William Thomas Brown (1866-1924) was born in Mocksville, but lived in Winston-Salem most of his life. He was the son of Dr. and Mrs. W. L. Brown. Dr. Brown was in the tobacco manufacturing business with his brother, R. D. Brown. The business was called Brown Brothers. William Thomas Brown worked for Brown Brothers until his associates passed away.
One of William’s ongoing interests was the development of a fertilizer that would be suited to North Carolina soil. He organized the Southern Chemical Company, which was later sold to the Virginia-Carolina Chemical Company. William became manager of the local plant, and was also president and treasurer of the Union Guano Company for many years.
William was a member of the board of directors for Wachovia Bank and Trust Company and served for two years as a member of the board of directors of the North Carolina railway.
William T. Brown’s other claims to fame are that he sold the land on which his home was located, on the corner of Cherry and Fifth Streets, to the company that planned to build the Robert E. Lee Hotel. See the photo of his home above. The house, plus 100 feet of lattice fence, was auctioned for removal from the property in 1920. Brown had a summer home in Morehead City and he lived at the Robert E. Lee Hotel when he was in town.
And, in May 1902, William T. Brown drove the first automobile, which he bought in New York, into Winston. The arrival of the automobile was heralded by the local newspapers. He also brought the first Dictaphone to Winston as well.
Joseph Oliver White (1860-1950) was born in Winston, the son of James Alexander and Louisa Carmichael White. His father owned White’s Buggy Company, but the name of the firm changed to J. A. White and Son when Joseph joined the company when he was 21 years old. Later, the company was known as White & Baynes, Winston Vehicle Company, and White Vehicle Company.
Joseph also helped organize the Wachovia Lodge, Knights of Pythias, around 1905.
When Joseph celebrated his 80th birthday in 1940, he still worked at his vehicle business where he was president of the company.
Joseph saw many changes take place in Winston-Salem over his nearly 90 years. One change happened in 1902, when William Brown brought the first car to Winston. Joseph was working at that time at Nissen & Roan, wagon builders and blacksmiths. In fact, the Winston city directory had no mention of a car repair or garage business in 1902-03. But there were many blacksmiths, livery stables, and carriage and wagon businesses. Joseph White, the buggy-maker, had to enter the garage business or go out of business. According to Joseph, “Brown always brought his automobile to J. A. White and Son for repairs.”
Apparently it wasn’t long before Mr. Brown was looking for someone to repair his automobile. An article in the Union Republican, just a month after Mr. Brown arrived with the automobile, reported that it was wrecked because “an inexperienced hand guided the helm and the machine ran away and dashed against a post.” The article also reported that “the ‘auto’ was hauled home for repairs. It is the only thing of the kind in this section and has proven quite a curiosity.”
An article in the Winston-Salem Journal reported, under the newspaper heading of “That Automobile” that “the automobile was wrecked on Liberty Street and had to be hauled home in a dray. Mr. Brown, the owner, had given the guide lever to a friend while he was lighting a cigar and the friend guided the ‘auto’ into a post. Fortunately, no one was hurt.” An interesting thing to note in the news item is that Mr. Brown’s car was referred to as “the automobile,” since it was the only vehicle of it’s kind in Winston.
William T. Brown and Joseph O. White were pioneers in their professional and personal lives, and their paths crossed when Brown’s innovative mode of transportation needed White’s mechanical assistance. The city’s first automobile owner created the need for the city’s first auto mechanic.
Photographs courtesy of Forsyth County Public Library Photograph Collection.
Stay tuned for the next delicious post on March 8th: Flaky Ham & Cheese Sandwiches.
