According to the New York State Department of State, the Bell & Post Motors Corporation Certificate of Incorporation was filed with them on October 26, 1925. The factory stood on the northeast corner of Eastern Parkway and Oakview Ave., east of the Farmingdale LIRR Station. It later would be used by Max Staller’s Montauk Wholesale Grocery Co. as its wholesale fruit and produce warehouse.
The Post was Harry Lowere Post, a Farmingdale native. In 1918, he was producing the wooden bodies used in Fulton Motor Truck Co.’s vehicles. The Bell refers to James L. Bell, who was in charge of factory production during the reorganization of the Fulton Motors Corporation in 1920. In September of 1924, he became the President of the Fulton Motors Corporation, which closed its doors shortly after.
The Corporation was dissolved by Proclamation on December 15, 1937.
Sources:
“Vanderbilt Cup Races.” Vanderbilt Cup Races - Blog - New Series Long Island Auto Manufacturers & Body Builders #1:Bell & Post Motors of Farmingdale, https://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/blog/article/new_series_long_island_automobiles_and_custom_bodybuilders_1_bell_post_of_f
Updated by NK 11/2/22
The Fulton Motor Truck Company was created by William Melhuish, Jr. as the Clyde Motor Truck Company. It was officially incorporated on March 7, 1916. The named changed to the Fulton Motor Truck Company on January 19, 1917. The factory was located just east of Route 110 on Conklin Street opposite Republic Airport. Fulton Motor Truck Company manufactured trucks and ambulance bodies used in France in World War I.
In its first year, the company produced about 2,500 trucks of the 1 ½ ton model. The model was powered by a 36 hp four-cylinder L-head motor with 3 speed transmission. The cost was $1090. They also manufactured ambulance bodies which were used in World War I. In fact, the company built one of the first fire trucks for the Hook & Ladder Company in Farmingdale. At one point, they were creating 5-7 trucks per day.
In 1919, the general offices & sales department were moved to Broadway in Manhattan. Melhuish resigned as President to become Chairman of the Board of Directors. He left the company, but remained one of the largest shareholders. He went on to form Melhuish & Co., a company that marketed automotive securities. George C. Sherman took over as President upon his resignation. Sherman then moved the executive offices from the Farmingdale factory to New York City.
Harry Lowere Post created the wooden bodies used in their vehicles. The trucks were sold nationwide and even used in the American Museum of Natural History sponsored Third Asiatic Expedition into the Gobi Desert of Western Mongolia in 1922.
Unfortunately, they owed money to many people for services given which ended in the company putting in a petition for bankruptcy. In 1920, the assets and property were sold at auction and bought by Denby Motor Truck Company. At that time, they planned to add a new 2 ½-3 ton model truck. Less and less trucks were manufactured in Farmingdale, eventually fading out in 1923, but the company offered trucks for sale until 1925.There is no mention of the company after 1925.
Sources:
Automobile Topics. United States, E.E. Schwarzkopf, 1919.
The Commercial Car Journal. Volume 17: August 15, 1919 p. 30
Motor Record. 1919
Motor Truck News: Official Publication of the New York State Motor Truck Association. United States, The Association, 1919.
Motor West. Volume 27: October 1, 1917 p. 24
Mroz, Albert. American Cars, Trucks and Motorcycles of World War I: Illustrated Histories of 225 Manufacturers. McFarland Inc., 2009
Notes from Frank R. Spratt
United States Investor. Volume 29 Part 2: Issues 27-52
“Vanderbilt Cup Races.” Vanderbilt Cup Races - Blog - New Series Long Island Auto Manufacturers & Body Builders #1:Bell & Post Motors of Farmingdale, www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/blog/article/new_series_long_island_automobiles_and_custom_bodybuilders_1_bell_post_of_f
Updated by NK 11/2/22
Victor Page established the Victor Page Motors Corporation in 1921. He designed a lightweight car with an air-cooled engine. Before creating the company, Paget was a well-known author of automobile repair manuals. He also was a technical editor of The New England Automobile Journal. The cars were all created in Farmingdale from 1921 to 1924 in the Liberty aircraft factory. The body and chassis were built in Farmingdale and the engines that were created in New York City were installed there. The first car that was produced was called the Victor Page Aero-Type Four.
Victor Page was born in 1885 in Massachusetts. When he was 19, he became part of the Page Motor Vehicle Company of Providence, Rhode Island. A total of 25 cars were built, but manufacturing costs were an issue and the company folded. He entered the service in 1917. Soon after, he was named Chief Engineering Officer at the world’s largest aviation school in France. He gained the rank of Major by the time the war was over. He settled in Queens and created his new company.
The Page automobile had a lot of interesting features beyond the air-cooled engine: it had a tilted steering wheel, a multiple disc brake, and a rear seat that tilted back to provide a storage compartment. The speedster’s price was $1,250 and the sedan was $1,750. In 1922, the corporation bought four acres of land in Connecticut. Three buildings were completed, but nothing ever came of it.
When Page formed the corporation, he made an arrangement with Charles Beadon to sell the stock. Beadon’s salesmen were a little less than honest. When stockholders didn’t get the dividends or profits, some travelled to Connecticut to get their money back. When Page learned about the less than honest methods, he terminated his agreement with Beadon. Beadon brought a bill of complaint to Federal Court. In April 1924, the complaint was dismissed. The legal proceedings did not help with funding. There wasn't enough to begin commercial production of cars.
In 1926, Page was investigated by the Deputy Attorney General. He was charged with fraud due to the fact that stocks were sold for five years with no car ready for commercial production. In 1926, the judge found in favor of the Deputy Attorney General. An injunction was issued that the Victor Paget Motors Corporation was not allowed to sell stock anywhere in New York State. The land was foreclosed in June of 1927 and the corporation ceased to exist in August.
Victor remained in Connecticut for a few years. He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in the Army Reserve and was an aeronautical consultant for the National Youth Administration. He died in 1947 at the age of 62. The Victor Page Motor Corporation built 15 cars, but none seem to have survived.
Sources:
“Another Industry for Farmingdale, Big Motor Plant.” Nassau Daily Review. March 14, 1921
Derato, Frank C. “Victor Page & His Automobile Company.” Bulb Horn. July-September, 1988
Gosden, Walter E. “ Victor Page Aero Type Four.” Long Island Forum. October, 1978
Updated by NK 11/2/22