Charles Duryea facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Charles Duryea
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Charles Duryea (left) with J. Frank Duryea
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| Born | December 15, 1861 Canton, Illinois, U.S.
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| Died | September 28, 1938 (aged 76) |
| Resting place | Ivy Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Occupation | Engineer |
Charles Edgar Duryea (born December 15, 1861 – died September 28, 1938) was an important American engineer. He helped create the first working gasoline-powered car in America. He also co-founded the Duryea Motor Wagon Company. Charles was born near Canton, Illinois, and later passed away in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. However, he spent most of his life working in Springfield, Massachusetts. It was in Springfield that Charles and his brother, Frank, built and tested America’s very first gasoline-powered car.
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Who Was Charles Duryea?
Charles Duryea was born on December 15, 1861. His parents were George Washington Duryea and Louisa Melvina Turner. He grew up near Canton, Illinois.
Charles and his brother, Frank, first made bicycles in Washington, D.C.. Later, they became famous for making the first American gasoline-powered cars. Their main workshop was in Springfield, Massachusetts. Charles got the idea for their car after seeing a Benz car at a fair. Charles usually designed the cars. Frank built, tested, and raced them.
Testing the First American Car
On September 21, 1893, the Duryea brothers tested their first car. It was a working American gasoline-powered automobile. They tested it on the Howard Bemis farm in Chicopee, Massachusetts.
Their "motor wagon" was actually an old horse-drawn buggy. They bought it for $70. They put a 4-horsepower, single-cylinder gasoline engine into it. The car also had a special transmission, a spray carburetor, and an ignition system.
Frank Duryea drove it again on November 10. This time, he drove it past their garage in Springfield. The next day, The Republican newspaper wrote about it. They were very excited!
This special car was stored away in 1894. It stayed there until 1920. Then, an engineer named Inglis M. Uppercu found it. He gave it to the United States National Museum.
The Duryea Motor Wagon Company
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On November 28, 1895, the Duryea car won America's first car race. Frank Duryea drove it in Chicago. The race went to Evanston, Illinois and back. The only other car to finish was a Benz car from Germany.
After Frank won, many people wanted a Duryea Motor Wagon. In 1896, the Duryea Brothers built 13 cars by hand. They made them in their garage at 47 Taylor Street. This made Duryea the first company to sell cars to the public. It also became the biggest car factory in the United States. You can learn more about their cars and company at Duryea Motor Wagon Company.
Charles looked for people to invest in the company and buy cars. His brother, Frank, mostly handled the car's mechanics.
A Duryea car was also in America's first known auto accident. In March 1896, Henry Wells hit a bicyclist in New York City. The bicyclist broke a leg. Wells spent a night in jail. This was the nation's first recorded traffic accident.
In 1913, George Vanderbilt bought a Stevens-Duryea car. Not many people could afford one. His 1913 Duryea car is still at his Biltmore Estate.
The Duryea company stopped making cars in 1917. Charles Duryea passed away in Philadelphia on September 28, 1938. He was buried in Ivy Hill Cemetery.
Charles Duryea's Legacy
Charles Duryea was honored in 1973. He was added to the Automotive Hall of Fame.
The yearly Duryea Hillclimb race is named after him.
His home, the Charles Duryea Residence, is in Peoria. It became a historical landmark in 2015. Cars were once built in a barn on this property. An automobile built in Duryea's barn in 1898 is now at the Peoria Riverfront Museum.
See also
- Elwood Haynes, another early American car inventor
