Spaulding Garage
Known Name(s)
Spaulding Garage
Address
S. Lincoln St. Aberdeen, SD
Establishment Type(s)
Garage
Physical Status
Demolished
Description
On the 1923 and 1929 Sanborn Insurance maps, the north end of the west side of the 300-block of Lincoln Street had multiple commercial brick buildings, all of which were marked as garages and auto repair/storage. 305-307 and 309-311 S. Lincoln were both two stories tall, and 313-315 S. Lincoln was one story with a concrete block "repair shop" at the east end. The only building now standing on that block is a federal building, constructed in 1974.
Source: Sanborn Fire Insurance Co., Aberdeen, South Dakota (November 1923), sheet 3, and (July 1929), sheet 3.
Detailed History
According to local newspapers, the Spaulding Garage seems to have been in existence in some form by 1911, with a new garage and show room built in 1914 from a design by G.F. Fossum. It was then possibly either substantially remodeled or added to (or both) in 1917. The Spaulding Garage was incorporated as The Spaulding Auto Co. in 1915 by George S. Spaulding, Putnam T. Spaulding, et al. City directories and historical photographs have the company address variously as 305, 309, and/or 311-315 S. Lincoln St. By 1972, Spaulding was still in business and had re-located from Lincoln St. to the Auto Plaza on the east end of town.
Source: Aberdeen Daily News (SD), June 19, 1914, June 1, 1972; Aberdeen American (SD), September 22, 1911, August 19, 1917; The Horseless Age 35(1) (January 6, 1915), 8; Construction News 36 (October 25, 1913), 31; Polk's Aberdeen City Directories from 1919, 1924, and 1950-1956, SD State Archives, Pierre; Aberdeen, South Dakota (North Plains Press, 1974), 26; “The Great Lester,” Aberdeen Area History; “This Day in History – April 14-18,” Dacotah Prairie Museum on Brown County website.
