Thompson Motor Company

Although it's usually uncomfortable being in the presence of hornets and wasps, these were also the model names of two lines of Hudson autos in the early 1950s. One of the car dealerships featuring Hudson cars was the Thompson Motor Company of Holyoke and South Hadley.

William "Teddy" Thompson was a native of South Hadley and was educated there. In the early 1920s, he worked as a mechanic for the Hall Motor Car Company, located in Holyoke, where he learned his trade. In 1928, he married Ellen McNee of 257 Franklin Street, and together they formed McNee & Thompson, a car repair facility located behind the house at 122 Oak Street.

In 1933, he relocated the auto repair business to 91 Main Street in South Hadley. He also sold gas at his station.

In 1936, Mr. Thompson became the Holyoke sales representative for Hudson and Terraplane cars. His first dealership was located at 362 Race Street. The building was previously a Studebaker car dealership.

In December 1936, Mr. Thompson announced that the business had relocated to 10 Division Street in Holyoke, a larger, more modern space. The commercial building had a capacity for 15 cars.

The quarters proved temporary, as in January 1938, the business moved again. The new location was uptown at 1594 Dwight Street. The property had been owned by the Hall Motor Car Company, where Mr. Thompson started his career as a mechanic. The Hall company would move next door to 1584 Dwight Street. Mr. Thompson's other neighbor was Magna Buick at 1588 Northampton Street.

In 1940, the Thompsons purchased a residence at 1649 1/2 Northampton Street, within walking distance of the car dealership.

The company continued to sell new and previously owned cars. Some of the Hudson Models included the 112, Commodore, Pacemaker, Jet, Wasp, and Hornet. In 1956, the company became a distributor for Ramblers. 

In December 1956, a portion of the showroom was converted into a toy store. In January 1957, Marion Motors of 679 Main Street took over the Hudson line. Marion Motors was carrying Ramblers and became the exclusive dealer for each make in Holyoke. Thompson Motor Company continued to sell used cars through 1958, and late in that year, it sold the real estate to Sidney Radner, whose business is next on the agenda in this blog series.

Citations:

Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican; publication dates and pages are shown.

Ancestry.com (paid subscription): Price & Lee Holyoke, Massachusetts, City Directories

Hampden County Registry of Deeds, Springfield, Massachusetts