Long-Lewis Ford Lincoln Mercury

In the spring of 1911, Bessemer was a brawling young industrial city. Business was nice, but in order to promote more business, several downtown merchants decided to raffle one of the new-fangled Horse-less carriages to their clients. For several months clients received raffle tickets with each purchase. Tradition has it that on March 15, 1911 the drawing was held at the intersection of Second Avenue and Nineteenth Streets. According to an old-timer the personal who won it had been quoted earlier as having said, I don't want that thing around my house!