George J. Edwards and New Philadelphia’s First Automobile

George J. Edwards made New Philadelphia history in 1902 by becoming the town’s first automobile owner, a milestone that drew significant public interest and marked the beginning of a new era in local transportation.

George J. Edwards (1866-1937) was the son of Joshua Edwards (1815-c. 1890) and his wife Maria Johnson (1829-1915). It is not entirely clear where Joshua Edwards was born, but he arrived in Tuscarawas County by the 1850s. He and Maria married in May 1858 and welcomed their first child, a daughter, in 1859 and George was born seven years later. Joshua was a laborer, possibly a brick layer or mason based on George’s later occupation. The family lived on the 200 block of West Fair Street in New Philadelphia.

Following the death of Joshua Edwards, the children continued to live in the family home on West Fair Street. George started a business fabricating and installing wood and stone mantelpieces and built a workshop on the family property. Business must have been good for George Edwards because, in the summer of 1902, he became the first person in New Philadelphia to purchase a new form of transportation called the automobile.

One of the earliest American producers of automobiles was a man named Ransom Olds who founded the company Oldsmobile in 1897. Four years later he introduced the “curved dash” Oldsmobile, also known as a “runabout”. The vehicle used a tiller-like handle to steer, rather than a wheel, and came with a simple cover much like those found on buggies. The Oldsmobile Runabout retailed for $650 in 1902, or about $20,000 today. This was the automobile that George Edwards purchased in the summer of 1902.

A newspaper account about George Edwards’ 1902 Oldsmobile reported that it “created a great deal of interest” and that it was “one of the finest cars that had been seen at that time in New Philadelphia”. Everywhere that Edwards went in his automobile, “people gathered around it by the score when it would draw up to a curb”. The simple little “machine creating as much attention as an airship would”. Edwards even used the car to haul materials to his various job sites all around the city.

Eight years after purchasing the automobile Edwards, according to the local paper, was still using it on a regular basis. The city was full of automobiles by that time, and many others had already been relegated to scrap. Despite the fact that Edwards had put thousands of miles on his car, it was still running and in excellent condition. It’s notoriety led to a photograph of the car being displayed in a local photography studio and gallery.

George Edwards’ mother Maria died in the spring of 1915 and, shortly after, George’s unmarried sister was sent to the Massillon State Hospital where she would live out the remainder of her life. She died at the hospital in January 1933. George, also unmarried, continued to live in the family house on West Fair Avenue and expanded his mantle and masonry shop on the lot. George Edwards, the first car owner of New Philadelphia, passed away in July 1937. His estate was given to the New Philadelphia Elks Lodge and the money was used to host Christmas parties at the Elks Lodge for needy children for years.

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© Noel B. Poirier, 2024.