Buffalo Transportation Pierce-Arrow Museum  ....................................   Automobile Industry in Buffalo

Buffalo Electric Carriage Co. 1902 Stanhope
at the
The Buffalo Transportation Pierce-Arrow Museum

263 Michigan Ave. at 201 Seneca St., Buffalo, New York
(
Museum Official Home Page)

2017 photos


The Stanhope
Electronic Automobilers - 1905
WNY Heritage Magazine  (online October 2017)

 ... the "stanhope" ... featured a single bench seat, folding cloth top, front buckboard, and tiller steering.

A typical wealthy Buffalo couple might have two automobiles: an electric for the women in the family and a gasoline auto for the men in the family. The electric automobile was quiet, easy to operate, and emission-free; it was also heavy, slow, unable to climb hills, and in need of recharging after 20-50 miles.

Such a vehicle was quickly marketed to women, doctors, delivery businesses and others residing in an urban environment where electricity for recharging was available. The gasoline automobile had already been adopted by men for its speed and "portability," i.e. it could "tour" in rural areas and be re-fueled at gasoline stations that quickly sprang up around Western New York. The Buffalo Automobile Club was a touring club for gasoline vehicles; its membership was male.

Although in 1900, equal numbers of electric-, gasoline- and steam-powered automobiles were produced in the U.S., it quickly became apparent that electrics would not succeed in competition with gasoline models (becoming more reliable each year) unless a revolution in the electric battery came about that would result in a lighter battery that would produce more power for a longer run per charge. Thomas Edison took on this challenge (see his optimism here) and did produce an early alkaline battery, but it was not powerful enough to replace the lead-acid battery then used in electrics.

Buffalo Electric Carriage Co.
400 Military Road (demolished)


1902 Stanhope




"The Buffalo Electric Carriage Company (1900-1906), which became the Babcock Electric Carriage Company (1906-1912), changed its ownership again in 1912. It became The Buffalo Electric Vehicle Company and had a short life. It continued manufacturing at the 1911 complex at 1219-1247 Main Street in Buffalo (at Northhampton St.) but by 1916, it was out of business, one of 30 automakers that came and went in Buffalo in the twentieth century." - Western New York Heritage (online October 2017)




"... style called the stanhope" (also manufactured by other companies) which featured a single bench seat, folding cloth top, front buckboard, and tiller steering. A 1904 Buffalo stanhope cost $1640 ($33, 864 in 2005 dollars)." - Western New York Heritage (online October 2017)




Victoria top:  A touring car with a folding top usually covering only the rear seat;   a low, light four-wheeled carriage for two with a folding top and an elevated driver's seat in front.







"This electric carriage, weighing roughly 1,800 pounds, features wood wheels, hard rubber tires and a Victoria top. The quiet vehicle has eight speeds forward and three backward.  Capable of traveling at 14 miles per hour, the carriage can run for 50 miles on one full charge on level roads.  The automobile was manufactured by the Buffalo Electric Carriage Company, 400 Military Road, Buffalo, NY and sold for $1,650." - The Buffalo Transportation Pierce-Arrow Museum (online October 2017)

Relevance of the mannequin and dress:  "A typical wealthy Buffalo couple might have two automobiles: an electric for the women in the family and a gasoline auto for the men in the family."- Western New York Heritage (online October 2017)




View from the front of the vehicle   ...   Advertising plate detailed near the bottom of this page




Single bench seat, front buckboard, and tiller steering   ...   Buckboarddefinition: A four-wheeled open carriage with the seat or seats attached to a flexible board running between the front and rear axles.   ...   Note the gauge which is detailed below:







The cloth victoria top is folded down




Single bench seat, folding cloth top









Lenox Hotel   ...   Detail below:




Note that this electric vehicle does not have a foldable victoria top:  it is not  a Stanhope model  ...

"A typical wealthy Buffalo couple might have two automobiles: an electric for the women in the family and a gasoline auto for the men in the family. The electric automobile was quiet, easy to operate, and emission-free; it was also heavy, slow, unable to climb hills, and in need of recharging after 20-50 miles. Such a vehicle was quickly marketed to women, doctors, delivery businesses and others residing in an urban environment where electricity for recharging was available." - Western New York Heritage (online October 2017)








Electric VS Gasoline Vehicles


Although in 1900, equal numbers of electric-, gasoline- and steam-powered automobiles were produced in the U.S., it quickly became apparent that electrics would not succeed in competition with gasoline models (becoming more reliable each year) unless a revolution in the electric battery came about that would result in a lighter battery that would produce more power for a longer run per charge. Thomas Edison took on this challenge and did produce an early alkaline battery, but it was not powerful enough to replace the lead-acid battery then used in electrics.

In 1908, there were 300 electric automobiles privately owned in Buffalo; more were used daily by delivery companies. But Henry Ford had begun mass-production of gasoline vehicles in 1904, driving down the price of owning an automobile. And in 1913, a battery-powered electric starter eliminated the dangerous manual crank-starting of automobiles, opening the way for widespread ownership by women.

The Buffalo Electric Carriage Company (1900 - 1906), which became the Babcock Electric Carriage Company (1906 - 1912), changed its ownership again in 1912. It became The Buffalo Electric Vehicle Company and had a short life. It continued manufacturing at the 1911 complex at 1219-1247 Main Street in Buffalo (at Northhampton St.) but by 1916, it was out of business, one of 30 automakers that came and went in Buffalo in the twentieth century.
 - Western New York Heritage (online October 2017)



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1903              Research by Andrew Herrala


Special thanks to Founder and Executive Director James Sandoro and Mary Ann Sandoro for their cooperation

Photos and their arrangement © 2017 Chuck LaChiusa
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