Wayne, an early school bus manufacturer, has a long and fascinating
place in America's transportation history. Some sources give 1837 as
Wayne Works' founding year, while others claim Wayne Works was in
business "since 1868." The company's own literature has referred to
both years as the beginning. A 1947 brochure mentions that Wayne Works
had been in business for 110 years. A 1920 brochure makes what might be
a qualification stating
that Wayne Works "vehicles" had been manufactured "since 1868." One
certainty
is that Wayne Works never started as a bus manufacturer, but as a maker
of various
sorts of agricultural tools. According to the History of
Wayne County, Indiana, v. II, (Chicago: Inter-State
Publishing Co., 1884, pp. 534-535), a foundry known as "Wayne
Agricultural Works" was started by John Whippo, Caleb W. and James Witt
at Dublin, Indiana, in 1837. Wayne Agricultural Works, sometimes
referred to as "Wayne Agricultural Company," was soon transferred by
Whippo to four Witt brothers. Norton Davis I. L. Lawrence
eventually purchased the company. It became a stock company in 1871 and
moved to Richmond, Indiana, in 1876. Wayne Works was making "school
cars" before 1895, although this 1895 mentions nothing of them among
the listed products. Is anyone out there familiar with the Knightstown,
Indiana, purchasers listed on this invoice?
