Sephaniah Reese
Plymouth, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Automobile pioneer, best known for building a 3-wheel, 1-cylinder vehicle here, 1887-88, and operating it on Plymouth's streets. His machine shop, incorporated 1888, was an early bicycle maker; the firm was located here for over 80 years.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
In the coal town of Plymouth, Sephaniah Reese built and drove a three-wheeled, one-cylinder motor vehicle on the streets in 1887–88, making him one of America's earliest automobile experimenters. His machine shop, incorporated in 1888, was also an early bicycle manufacturer. The firm remained a fixture here for more than eighty years.
Why it matters
Reese's tinkering places northeastern Pennsylvania among the many local workshops where the automobile age quietly took shape before the famous names arrived.
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Related people
- · Sephaniah Reese
Themes & tags
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