With the current interest in electric and hybrid-electric cars as an alternative to gas-powered cars, it might come as a surprise that electric automobiles, along with other alternatives such as steam powered vehicles, were part of the burst of innovation in transportation in the late 1800s-early 1900s. And some of the most successful electric vehicles from this time were made in Amesbury by the S.R. Bailey Company.

One of the first personal vehicles to carry a person rode down a street in Paris, France in 1881. By the early 1900s electric vehicles were being made in Europe and the U.S., including taxis in London, trains to transport goods in Germany and Great Britain, and personal vehicles across the world.

Amesbury, with its history of carriage and bicycle manufacturing, was a natural location for early automobile innovation. There were inventors and machine makers already there and ready to experiment. One such company, the S.R. Bailey Company, manufactured the Bailey Electric Phaeton from 1907 to 1915, following years of carriage and sleigh making.

Early electric cars were often marketed specifically to women, with claims that they were easier to drive than their gas-powered counterparts, which needed to be cranked to start. Henry Ford is rumored to have bought an electric vehicle for his wife to drive, rather than one of his own model T’s. But the Bailey Company wanted to prove their automobiles were rugged and built for more than just a drive around town. The Bailey Electric took part in a number of events to demonstrate its capabilities including a cross-New England run and a climb up Mount Washington.

For a while in the early 1900s the U.S. led the world in electric car use. But, with cheaper gas and safer gas-powered automobiles, electric cars declined. Today, unintended consequences of that development have led to a resurgence of interest in electric vehicles.

And this week, on Saturday, you can come down to Main Street in Amesbury to see some of these fascinating automobiles, including a Bailey Electric from the early 1900s, still running after all these years!

Carriagetown Car Show
Main Street, Amesbury
Saturday, September 24th
9:00 PM to 2 PM