The automobile is celebrating its 140th birthday this year. The first patented “horseless carriage”, built in 1886, started the automobile revolution that eventually saw almost the entire world unite. However, John T. Ward and his son, William, were too busy to sit around and wait for Benz and Daimler’s cars to arrive. Instead, this father-son duo launched their own company, EE Ward Moving & Storage Company – a full 5 years earlier in 1881. Starting with just two horses and a wagon, the company has grown from strength to strength over the past 144 years, and now operates with 45 trucks and 75 employees.
EE Ward remained under family control for an impressive 120 years, when John’s great-grandson Alden sold the company to current owners Brian and Dominic Brooks in 2001. EE Ward is also the oldest African-American owned business in the United States. What started as a one-stop operation on the Underground Railroad has grown to become one of the most respected moving companies in America, and the way the firm has updated and progressed over the years has kept up with the evolution of cars and trucks.
How EE Ward progressed over time
In the early days, things were simple for EE Ward. The firm only had two horses and a wagon, so it is not difficult to piece together how they acted as movers. Despite the automobile officially becoming a hit in 1886, EE Ward didn’t actually retire his last horse until 1921 – a full 40 years in business. By this point, one of the most important cars in history, the Ford Model T, had been making the rounds for over a decade, so it was no doubt time to rest the horses somewhat. Now, no sources indicate what makes and models E.E. Ward was using in the early ’20s when horses moved forward, but it’s possible the team may have been using some from the more major truck manufacturers of that era, such as Mack, International Harvester, GMC, and of course Ford.
EE Ward shares a photo of his past online, which includes four American trucks and dates back to 1951. The trucks featured several B-series Dodge models built between 1948 and 1953, as well as a slightly older W-series truck that hit the roads in 1940. The latter image shows the company using the Mercedes ‘NG’ trucks in the late 70s and early 80s, demonstrating the transition from American-built models to European models. Cab-over-engine design. With 45 trucks of various sizes and specifications, EE Ward looks set to be in business for several decades. Perhaps in the next century, trucks running on electricity or hydrogen will become part of their fleet.
