Central Auto Sales Company incoming correspondence
Creation: 1914-1916 Creation: 1922Abstract
Central Auto Sales Company was an automobile distributor/dealer. Harry M. Levengston (1863-1952) founded the company in 1914 and also served as president of Centra Auto Sales Co. in Saratoga Springs, New York. This small collection consists of incoming correspondence sent from various automobile manufacturers to Central Auto Sales Company, addressed to Levengston. Content includes manufacturers' handling of dealership requirements, commissions, and customer matters, including both sales and complaints.
Dates
- Creation: 1914-1916
- Creation: 1922
Creator
- Central Auto Sales Company (Saratoga Springs, NY) (Organization)
Extent
33 item(s)
Physical Description
33 letters.
Historical Note
Central Auto Sales Company was an automobile distributor/dealer. Harry M. Levengston (1863-1952) founded the company in 1914 and also served as president of Centra Auto Sales Co. in Saratoga Springs, New York.
From 1889 to 1914, Levengston was proprietor of a public bath that he built and operated called the Saratoga Bath House. Levengston was a collector of cars. In 1909, he built a garage on 600 Plant Street in Utica. He operated Central Auto Sales Co. between 1914 and 1918, when he retired and began to live abroad, making frequent trips to Saratoga Springs.
Levengston married Emma A. Pike (1864-1946); the couple had three children.
Scope and Contents
This small collection consists of incoming correspondence sent from various automobile manufacturers to Central Auto Sales Company, addressed to Levengston. Content includes manufacturers' handling of dealership requirements, commissions, and customer matters, including both sales and complaints. Manufacturing companies represented include the Enger Motor Car Co.; the Selden Car; Marion Motor Cars; Oakland King Regal; Pierce-Arrow; Skinner Motor Cars (Packard, Chalmers, Dodge); General Electric (Maxwell-Briscoe car); and Studebaker. Related merchants include Kenwell & Brown - Garage and Repair Shop and Exide Battery Depots.
Access Restrictions
No restrictions on access; this collection is open for research.
Language of Materials
English
Finding Aid & Administrative Information
- Author:
- Laurie Sather
- Date:
- 2025
- Description rules:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description:
- English
- Script of description:
- Latin
Repository Details
Repository Details
Part of the Manuscripts and Archives Repository
