The Work-Rite Garage, 575 Lafayette Road, after 1915.

The Work-Rite Garage, 575 Lafayette Road, after 1915.

Hackett, Lawrence

Work-Rite Garage

Holmes, Ernest, Sr.

Texaco Service Stations

Automobile Service Stations

Gasoline Pumps

Tow Trucks

The Work-Rite Garage, 575 Lafayette Road, after 1915. Owner Lawrence Hackett later moved his business up the road to 641 Lafayette, where he operated a Chevrolet dealership. Several businesses have since operated on this site, but this building no longer stands. Here Lawrence Hackett is seated in his 1916 Cadillac wrecker. The towing equipment can barely be seen at the back of the truck. This model was the first tow truck ever built. The towing industry was born in 1916 in the city of Chattanooga, Tennessee, after Ernest Holmes, Sr., a native Chattanoogan, helped a friend retrieve his car with three poles, a pulley and a chain hooked to the frame of a 1913 Cadillac. After patenting his invention, Holmes began manufacturing wreckers and towing equipment for sale to automotive garages and anyone interested in retrieving and towing wrecked or disabled autos.

Hampton and Hampton Beach by Teschek, p.25.

1917

BT

Hackett, Carrie

Digital Only

1007

Lafayette Road North

Building Exterior(s)