1927 Marion Auto License

It is pretty well established that the Williamson County Fair has been, in the past, a very big affair not only for the county but for the entire region as well. So large were the crowds and conversely the numbers of automobiles that there is no way the fairground could handle all of the automobiles. The solution was to park elsewhere and catch a ride to the fair.

Capitalizing on this notion, locals would remove the doors from their cars during the week of the fair and use the family car as a taxi to haul people to the fair and back uptown. So crowded was it at times, that it was often necessary to convert E. Main St. to a one way East bound street only and E. Boulevard St. to a one way West bound street only to control traffic flow.

The following article printed in the Eyptian Press on September 10, 1914 addresses the issue of “the auto men”.

“Police Restricting Auto Men”
The Egyptian Press, Sept. 10, 1914

Chief of Police Price has placed several restrictions on the automobiles being used as passenger service for the fair. All his men are posed to be on the watch out for speeders and to pinch them.  No machines will be allowed to do business without the necessary city license and no one will be allowed to run a car without having a chauffeur license.

All are forced to drive to the right under all conditions and no one is allowed to pass (by overtaking) another machine. This eliminates the spirit of racing and will probably be the means of saving lives.

All of the auto men have been “called upon the carpet” and given a good talking to and if any of them violate any of the orders they will have no excuse.   They will be dealt with by the authorities in case they do not do as they have been instructed.

(Thanks to the A.C. Storme Collection of materials donated to the Williamson County Historical Society)