Early autos and their drivers in our area
The arrival of the automobile in the Southwest Alabama/Northwest Florida region marked the beginning of a departure from the slower travel of the horse and buggy and heralded the beginning of the end of the dominance of train travel.
An 1896 newspaper account of the arrival of the automobile in the area noted that the "automobile was here to stay." This era is perhaps best summarized by the fictional tale of William Faulkner's town of Jefferson, Mississippi where automobiles were outlawed in the town by Mayor de Spain. While no such harsh ordinances are known to have existed in Escambia County...
