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| Glass firm lived by 10 rules |
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| Question: What information does the museum have on early Harrison businesses? I am interested in a company called Glass Motors that might have been in Harrison in the early 1900s. |
| Answer: From an old file, I found the following information about the W. P. Glass Motor Company, and I assume this is the company in question: |
| W. P. Glass Motor Company was established in 1917 and served Boone, Marion and Newton counties as the Ford automobile dealership. The owners were local men, W. P. Glass and J. M. Wagley. Both were well known as fine, upstanding citizens of the community. Wagley served as president of the First National Bank, and Glass was in partnership with Hiram Glass in the Glass Insurance Agency, located on the east side of the Harrison square. |
| Both men were charter members of the Harrison Noon Lions Club, with Glass serving as first president of the organization from February 1924 until January 1926, and Wagley serving as president from January 1926 until June of 1926. |
| The Glass Motor Company had a list of Ten Commandments that the company observed. They were: |
| 1. To be in the heart of things. |
| 2. To keep a stock unsurpassed as to quality and quantity. |
| 3. To have everything the acme of cleanliness and refinement. |
| 4. To remember courteous service and promptness are valuable assets. |
| 5. To adjust claims as cheerfully as to make an initial sale. |
| 6. To shun dishonesty. |
| 7. To watch our trade. |
| 8. To go the other fellow "one better." |
| 9. To satisfy our customers so thoroughly they gladly return and recommend us to friends. |
| 10. To have the good will of all by deserving it. |
| During the course of 12 months, the W. P. Glass Motor Company distributed, through the medium of the payroll, about $7,000. According to Glass and Wagley, practically all this money was spent at home and was an item in our local prosperity. |
| The motor company was housed in a modern brick building 50 x 100 feet; machinery cost $2,000; and it carried a splendid line of nationally known batteries and all Ford accessories. They also had ample storage facilities for automobiles. By 1935, the City Directory shows the company being called Jones-Wagley Motor Company at 122 East Stephenson with phone number 212. Silby Gladden was a salesman for the agency. Other dealerships in 1935 were Cecil Motor Company (Dodge & Plymoth) at 123 South Willow, and Hailey Chevrolet Company located one block east of the Post Office. |
| It's fun to look back at these earlier businesses, such as: The Fair Store, OK (Odorless) Cleaners, Hancock's Recreation Parlor, Myers Milling Company, Magnolia Service Station (Mobilgas), Corner Cash Grocery, Ever Ready Laundry Service, Pettit Marble and Granite Works, Case Studio, Lawhorn's Barber Shop and Klepper's Confectionery. Jog any memories? I hope so. |
| The Heritage Museum strives to preserve the history of Boone County and its people. We invite you to visit our Business Room, located on the third floor of the museum, where memorabilia from various Boone County businesses fill the showcases and are sure to bring back pleasant memories of days gone by. |
| The museum, located on the corner of South Cherry Street and Central Avenue, and housed in the historic 1912 Harrison High School building, is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. |
| This column appears Fridays in the Harrison Daily Times. Mail questions to Boone County Heritage Museum, P. O. Box 1094, Harrison, AR 72601. Marilyn Smith can be contacted at bchm@windstream.net |
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