Deal, J.J., and Son Carriage Factory
About this property
The J.J. Deal and Son Carriage Factory, located at 117 West Street, was the largest factory built in Jonesville, Michigan and is the only 19th century factory remaining in the city. On August 1, 2012, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places. In 2015, the building was redeveloped into the Heritage Lane Apartments. Jacob J. Deal was a blacksmith who moved to Jonesville, Michigan in 1857. Once he relocated to Jonesville, Deal began to manufacture a small number of lumber wagons and other heavy wagons. Deal sold his blacksmith shop in 1865 and erected two small buildings across the street, where he began the full-time manufacture of wagons and carriages. As the business grew, he repeatedly enlarged his factory. In 1890, he began construction on a new factory building, forming the core of the structure which still stands today. A number of additions were made to the building from 1893 to 1909, and the factory eventually employed over 100 men. In 1891, Deal's son, George, became a partner and began managing the company, which was renamed J.J. Deal and Son. In 1890 George motorized one of Deal's buggies and used is as his personal car. According to some sources, George is believed to have motorized a few more buggies for customers. The company called these motorized buggies the Autobuggy. They are also believed to have motorized some wagon for use as trucks. None of these survive. In 1908 company was reorganized under the name of the Deal Motor Vehicle Company and began making their own automobiles. By 1910, the number of workers had increased to 140. Several models of the Deal Automobile were manufactured from 1908 until 1911, with costs ranging from about US$950 to US$1,250. All models had a four-cylinder engine with 30 hp. The Model S was available from 1908 to 1910 for a base price of US$950. The vehicle was an open runabout with four seats, but no doors. It had a wheelbase of 259 cm and solid rubber tires. In 1911 the Model S was rebranded as the Model C The vehicle was bodied as a four-seater Surrey and sold for US$1,000. The Model R also debuted that year. The Model R's chassis was slightly extended and had a 264 cm wheelbase. It was an open touring car with seating for five people and sold for US$1,250. As of 2015, only two Deal automobiles were known to exist. One, formerly located at Harrah's Casino in Las Vegas, was sold to a private collector. The other was on display in the Jonesville City Building in Jonesville. After this demand began to fall for Deal's products due to increasing competition from other automobile manufacturers and reduced demand for buggies and wagons. Coupled with this was the death or departure of the company's leadership. George died in 1908, Omar Dickerson left the company in 1913, and Jacob Deal died in 1914. The company went out of business in 1915.
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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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Questions about this property
When was Deal, J.J., and Son Carriage Factory listed on the National Register?
Deal, J.J., and Son Carriage Factory was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 31, 2012.
What type of historic resource is Deal, J.J., and Son Carriage Factory?
Deal, J.J., and Son Carriage Factory is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Deal, J.J., and Son Carriage Factory?
The period of significance for Deal, J.J., and Son Carriage Factory is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Deal, J.J., and Son Carriage Factory?
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