Celebrity Vagabonds Edison, Ford, Firestone and Burroughs had a Staunton stopover in 1918

They called themselves the “Vagabonds.” But these wandering adventurers who passed through our area in 1918 were not nameless drifters living off the land. Rather, they were among some of the most famous men in America: Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, John Burroughs and Harvey Firestone. Together they orchestrated a series of pioneering automobile excursions through the eastern U.S. between 1915 and 1924.

The excursion that I want to highlight in this article was a 12-day meandering journey that took place in August of 1918. Their route started in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and continued to West Virginia, Tennessee and the Great Smoky Mountains, and then home through the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. While in Virginia, the Vagabonds stopped in Roanoke, Natural Bridge, Lexington, Staunton, Harrisonburg, and Winchester.

The 1918 group included popular nature writer Burroughs, who was 81 years old, along with Edison who was 71, rubber tire magnate Firestone who was 49, and his fellow businessman Ford who was 55. Probably no single person is more closely associated with America’s love for the automobile than Ford. But Ford did not invent the automobile or even the assembly line, rather he was an innovator, an entrepreneur, and a good businessman. His Ford Model T automobile and the assembly line work force that mass produced it changed American industry and American society because of his desire to produce an inexpensive “motorcar for the great multitude.”

While growing up in Michigan, Ford idolized another great American inventor and businessman, Thomas Edison. Sixteen years older than Ford, Edison is considered the father of the electric light system. Light bulbs and phonographs are just two of the many innovative ideas that he turned into reality. The paths of Ford and Edison crossed several times, but in 1914 they joined forces as the Vagabonds traveled by automobile to the Everglades. Their trips served as a relaxing release for the high-powered businessmen but they also promoted their inventions and, as a consequence, increased their net worth. Remember that in the early 20th century, new-fangled automobiles and electric lights were out of reach for most Americans.

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Firestone, whose business was an obvious spin-off of Ford’s automobiles, described their adventures as one in which Edison led but not with great certainty. He wrote that Edison would navigate with compass in hand from the front seat of his car. “We never know where we are going, and I suspect that he does not either,” wrote Firestone. Their camping trips were usually accompanied by large quantities of supplies and attendants, photographers, and plenty of press. Other famous people, including several U.S. Presidents, often joined the group for a day or two.

Fortunately for us, Burroughs put together an album of the group’s 1918 adventure that was published after his death in 1921. He called it “Our Vacation Days of 1918.” Although the group was camping and staying in tents, it was hardly tough going. The 1918 excursion included six cars, two trucks with campers for supplies, and a crew of seven helpers. Ford made sure the automobiles kept running and Edison illuminated the camp at night with his new-fangled electric generator.

On Aug. 29, the party passed through Martinsville and Roanoke before stopping to explore Natural Bridge. They stayed at Castle Inn in Lexington. The next day they arose early, had breakfast at 7 a.m. and set off for Staunton, where they stopped for a short while before heading north to Winchester on the Valley Turnpike (Rt. 11 today). From Lexington to Winchester the group had to pay 19 tolls. Their trip ended that evening in Hagerstown, Maryland.

Despite spending his adult life in factories, Ford loved the outdoors. Ford apparently quite enjoyed these opportunities to reconnect with nature and his rural roots. During these trips he was always active, out observing nature, exploring the area, reconnecting with his agricultural upbringing, and collecting firewood. In August of 1918 the Vagabonds finished their journey with a trip north through the Valley of Virginia, details of which appeared in the Evening Leader on Saturday, Aug. 31, 1918, as well as in the Sunday edition of the newspaper the next day. The headlines read: “Ford-Edison Party Passes Through City,” and “Henry Ford and his Party of Famous Men in Staunton.”

According to the newspaper accounts, the party arrived in Staunton around 11:30 in Ford and Packard automobiles. Ford and Edison stopped for a few minutes at Harry Hogshead’s Drug Store on West Beverley, drank some lemonades and answered a few questions. Ford then told those gathered that he was starting to manufacture tractors and that he hoped to produce 10 million of them. He also told those in the store how impressed his group was with the beauty of the Shenandoah Valley.

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Edison also stopped at the Virginia Hotel, and Firestone made several purchases at stores on Main Street (Beverley). Soon thereafter, the men left the store, got in their cars and drove toward Harrisonburg where they would dine at the Kavanaugh Hotel. The newspaper concluded “…and the last seen of the famous party was the silver gray head of the man who revolutionized motor travel in this country.” Although not included in the written account, local lore remembers that the Vagabonds stopped at a roadside stand on North Augusta Street about a block north of Tams Street and bought some grapes before arriving at Hogshead’s.

Award-winning journalist and novelist Jeff Guinn has decided to document the story of the Vagabonds and their travels. I will be meeting with him in early March to tell him what I know about their stop in Staunton back in 1918. I am asking for your help. If you have photographs or family stories about the Vagabonds’ stop in Staunton, please let me know so I can get that information to Guinn for his book.