Williams Brothers

In December 1915 Williams Brothers announced a modern automobile operation in the west room of the Frank Livery and Undertaking Company's building on Vine Street. The newspaper explained the change plainly: automobiles had reduced the demand for boarding horses, and the remaining horse business could be accommodated in the livery building to the east. The first floor was planned for automobile display and demonstration, with the machine shop on the second floor, an elevator capable of lifting a 6,000-pound automobile between floors and steam heat throughout. The 1917 Sanborn map shows the result: a "GARAGE" with a capacity of 30 cars standing immediately beside a working "LIVERY" in the same building complex. Williams Brothers remained until March 1922, when the firm moved across Vine Street into the Begley building, discontinuing its garage operation while continuing machine and repair work. The move cleared the way for J. J. Frank to improve the Vine Street building — and for Garner Brothers to move into the former Williams quarters.