Initially, Charles and Frank Duryea worked to build the first Duryea. Frank completed and drove this car on the streets of Springfield, MA on September 21, 1893.
The second Duryea, built and driven by Frank, won the first U. S. automobile race, sponsored by the Chicago Times-Herald, on Thanksgiving Day, 1895.
During the 1896 season, the Barnum & Baily Circus used a Duryea car to lead its parades.
Beginning in 1896, the Duryea Motor Wagon Company of Springfield, MA was the first automobile manufacturer in the United States to produce, advertise and sell gasoline powered automobiles.
Henry Ford once said “The Duryea car was a masterpiece. It did more to start the automobile business than any other car ever made.”
In 1897, Charles and Frank sold their interest in their company and went their separate ways. Charles came to Peoria and started the Duryea Manufacturing Company. This is where the Peoria Motor Trap was built.
In 1988, the only known, restored
and running, Peoria built Duryea Trap, was owned by L. Scott Bailey and located
in Princeton, NY. This was the Trap automobile which was built by Charles
Duryea in his shop behind his home at 208 Barker Ave. in Peoria, IL. This particular car was a prototype and
therefore was given no serial number. Mr. Bailey offered this for sale to a grass
roots organization formed in Peoria and known as “Bring Home the Duryea”. Mr. Bailey, who moved to Cheltenham, England, set the price at
$125,000. Throughout the tumultuous four year struggle, from a black tie
gala to T-shirt sales, from contributors large and small, and without any
government assistance, 1991 would finally see success….and the people of
Central Illinois would see the return of one of its most prized artifacts.
As part of “Bring Home the Duryea” fund raising efforts, Ray Becker and Wayne Baum won the privilege of driving the Duryea along historic Moss Avenue.
In 1992, Jim Edgar, then Illinois Secretary of State, presented to Millie Arends, Treasurer of “Bring Home the Duryea”, the Duryea “vanity” license plate. The plate premiered a new series of “vanity” plates for antique automobiles.
In 1992, the Peoria Public Library was chosen to be the
place to display the Trap, partly because of its excellent climate control and
fire protection. In December of 2009, due to a remodeling project at the
library, the Duryea was moved to Peoria NEXT Innovation Center at 801 W. Main
St. where it will be displayed until it can be moved to the new Peoria Riverfront
Museum once construction is completed.
Further Reading:
Jackson, Robert, Gasoline Buggy of the Duryea Brothers, Hill & Wang Publishing, 1968
Duryea, Frank J., America’s First Automobile: The First Complete Account by Mr. J. Frank Duryea of How he Developed the First American Automobile 1892-1893, Donald M. MacAulay, 1942.
Duryea, Frank J., Who Designed and Built Those Early Duryea Cars? By J. Frank
Duryea, 1944
CHARLES AND FRANK DURYEA BROUGHT US AMERICA’S FIRST GASOLINE-POWERED CAR, Copyright 2008 by Daniel Alef, Titans of Fortune Publishing
