In 1908 an epic race helped usher in the age of the automobile. The almost superhuman feat pit man and machine against the elements and fueled public passion for the car in America and Europe.
That passion would ignite the demand for petroleum products from refineries like those emerging from the 1901 Spindletop discovery in Southeast Texas. These would serve to fuel a revolution in transportation, forever linking the region with mankind’s almost insatiable appetite for the car.
Beaumont will host a two-day event in association with Lamar University's Mary and John Gray Library Lecture Series as they present speaker, Jeff Mahl, Oct. 7-8. Mahl is the great-grandson of the legendary George N. Schuster, who drove the 1907 Thomas Flyer around the world in the 1908 New York to Paris Great Automobile Race. Mahl will speak at Lamar University in the John Gray Center Auditorium 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 8. The presentation is free to the public.
Many consider the 1908 New York to Paris Great Automobile Race the single most important event in automotive history, and the Thomas Flyer to be the most important automotive artifact in the world. With seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Schuster was the first person to ever drive an automobile across the U.S. in the wintertime. He was the only American to make the full distance of the race from New York to Paris.
Based in fact and richly illustrated with more than 70 original photographs, Mahl presents the story in the guise of his great-grandfather and brings original artifacts that help bring to life the events of the 1908 New York to Paris Great Automobile Race. He also presents glimpses into what happened including many unpublished stories. Using the latest technology, Mahl immerses the audience in the excitement and novelty of the era.
The centennial observance of the great race is next year, and Mahl is in high demand as a speaker, said Greg Riley, event organizer, a freelance writer for Old Cars Weekly, and co-author of Black Gold to Bluegrass, a chronicle of the second Spindletop oil boom of the 1920s. Mahl will arrive in Beaumont on Sunday, Oct. 7. The public is invited to a 7 p.m. reception in his honor at the McFaddin/Ward House Visitors Center, 1206 Calder Ave. in Beaumont where many early 1900s automobiles will be on display. Reservations are required and may be made by calling Riley at (281) 622-9434 or emailing him at gsriley1@sbcglobal.net.
The following day, Beaumont will be treated to a slow tour by this entourage of automotive history. Mahl and vintage auto enthusiasts will conduct a “slow motion” tour of a number of historic Beaumont locations, including the John Jay French Museum, Chambers House Museum, McFaddin-Ward House Museum, Fire Museum of Texas, Texas Energy Museum, Tyrrell Historical Library and the Jefferson Theatre.
The public is also invited to participate in the free tour, but space is limited as these museums are normally closed on Mondays, Riley said. Anyone interested in participating in the tour events must make a reservation by calling Riley at (281) 622-9434 or emailing him at gsriley1@sbcglobal.net.
Shopping at local antique shops and a break for lunch are included with the historic tour. One of the highlights of the tour is the reenactment of the Lucas gusher at the Spindletop/Gladys City Boomtown Museum followed by a short film on Spindletop, Gladys City, and the Lucas gusher. Following the tour, Mahl will give his presentation at the John Gray Center Auditorium at 7 p.m.
More information on the Great Auto Race of 1908 can be found online at www.thegreatautorace.com and information on a documentary film about the race can be found at www.thegreatestautorace.com.
