Heritage Museums & Gardens: J.K. Lilly III Automobile Gallery

In August 2024, I went on a five-day trip to Cape Cod, MA where I visited many museums and cultural organizations, along with quick history stops and trails. My first stop was Heritage Museums & Gardens (HMG) in Sandwich, MA. The first part of this six-part miniseries focused on the gardens. This second part will focus on J.K. Lilly III Automobile Gallery located near the entrance to the museum.

The design of the gallery built in 1969 was based on the Round Stone Barn at Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield, MA built in 1826. (I visited Hancock Shaker Village many years before the start of this blog, but I do have a post about Canterbury Shaker Village, if you would like to learn more about the lifestyle of Shakers.) The two exhibits on display were “From Carriage to Classic: How Automobiles Transformed America” on the top floor and “Charging Ahead: Early Electric Cars in America” on the bottom floor. The open storage garage space was also viewable. The car collection began when Josiah Kirby Lilly, Jr. began buying cars, and the collection was expanded by his son, Josiah Kirby Lilly III. A need to store the large collection, along with making it available to the public, was a major impetus behind creating the museum.

One of the most historically significant cars in the collection was the 1909 White Steam Car Model M owned by President William Howard Taft. The car was bought for $4,000 back when average annual income was $544, or equivalent to $130,994 in 2023 dollars. Since 2016, the car has been on the National Register of Historic Vehicles managed by the Hagerty Drivers Foundation. Nearby were a 1904 Oldsmobile Runabout, which was the best-selling car in the United States between 1903 and 1905, and a 1910 Cadillac Model 30 Roadster, an early sports car that is still in working condition.

I had several other favorite cars on the top floor. The 1910 Sears Model P Surrey could be ordered through the Sears, Roebuck & Company catalog, not so different than buying a car online in the modern world. I especially liked the attachable roof with the yellow fringe and learning that this car still runs. The 1912 Mercer Raceabout was an early race car that topped out at 70 mph (113 kph) back when the average vehicle could only go about 50 mph (80 kph).

Downstairs, the 1911 Bailey Electric Victoria Phaeton was designed with women in mind by S.R. Bailey & Company in Amesbury, MA (whose descendents are benefactors of the Amesbury Carriage Museum), as gas cars required cranking. A glowing electric charger and short documentary showed visitors how the car received its power. The 1917 Milburn Light Electric was a favorite of Clara Ford, wife of automobile industrialist Henry Ford, and Mina Edison, wife of inventor Thomas Edison and home executive of Glenmont, now Edison National Historical Park, as this car was directly market to women. The 1930 Duesenberg Model J once belonging to actor Gary Cooper was a tourster-style car painted a stunning Primrose Yellow and Parkway Green. As one of the most expensive vehicles on the market at an estimated $14,000, or $249,830 in 2023 dollars, inspired the phrase, “It’s a duesie!” For that price, no wonder this vehicle still runs.

The 1922 Ford Model T Howe Pumper was a rare converted vehicle where the Howe Fire Apparatus Company added a three-cycle piston pump onto a Ford Model T chassis to create an early version of a firetruck. This truck was used in Portland, ME, which had been severely burned by a fire in 1919. On the opposite side of the downstairs, the open storage garage allowed visitors a glimpse at the many vintage cars not on official display. A touch screen included three videos describing the maintenance and storage processes for the collection, which included “exercising” the working cars. Additionally, a sign at the door listed “Gearhead Garage” programs where visitors received behind the scenes tours of these cool cars for an added fee. I will have to keep an eye out for these next year!

The round building was a unique way to view cars, allowing some lighting to be hung from the rafters while visitors walked in a circle to read the signs. I appreciated the number of interactives, including a touchable car with instructions on visitors could pretend to start it and touchscreens with short videos. The space included excellently written signs explaining trickier topics, including the legacy of Henry Ford, who made great contributions to American manufacturing along with be anti-Semitic, anti-union, and abusive to his family; and the religious beliefs of the Shakers, a utopian society that modern people might regard as a cult. My two suggestions for improving the experience would be to place arrows on the floor indicating which direction to walk, as visitors went in both directions, and to add lighting directly above the signs to prevent shadows and glare. As always, an audio version of the signs would have been appreciated.

The rating of this site will appear at the end of the series.