car outside of that shared by the two sons, J Van and Johnny. I have searched newspapers in Greensboro, N.C. which is the closest city and to this date have found no references to the car. It appears that Eldo had no intention of going into business making cars as I have found no advertisements, no marketing or publicity. There may be something out there yet un-located. I spoke to Eldo's daughter while she still lived and she had no idea her father had made a car. One first cousin was also contacted, a close friend of Johnny and J.Van, and he had no knowledge of the car. Personally, it would be hard to believe Eldo made the car if the picture was not taken in front of William's house and the remainder of the car was in the Ingold family. The construction of the car is very light. William's house is half way between Greensboro and Burlington. In the day the car was built, this was in the middle of nowhere. The picture of the car was submitted to Beverly Rae Kimes, author of "The Standard Catalog of American Cars." The car could not be assigned to another builder.
Not much is known about Eldo's life. He had the reputation of being pretty sharp on all things mechanical. A story was told of a guy in Greensboro who had a 1911 Buick that broke down. Mr. Ingold took a team of mules to Greensboro to get the car. This was no small feat considering the distance and the roads at the time. He took the rear end out and shortened a Ford rear end and put sprockets on the axles and attached the Ford rear to the top of the frame of the car. He then attached a pair of cleated tractor wheels on a straight axle with sprockets under the rear of the frame. This made a great tractor that was used on the farm for many years. He owned a grist mill which was run off of a stationary motor. He was also a photographer early in the century.
Some of Eldo's creativity was passed on to at least one of his children. His son Johnny took a Harley Davidson motor and mated it to a Ford differential and gear drove a pair of Ford model T wheels to make a homemade tiller of sorts. A pair of horse drawn plow handles made the contraption controllable. Johnny and J. Van both were very mechanical and loved to tinker with old cars.
I have a picture of the car that I got from one of Eldo's sons. The picture was taken in front of William A. Ingold's house, the father of Eldo. Eldo lived in his father's house until he died in 1947. The house was located at 3701 Alamance Church Road in Guilford county, N.C. The house fell into disrepair and was torn down, sometime after Eldo's death. A smaller house was built back in the same location. The front left corner stone of the original house still sits in its original location. It is believed that the car was constructed at this location.
Eldo was just a boy when he started the cars construction, but boys grew up quickly in those days. He was one of those guys who could do most anything with his hands. He would have made the car during the 1890's finishing it up around 1900 making him about 20yrs old. This would have been an amazing achievement and most likely he received some help from his dad and or uncle. There is a lot of engineering that goes into designing and building an automobile. Of course it is not impossible that he did all the work himself, with maybe some financial help. If you look at the hubs for the wheels, you can see that they have a nice shine. The wheels are from an1890's bicycle and were nickel plated. Nickel plating does not hold up well left out in the weather, this is the reason I date the car as a 1900.
I have not been able to verify any of the history of the car outside of that shared by the two sons, J Van and Johnny. I have searched newspapers in Greensboro, N.C. which is the closest city and to this date have found no references to the car. It appears that Eldo had no intention of going into business making cars as I have found no advertisements, no marketing or publicity. There may be something out there yet un-located. I spoke to Eldo's daughter while she still lived and she had no idea her father had made a car. One first cousin was also contacted, a close friend of Johnny and J.Van, and he had no knowledge of the car. Personally, it would be hard to believe Eldo made the car if the picture was not taken in front of William's house and the remainder of the car was in the Ingold family. The construction of the car is very light. William's house is half way between Greensboro and Burlington. In the day the car was built, this was in the middle of nowhere. The picture of the car was submitted to Beverly Rae Kimes, author of "The Standard Catalog of American Cars." The car could not be assigned to another builder.
Not much is known about Eldo's life. He had the reputation of being pretty sharp on all things mechanical. A story was told of a guy in Greensboro who had a 1911 Buick that broke down. Mr. Ingold took a team of mules to Greensboro to get the car. This was no small feat considering the distance and the roads at the time. He took the rear end out and shortened a Ford rear end and put sprockets on the axles and attached the Ford rear to the top of the frame of the car. He then attached a pair of cleated tractor wheels on a straight axle with sprockets under the rear of the frame. This made a great tractor that was used on the farm for many years. He owned a grist mill which was run off of a stationary motor. He was also a photographer early in the century.
Some of Eldo's creativity was passed on to at least one of his children. His son Johnny took a Harley Davidson motor and mated it to a Ford differential and gear drove a pair of Ford model T wheels to make a homemade tiller of sorts. A pair of horse drawn plow handles made the contraption controllable. Johnny and J. Van both were very mechanical and loved to tinker with old cars.
The Testimony of a Grandson
My name is Ray Van Ingold. I am the son of J. Van Ingold, grandson of Eldo Bridget Ingold. My grandfather died in 1947 while I was still a boy. We lived just up the road from my grandfather and I remember going down to my grandfather's house with my dad shortly after his death to get the remains of the car. The thought was to try to save the parts for posterity. The parts were put away in a "safe" place and remained untouched and lost until after my dad had passed. My dad was a world class collector of stuff and there was a lot to liquidate. My sister and I peeled away the layers of collections. As we neared the end, I remembered my dad's "safe place" for the remains of the car. I went to look at the little tin building tucked away back in the woods. My dad had built a false wall to hide the parts. As I peeled away the false wall the frame of the car became visible after being hid away for some 50 years. I have never had a great passion for antique cars so I gathered up the parts and gave them to my uncle, Johnny Ingold. Johnny, like my dad, loved to restore antique cars. In hindsight it seems pretty incredible that the car has made it this far and even more amazing that it might actually get put back together.
Mary Etta Bishop Eldo Bridget Ingold
This is the William A. Ingold house, the house that Eldo Bridget Ingold grew up in. Eldo lived here until his death in 1947. The blacksmith shop can be seen to the right of the house. It is the small log building just behind the well. If you look closely you can see a three legged table to the right of the front door on the porch in this picture. This same table can be seen on the porch in the picture of the car above.
This house fell into disrepair after Eldo and His wife died. It eventually fell in. Another house was built back in the same location. The front left cornerstone of William's house still sets in the front yard of the new house pictured below.
Left front cornerstone of William A Ingold's House.
Alamance Church Road in Guilford County, N.C.
Pinedale School house is across the road. (It has been converted to a home.)
Pinedale School house is across the road. (It has been converted to a home.)