STONEHAM – Treasurer Bee Russo and members of the Stoneham Historical Society and Museum (SHSM) are pleased to share that former Boston Globe reporter, author, and Pulitzer Prize-winning team member Eric Moskowitz will discuss his book, “The Hardest, Longest Race: Henry Ford and the Cross-Country Contest That Changed America“.
WHEN:
Thursday, Sept. 10 at 7:15 p.m. (Doors Open at 6:45 p.m)
WHERE:
Stoneham Historical Society and Museum, 36 William St.
WHAT:
Members of the public are invited to attend the speaking event where Moskowitz will detail the struggle of the first-ever cross-continental auto race that took place in 1909 and its connection to Stoneham.
During the event, community members will also be able to visit the newly expanded exhibit on the Shawmut Motor Company, which includes a headlight from the original automotive vehicle that made the cross-country journey.
Additionally, residents and community members will have the opportunity to buy copies of Moskowitz’s book, which can be autographed.
The story outlines the coast-to-coast auto race promoted by millionaire M. Robert Guggenheim from New York City to the Seattle-Yukon-Pacific Exposition. He offered the winner a prize of $2,000 cash (that would be $73,388.57 by today’s Inflation Calculator) plus a $2,500 magnificent trophy with gold nuggets. The race featured only four automakers: Acme, Ford, Stearns, and Shawmut.
Shawmut was a small automotive operation that was built in a tiny factory off of Pine Street in Stoneham. Did the hometown Shawmut Motor Company team of Earle Chapin, Robert Messer, and T. Aurthor Pettengill win the race with only a limited amount of inventory left to their names? Did Ford sweep the competition, or did they fake a victory? Learn about the Shawmut team who raced across the country and drove with some of the best automotive engineers in history, while facing adversity, struggle, and a historical feat that has been challenged for decades.
For more information, visit the Stoneham Historical Society and Museum website here.
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