Gruber Wagon Works, Pennsylvania Route 183 & State Hill Road at Red Bridge Park, Bernville, Berks County, PA
Summary
Significance: It is an extremely well preserved example of factory built and operated as a family business. It retains an enormous number of wood working machines that are all still located in their original location within the works. In the 1970s the structure, including machinery, was moved to the Army Corps of Engineers to prevent its inundation following the completion of the Blue Marsh Lake Peoject...
Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: FN-6
Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: N1392
Survey number: HAER PA-14
Building/structure dates: 1882-1883 Initial Construction
Building/structure dates: before 1911 Subsequent Work
National Register of Historic Places NRIS Number: 72001092
The automobile was first invented and perfected in Germany and France in the late 1890s. Americans quickly came to dominate the automotive industry after WWI. Throughout this initial era, the development of automotive technology was rapid. Hundreds of small manufacturers competing to gain the world's attention. Key developments included the electric ignition system, independent suspension, and four-wheel brakes. Transmissions and throttle controls were widely adopted and safety glass also made its debut. Henry Ford perfected mass-production techniques, and Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler emerged as the “Big Three” auto companies by the 1920s. Car manufacturers received enormous orders from the military during World War II, and afterward automobile production in the United States, Europe, and Japan soared.
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