THIS WAS ONE OF THE EARLIEST TELL CITY AUTO TAXIS.

It was operated by Werner and Birchler, then livery stable operators in Tell City. It was known as the Tell City-Cannelton-Troy Jitney. This picture was made on the river bank at Cannelton with the K. & I. steam ferry and the city of Hawesville, Ky. in the background. This picture and several others were purchased by Mrs. Charles Paulin of Tell City at Irvin’s Store in Cannelton. They gave one to J.T. Rehsteiner, Tell City. Both Mr. and Mrs. Paulin and Mr. Rehsteiner loaned their pictures to the News for use in this Supplement.

Earliest Land Passenger Transport Was Horse Drawn

By Louise Birchler

Time and progress have wrought many changes during the 100 years of Tell City’s growth. Old customs have vanished as well as old businesses. This is true of the livery business, which during the years when rapid transportation was invented and perfected, yielded to the automobile. Such a livery stable is remembered by many Tell City citizens located on the present site of the Werner Motor Company Ford Agency. Easy to recall are the vehicles it housed and hired out. The gaily painted bandwagon, the spring wagons and wagonettes, often used to take groups on all kinds of outings and picnics and last but not least, the “surrey with the fringe on top.”

Used To Impress Fair Sex

For weddings, funerals and visiting dignitaries’ two coaches or “hacks” to which the best horses in the stable were hitched, were proudly driven. Sometimes the young men of the city would hire these on Sunday afternoons to drive around and impress their girls.

It was most common in the early days for the traveling man or “drummer” as he was called, to come to Tell City on Sunday night on the Southern Railway and after a restful night at our Commercial Hotel he would start out early Monday morning with a horse and buggy for a week’s trip to call on all the country stores in the county.

First Barn In 1880

The first barn was built in 1880 by Burst and McGregory and used for stave making by a Cooperage company. Four years later high water damaged so many of the staves the firm failed in business.  Wendell Hofmann bought the property the following years and it became a livery stable. In 1902 Charles Werner Sr. bought the business.

CHARLES (POP) WERNER is seated behind the wheel of one of the oldest Model T Fords in this vicinity. It was owned by Urban Birchler, Tell City, before he traded it on a later model Ford car several years ago. With Pop are (left) Edward “Schiek” Schierholzer and (right) Ralph “Nubby” Werner, his son, both of whom are associated in Werner Motor about Werner Motor Company.