OLDSMAR, Fla. — Tucked into one of the few original buildings still standing in Oldsmar is the story of how it all started.
Ransom Eli Olds set out to transform a town at the top of Tampa Bay more than 100 years ago.
Today, dozens of old photographs, maps and memorabilia amassed in the century since line the walls and shelves of the Oldsmar Historical Society, inside the historic Oldsmar Bank Building on State St. across from City Hall.
Olds purchased 37,000 acres of land in 1916. The carmaker who created Oldsmobile and the first automobile assembly line (Henry Ford invented the moving assembly line a decade later) wanted to create a community for the working class next.
He originally named his new endeavor R.E. Olds on the Bay.
But his plans for a luxurious hotel and even a train station, in a town he envisioned for 100,000 people, were a bust before they could even begin.
“He couldn't understand why his little village wasn't coming around,” Mary Ann Kruse, the historical society’s president said. “I think it was at the wrong time.”
The construction of Tampa Bay’s bridges starting in the early 1920s diverted traffic away from the area. But it was the devastation caused by the hurricane of 1921 that might’ve been the biggest blow. A decade after its founding, Olds gave up on his Oldsmar dream.
For a man who’d seen so much success in his ventures – the creation of Oldsmobile and then the REO Motor Company (which later inspired the name for the band REO Speedwagon) – Olds considered Oldsmar a failure.
That’s according to Olds’ own great-grandson, Tom Roe, who says he’d never known of Oldsmar’s existence growing up.
“He lost three and a half million [dollars] on the investment,” Roe said. “So I think the family got together and said, ‘let's never discuss Oldsmar,’ but as it turns out, Olds[mobile] is gone, REO is gone, this is actually his legacy. That's the irony of it.”
That legacy looms large today in the city he once considered a flop.
From a giant stone marker in the park that bears his name, to the neighborhood streets named after Oldsmobiles, like Cutlass and Vista Cruiser.
The city even maintains a fleet of Oldsmobiles, each significant, donning the badge of what was the country’s oldest car company when it ended production in 2004.
Oldsmar's Oldsmobile collection spans history
A replica of the first Oldsmobile ever made, the 1901 Curved Dash, sits on display inside City Hall. The “horseless carriage” sports bicycle-thin wheels and a single-cylinder engine allowing for a top speed of 7 mph.
The city also retained one of the final 500 Oldsmobiles ever produced before the brand was discontinued by General Motors – a dark cherry metallic 2004 Alero with “Final 500” stitched into the leather seats. A small plaque on the inside of the driver door frame indicates it was number 36.
The light blue 1994 Cutlass Supreme convertible that once belonged to late city council member and longtime resident Janice Miller has also found its way into the city’s collection.
Each serves as a testament to the man who put the "Olds" in Oldsmar.
“I wish we had some way of showing him that he wasn't a failure that eventually Oldsmar caught on,” Kruse said. “This is truly a historic city.”