Traffic moved slowly on Lincoln County’s back roads from Sept. 9-13 as 53 Model T Fords traveled 25-30 mph through the county as part of the 30th annual Mainely T Tour. The Model T Ford, manufactured from 1908-1927, revolutionized the economy of the United States and brought the world into the automotive age.
“Cars were a rich man’s toy when Henry (Ford) started building these cars,” Gil Fitzhugh, a participant on the tour, said. “By the time he was done, they were a working man’s necessity.”
“Approximately 15 million Model T Fords were manufactured over the roughly 20 years Ford Motor Co. produced the model, tour organizer John Anderson said. It was the world’s first mass-produced car, made possible by the automated assembly line, which Ford Motor Co. introduced.
“The automated assembly line process lowered the price of the vehicle, making it accessible to the common man. As cars became the primary method of transportation in America, the infrastructure of the country changed.
“Paved roads connected towns to cities to states and manufacturing in America was forever changed. “There’s an old saying,” Anderson said. “‘You can go anywhere in a Model T except in society.’ This was the car for the masses,” he said.
“Almost 100 years later, Model T Fords are still on the road, and this past weekend, 53 of them descended on Lincoln County.
“The Down East Chapter of the Model T Ford Club, a national organization, is one of the largest chapters in the country, Anderson said.
“Anderson has been enamored with Model T Fords since he was a child, he said. When he was 19 years old, he scraped together his money to buy a Model T Ford from his neighbor.
“Anderson has organized an annual tour to bring club members together and travel throughout Maine since 1986.
“In 2015, the Mainely T Tour picked Lincoln County and surrounding areas as their destination. The 53 participants toured Boothbay, including Barter’s Island and Sawyer’s Island; Boothbay Harbor; Southport; Wiscasset, Alna’s Head Tide village; Newcastle’s Sheepscot village; and Jefferson; as well as out-of-county destinations Georgetown, Reid State Park, and the Owls Head Transportation Museum.
“The line of Model T Fords could be seen on the roads with modern vehicles traveling similar routes throughout the weekend. On Friday, Sept. 11, tour participants parked at Castle Tucker in Wiscasset, a mansion built in 1807 and lived in until the early 20th century. “It looked like they belonged here,” Cathy Messmer, a tour guide, said.
“The tour likes to travel on the back roads to accommodate the slow speeds of the Model T without causing too much ire for other drivers on the road, participant Russ Whitney said. Russ and Gail Whitney have been participating in the Mainely T tours for approximately 25 years, they said.
“Despite only traveling 25-30 mph, the cars are durable and reliable, Anderson said, with some club members traveling cross-country in them and experiencing little to no mechanical difficulty.
” “They were good cars,” Anderson said. “That’s why there are so many of them left.”
“The Mainely T Tour is an event participants look forward to each year, members said. It is as much an opportunity for club members to share their appreciation for the car that revolutionized the country as it is an opportunity to reconnect with each other and have a good time.
” “We’ve gone places we never would have been and met people we never would have met,” Anderson said. “This has created some lasting friendships.”
