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Putnam Chevrolet

California Chevrolet dealership began as W. G. Heidbreder's Garage in 1919

Became Tompkins Chevrolet Co. in January 1936 when C. T. Tompkins bought out Heidbreder

C. O. Putnam purchased the Tompkins Chevrolet Company in 1938

 

 

From the January 30, 1936 California Democrat:

Heidbreder Sells to C. T. Tompkins

Eldon Man to Operate Local Chevrolet Agency at New Location -- Change Already Made

 

C. T. Tompkins of Eldon has purchased the equipment of W. G. Heidbreder and leased Mr. Heidbreder's garage building north of the intersection of highways 50 and 87 for the purpose of operating the local Chevrolet agency which has been conducted for several years by Earl Eberhart.

 

Mr. Tompkins will operate under the name of the Tompkins Chevrolet Company. He had been in the Chevrolet business at Eldon for about ten years, turning his business there over to his son, Harry, when he took over the agency here.

 

Mr. Tompkins already has cars on the floor at his new location here. He will make some changes in the arrangement of the garage, secure some new equipment and provide it with a full Chevrolet sales and service setup.

 

Mr. Tompkins has rented the James Shull property formerly occupied by G. E. Weaver and family and he and Mrs. Tompkins will move there within the next week or ten days.

 

Mr. Heidbreder who since 1919 has operated a garage at the location leased to Mr. Tompkins said yesterday he had no plans for the future. He built the building there in 1922, tearing away an old structure. For a number of years he had the local agency for Willys-Knight and Whipper automobiles. He has served as president of the school board, member of the city council, member of the California Special Bond District commission, chairman of his church council and in other capacities outside of his business. His many friends regret to lose him from among the business men of the city and wish him well at whatever enterprise he may engage in the future.

 

Mr. Eberhart will continue in business at his present location where he has operated the past five years.  He will sell Dodge and Plymouth and Pontiac and Oldsmobile cars, the agencies for which he has had for some time. The Dodge he has sold the past 6 years. He will operate under the name of Eberhart Motor Sales.

 

He will also continue in the general garage repair business as in the past.


 

From the November 3, 1938 California Democrat:

 

Putnams Buy The Tompkins Agency

Jamestown Man and Associates Add Third Agency to Their Chevrolet Business

 

C. O. Putnam, owner of Putnam's Motor Service at Jamestown, and his brother, J. O. Putnam of Warsaw, have purchased the Tompkins Chevrolet company of California and will take over the establishment Monday, continuing to operate it as a Chevrolet agency and garage.

 

This will make three Chevrolet agencies owned by C. O. Putnam and his associates, the third being the Putnam-Gabert Chevrolet concern at Tipton.

 

The business in Calfiornia will be operated under the name of Putnam's Chevrolet. J. O. Putnam will spend considerable time at the California agency. Employees of Mr. Tompkins, including Roland Purifoy, manager and Roe Boggs, mechanic, will be retained by the new owners.

 

The Tompkins concern, which operates the Chevrolet agency in Eldon, had been in business here since the first of Januaray, 1936.

 

C. O. Putnam has been in the garage business at Jamestown since 1924 and has handled Chevrolets  there since 1927.  A little over a year ago he and Paul Gabert purches the Tipton agency of which Paul is manager. Mr. Putnam owned and operated the light plant at Jamestown several years, selling out a year or two ago to a power company. He built a modern garage and show room in Jamestown in 1929.

 

"Through the purchase of the California agency we hope to be able to give even better service on our automobiles than heretofore," Mr. Putnam says. "Each of the establishments will operate under a separate contract with Chevrolet but our ? service will be available at any of the three places."


 

From the August 23, 1945 California Democrat:

 

Putnam Building On Highway 50

To Operate Chevrolet Agency and Garage at Location Across From Light Plant

 

C. O. Putnam of Jamestown, one of Moniteau County's leading businessmen, this week started construction on a garage and automobile agency building at the service station property on highway 50 which he purchased from J. M. Shull several months ago.

 

The new building, which will be directly across the highway from the Municipal Light Plant, will have a 100-foot front on the highway with a depth of 70 feet. It's south wall will be on a line with the south wall of the service station building which already is on the lot. The service station canopy, which will be left as it is, will extend in front of the building. The service station as a whole will become a part of the new building and will be left about as it is except that a portion of the east wall will be torn out so that its southeast corner may become a part of the automobile display room.

 

The garage shop will extend to which will be a 1-story structure, will be of brick and glass and the east and west walls will be of brick. The north wall will be of cement blocks.

 

Mr. Putnam, in preparing to build and open a business in California, gave consideration in the matter of sufficient space for the parking of automobiles and finally selected the location on highway 50, where he has 300 feet frontage, partly for that reason.

 

Mr. Putnam went into the garage business in Jamestown in 1924 and in 1926 took the agency there for Chevrolet automobiles. He owned and operated in his garage the electric light plant at Jamestown, selling this part of the business to the Missouri Power and Light Company several years ago. Eight years ago he and Paul Gabert acquired the Chevrolet agency at Tipton which they continue to operate. Mr. Gabert is building a new building for the business at Tipton as his own property but Mr. Putnam continues as owner of one-half interest in the agency there.

 

The Putnam Chevrolet agency in California, which was operated by Joe Putnam who closed the business and went to work for the government shortly after the entrance of the United States into the war, was owned principally by C. O. Putnam. Joe does not plan to return to the automobile agency business but rather to remain at his government job.

 

C. O. Putnam has been president of the school board at Jamestown a number of years, including the period during which Jamestown's new school building was erected. He has served as chairman of the town board. Mr. Putnam said Wednesday he had no definite announcement to make concerning the future of his business in Jamestown except that it will continue to operate. He and Mrs. Putnam and their son, Donnie, who is a high school pupil, plan to move to California, though it may be sometime before all arrangements can be worked out. The Putnams have a modern home in Jamestown, built 10 years ago.

 

Clayton Holt, son-in-law of Mr. and Mrs. Putnam, will be associated with him in the business here. Mr. Holt has been employed the last five years in a bomber plant at Baltimore, Md., where he and Mrs. Holt have been living. He returned here recently to await his call for induction.


 

From the 1980 History of Moniteau County:

As C. O. Putnam prepares for the showing of new 1981 model cars at Putnam Chevrolet Pontiac Co., his thoughts go back to 1923, his first year as a car dealer. Fifty-seven years - over half a century - does not seem that long, but a lot has happened in that time. He established dealerships in three towns, and constructed three buildings for their operation. Dirt roads gave way to gravel and then to hard surfaces. A world war took cars off the market and brought rationing, and then a post war boom took the automobile to a prominence only dreamed of in 1923.

 

C. O. as he is known by his friends and customers, opened his first dealership in Jamestown, MO, in April, 1923. It was located in a small sheet-iron building from which he sold and serviced Model T Fords. In 1929, he obtained a Chevrolet franchise. The following year he built his first building, which is still used as a garage in Jamestown.

 

In 1937 he and Paul Gabert purchased the Chevrolet agency in Tipton, MO, and Paul managed this operation. Then in 1939 C. O. acquired Tompkins Chevrolet Co., in California, the business at that time located where Rackers Manufacturing is now.

 

Things were going well until World War II broke out and our country went to war. As cars were taken off the market, there was nothing to do but retreat and wait it out. The California agency was closed, the tools were taken to Jamestown, and C. O. did service work to keep the cars running through that time of shortages. After the war ended, the present building on Highway 50 in California was constructed. C. O. moved to California to manage the agency. He continued his association with the Jamestown garage for a number of years through a partnership with Tom Geiger, but ultimately sold his interest in that business to concentrate on the growing dealership in California. In 1965 the Pontiac franchise was added. Paul Gabert continued to operate the Tipton agency until he retired in 1967, at which time it was sold.

 

C. O. is still [in 1980] active in the business at California. In 1979 he was selected by Chevrolet as one of several dealers nationwide to appear in a promotional film tracing the history of Chevrolet Motor Division. The film, narrated by Lorne Green, ends with C. O. describing his pride in being a Chevrolet dealer and the work of providing quality automotive service to his community.

 

A dream came true when Don Putnam, after 27 years in the aerospace industry, joined his father as general manager of Putnam Chevrolet Pontiac in 1979. Third generation Dave Putnam, a freshman at University of Missouri-Columbia, has already expressed his determination to become part of the business. Thus it appears that there will be a Putnam in charge at Putnam Chevrolet-Pontiac Co. for the foreseeable future to continue the tradition established by C. O. and currently used as the company slogan - "Providing service to its Customers for over 50 years."

 

On the Putnam Chevrolet website it states:

Putnam Chevrolet Pontiac has been in business in Moniteau County since 1928. We are a local, family-owned dealership. Current owner, Bill Campbell, purchased Putnam Chevrolet-Pontiac from Donald Putnam in 1983.

 


 

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