Jenkins Company Started In Aulander Livery Stable Shed
Organization Now Includes
Five Agencies, 119 Employees
From a humble beginning in a livery stable shed in Aulander to
the largest group of automobile agents in Eastern North Carolina is
the record of Charles H. Jenkins and his associates.
The Aulander company was organized 40 years ago this month in
the small Bertie County community and has now grown to include
agencies in five cities in East :
ern North Carolina. There are
agencils in Ahoskie, Williamston,
Edenon and Windsor and Au
lander.
The company was founded in
August, 1912 by Charles H. Jen
kins and offices were established
in a shed at the side of a livery
stable. The charter staff of the
company, in addition to the
founder, included two mechanics,
Wayland L. Jenkins and Eddie
Ward. The trio sold one auto dur
ing the first year of operation.
Since its founding the organiza
tion has expanded to five agencies
and 119 employees and occu
pies handsome structures in each
town of its operation.
The Aulander agency is housed
in a modern brick stucco build
ing fronting 125 feet on Commerce
street with spacious show rooms
for the display of General Motor
cars. Directly opposite the build
ing is the firm’s concrete used
car lot.
A series of moves, however, was
in order before the company ob
tained its present headquarters.
Charles H. Jenkins and Co.,
after three years in the livery
stable shed, moved its offices to
the Bell and Howard building at
the corner of Commerce and Canal
streets where it expanded its
sales and service business. The
move to the Bell and Howard
building more than doubled the
space the company had previously
occupied. However, within eight
years the company had outgrown
its quarters and additional space
was needed.
To meet this demand, the com
pany began construction on a
new building in the fall of 1923.
The new plant, which was 65 by
100 feet gave the company addi
tional facilities to meet the de
mand for increased sales and
service. The building was furnish
ed with all of the modern equip
ment and conveniences of its time.
The company occupied *ihis
building until it was destroyed
by fire in June, 1938. Damages
from the fire were at
$75,000 but before the ashes had
cooled, plans were made to re
build and resume operation. The
present building was completed
on the same site as the burned
building in the fall of the same
year, and now houses a modern
show room and repair shop.
Charles H. Jenkins kept abreast
of the growth of the automobile
industry in the nation, and in 1928
began to add additional agencies
in the surrounding territory. His
first move was in Ahoskie where
he opened the Standard Chevro
let Co. in 1928.
That same year he organized
the Marsh Chevrolet Co. to oper
ate in Aulander.
The depression halted the ex
pansion temporarily but when the
nation began to recover from the
day's of unemployment, the Jen
kins company picked up where
it had left off and the agency in
Edenton was established in 1933.
The following year the company
established a sub-agency in Ahos
kie and it was operated as such
until 1947 when it became an
independent agency.
In 1938, Charles H. Jenkins &
Co. of Williamston was organized
and within a few months a modern
building was built on U. S. 17 and
enlarged in 1945 to provide a
frontage of 115 feet. It is now
equipped with the most modern
garage equipment. In Williamston
also is the Jenkins Equipment Co.
The latest of the agencies is the
Charles H. Jenkins and Co. of
Windsor. It was opened -in 1950.
'•Along with expansion in auto
sales, the company also has ex
panded its various departments
of service. When the company was
founded, two mechanics handled
all the work in repairing and
servicing cars. Now the combined
dealerships have more than 70
factory trained mechanics.
Each agency maintains a fender
and body repair shop,_ a service
department, wrecking department,
parts and merchandising, recon
ditioning department and sales de
partment.
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AFTER THE FIRE —This is an inside scene of the Charles H.
Jenkins and Co. building in Aulandcr after it was destroyed by
fire in 1923.
Jenkins Facts
And Figures
Here are some interesting
facts and figures about the
agencies of Charles H. Jenkins
and Co.:
The total payroll for all em
ployees of all agencies in 1951
was $425,366.83.
In 1951, the agencies sold a
total of 2,555 new and used
automobiles.
The Jenkins agencies use
130,939 square feet of space in
their operations. Os this, 82,719
square feet are used in build
ings and 48,220 square feet in
open lots.
The agencies repaired or serv
iced a total of 22,227 cars dur
ing the year. This is an average
of 75 cars per working day or
one every eight minutes,
Total parts and accessories
sold during the year was $363,-
456.26.
The Aulander agency holds
the record for fast sales. In
1941, the agency sold 91 cars
in 90 working hours.
Party Given
On Firm's 25th
Anniversary
Fifteen years ago, the Charles
H. Jenkins and Company cele
brated its Silver Anniversary in
the automobile business by throw
ing a party to which the public
was invited.
Hundreds of persons from the
Roanoke-Chowan area attended
the big celebration which was held
in Aulander in August 1937. The
company spent weeks planning on
how to entertain what is reported
tft be the largest group ever to
assemble in the town of Aulander.
The program of entertainment
for the? celebration was elaborate
with parades, refreshments, a base
ball game, dance and short talks.
The party started at 11 a. m.
August 20, 1937 with the Ahoskie
high school band leading a parade
of floats which featured all the
makes of cars sold by the com
pany and its affiliated dealerships.
After the parade, short talks
were given by Carl Goerch, radio
commentator and magazine edi
tor and D. C. Barnes, road com
missioner. Following the speech
es, a lunch was served those
attending the party.
A baseball game between Au
lander and Perrytown featured the
afternoon celebration.
The streets in front of the
Charles H. Jenkins and Company’s
building was roped off that night
for a dance. The music for the
merry-making was furnished by
a ten piece orchestra. The big
celebration was concluded at mid
night with the ending of the
dance.
Insurance Co. Run
By General Motors
The Motors Insurance Company
was organized by General Motors
in 1925 as the General Exchange
Insurance Corporation, to write
the insurance covering products
whose sales were financed by
General Motors Acceptance Cor
poration.
In the early days of the Ac
ceptance Corporation the install
ment buyers had not been re
quired to carry insurance. How
ever, with the expanding use of
motor vehicles, insurance became
necessary.
Fire and theft insurance was
originally provided, but in 1930,
the corporation inaugurated a
car-financing insurance contract
which offered collision coverage.
PEAK PAYROLL
General Motors employes reach
ed its all time peak in 1944 when
465,617 persons were on the pay
roll.
T „ rane ■ " !;
VINTAGE OF 1925—Back in 1925, these automobiles were the very latest in mechanized transportation. The pic
ture was taken at Seaboard, N. C., where the sale of the automobile was handled by Charles H. Jenkins and Co.
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SALUTES
CHAS. II JENKINS S CO.
ON ITS
FORTIETH ANNIVERSARY
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Chas. H. Jenkins & Co. Anniversary Section
1/
JENKINS CLUBHOUSE—This is the Jenkins Clubhouse used by the firm and
its employees for dinner meetings and other outings. It also is available to civic
organizations. Built in 1939, it is located three miles from Aulander on the Rich
Square highway.
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