Parry Buggy Company History
A Family Owned Business

David Maclean Parry and his brother Thomas H. Parry purchased C Spring Cart Co. of Rushville, In in 1882. At this time they began manufacturing road carts and buck-boards. The road cart up to then had not been fully utilized by the farmers. Through advertising the Parry's convinced them they could not be happy with out one. Moving to Indianapolis in 1884, after a fire in the factory and a need for larger quarters. They then merged with the Great Woodburn Savern Wheel Company which was then renamed to Parry Manufacturing Co. D.M. Parry was President and T.H. Parry was General Supervisor of Manufacturing. In 1888, St. Clair Parry jointed the firm as the Secretary & Treasurer later becoming the President. Parry Manufacturing Company soon set an all-time production record of 1,000 buggies & carts a day. In 1890 they began making four-wheelers: surreys, piano-box buggies, phaetons, buckboards, spring wagons, etc. In all there were at least 19 buildings, covering 20 acres, connected with railroad switches running into the factory grounds. By 1896 there were over 2,800 persons employed. The shipped buggies and carts to all corners of the world thus becoming the largest buggy manufactures in the world. In 1898 Edward R. Parry came on board as the Sales Manager and later becoming Vice President. In 1901 Frank N. Fitzgerald, Lot D. Guffin both son-in-law of D.M. Parry were on the Board of Directors. By 1910 S.C. Parry was President, E.R. Parry was Vice President, L.D. Guffin was Treasurer and Abram Parry became the Secetry of the company. At this time D.M. was full involved with the manufaturing of cars. Parry Manufacturing continued making buggies until some time around 1916. They then started producing a line of automobile trailers, commercial bodies, on-man tops, close-in winter tops, etc. to it line. In those day one would buy a truck and the cab and other parts were bought seperately. By 1917 they were out of the buggy business and producing 22 types of truck bodies. They have been credited with developing the "mini van" and the "woody". In 1919 they merged with Martin to become Martin-Parry and continued making a multitude of truck bodies. General Motors came a long in 1930 and bought the Martin-Parry Co. in the hight of the depression for $900,000.

 

Cars Maunfactured by the Parry's

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